Holy Cow – It’s Hot Here! – I’ve never taken so many showers in a 24 hour period. And these are ice cold showers. Hot water doesn’t exist. Thailand is hot. And steamy. And muggy. Ugh.
Buddha’s dot the scenery of Bangkok
The best moment is when I first wake up in the morning. In that short instant, before I begin to move my limbs or open my eyes, I are completely comfortable and “almost” cool due to the mighty fan overhead. As much as I wouldn’t mind sleeping a bit later in the mornings, it is best to get up and actually get stuff done. We get our breakfast, do our errands (visa photos, bus tickets, internet research, etc.) By 11 a.m., the shaded cafes are full of fellow travelers lounging with the latest best seller, or watching whatever feature movie is playing. Though the cafes are not air-conditioned, the Thai’s have mastered the art of designing buildings that reflect the heat and maintain a somewhat comfortable temperature.
Air Conditioning and Internet Cafes in Bangkok
Sidetracked – Although I am desperate to go SCUBA diving and my travel buds have to keep dragging me away from the dive shops, I am being a good friend and saving my lazy beach days until June/July. But it’s soooo hard to walk away from all the gorgeous photos of the islands.
On another note, I can’t believe how sick I have gotten of my sparse collection of clothing. I hate everything I currently own. However, I did splurge and buy myself a fun pair of fisherman’s short/pants and a cheap tank top from the Khao San Road shops. We are rotating through tank tops, bikini tops, shorts, and our fisherman’s. Our packs certainly seemed heavy when we arrived, but I think I’m photographed wearing the same clothes quite often. I did donate a rather large armful of clothing to a roadside “sell-your-clothing” stand. These were clothes that kept me warm in India. I won’t be needing them here.
Is it Just Me? – I can tell the distinct difference between the tourists and the backpackers in Bangkok even though we are all about the same age. The tourist are wearing tiny miniskirts with a possible matching purse, have an actual ‘style’ to their hair, and are wearing shoes that don’t function as the all encompassing shower shoes/hiking thongs/walking/traveling/etc shoes. Me? I’ve been living in pigtails, my flip flops, and my two pairs of shorts/pants/travel wear. A highlight is pulling out a new tank top to wear. However, this isn’t by any means an actual new top. I simply mean that I haven’t worn this particular shirt in 2-3 days and it may or may not have been laundered before shoving it into my pack. It’s new to me!!!!!
Watermelons – just some of Thailand’s delicious fruits.
Meanwhile at the market – I saw my first fried cockroaches today. We went to the Chatuchak Market where they sell everything from chickens and snakes to purses and lamps. I was going to try the cockroaches. I really was!! However, when I approached the cart to collect my sample of roasted insect, the sight of cooked slugs made me loose my appetite. I decided to stick with watermelon until a bit later in the trip. More on our trip to Chatuchak Market later. We took a local bus, #51, that stopped right outside of Khao San Rd.
I met some wonderful travelers as I was sitting outside the Gecko House writing my postcards yesterday. A lovely couple from Australia, a young girl from New Zealand, and an older British fellow sat around with me and traded stories for several hours. After I told them about my Cape Horn experience, the British lad offered me a job teaching sailing and SCUBA diving in the Greek Isles. I’ll certainly keep his contact information handy!
