Thailand- Bangkok
Holy Shit, I am going to Asia! That was my first thought as my best friend and I booked our plane tickets. There are many reasons that brought me to Thailand. Partly because of a dear friend that passed away, partly because I didn't understand why people loved it and mostly because I wanted to go somewhere that frightened me. As we were preparing for Thailand which really had been a 2 year process, people kept telling us be safe and asking us if we were scared? I couldn't let on that yes I was scared out of my mind. But, I knew that I had to do this trip. Packing was a completely crazy experience. Both my sister and my mom take days even weeks to plan what they are going to pack when ever they travel. I was always a throw shit in a suitcase the night before kinda girl. But, as the weeks started getting closer I realized that I was beginning to stress out over what I was going to pack. We actually packed water purification tablets which in hindsight was not necessary and probably added a little extra pain to our shoulders and backs.
Our flight got in at night and we didn't know what we were doing. First, we saw a sign that read: Molly's name. We at first were hoping that this was our family helping us out with ordering a car. But, then the second thought that entered our minds was oh shit are we going to get deported before we even get to see anything. Getting locked up abroad was a recurring thought a lot on this trip. When we were waiting in line for a taxi this couple asked us if we wanted to share one. I think we are so trained as Americans to believe that everyone is out to get us to kidnap and kill us. Knowing that one of them was American helped us to make the decision to save money. So, they shared a taxi with us. Tip #1 Not everyone is going to kill you overseas. Next, we all piled into the taxi and had to wait a long time while the taxi driver had to bungee cord the trunk shut Tip #2 Don't pack a lot!
Alas, we made it to our Hostel. Tip #3 Use http://www.hostelworld.com/ they are pretty accurate. Our ankles were pretty swollen.. I was starting to think I was going to have cankles forever. Tip #4 Buy and wear knee high socks on long flights. Why cankle if you don't have to!
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| Cankles Hurt! |
The first day in Bangkok we thought we could just walk to all of the temples. If you are a tourist you have a scent they can sniff out. The Thai people will stop you and say that it is a Government program that Tuk-Tuk's are now really cheap. They will talk to you and try to convince you that the Grand Palace and other Temples are closed for a Buddhist Holiday. It took two guys and one girl to finally convince us that we should in fact take a Tuk-Tuk.
Tip #5 if you are going to take a Tuk-Tuk don't give them money until the end. They will wait for you and take you to different Temples plus, the scam places (a Tailor shop and Travel Agency). This is not a bad way to go but, you can probably just walk to everything despite them trying to convince you that everything is REALLY far away from each other. We also, learned that Thai people don't walk places so, maybe to them it is a far distance. I would not give them more than 10 baht per person. We simply just said with a smile and pointing (the best method for 2 American girls who didn't know any Thai). 10 Baht (point to yourself) - 10 Baht (point to your friend). Now, we ended up taking a Tuk-Tuk which just happened to pull up as the Thai woman was explaining to us what the other men had before. After, contemplating if this Tuk-Tuk driver was going to take us out of Bangkok and kill us we ultimately decided to take the chance. 
He took us to the Big Buddha as they call it otherwise known as the Standing Buddha . Which was pretty impressive I have to say so myself. The Lucky Buddha where we met a "school teacher" who told us of our good luck and that this one Tailor shop- Top Ten was only open every 10 years to regular Thai people and tourists. It just happened that today was our "lucky" day. Then our Tuk-Tuk driver took us to the Top Ten shop where a lot of other tourists were getting pulled into the scam. Then we went to a Travel Agency. We sat down and the guy was like, "Why are you here?" After, saying we didn't know and that we already had plans we left. I am sure you can make real plans and tours there but, probably not the best price around. Then we went to the Golden Mountain which was probably my favorite of the day. After, we walked down from the mountain we couldn't find our Tuk-Tuk driver. There were plenty of others there trying to convince us that our driver left us and to hop in theirs. We kind of felt bad so, we just decided to walk. We didn't end up finding him so, we didn't pay for any of his driving us around. This might make you feel like you are putting out bad Karma.. but just donate to the Temple or something. As soon as we took to foot we got lost. Bangkok is pretty confusing (at least for us). There are plenty of people around that will try to help you. Tip #6 Carry a map of Bangkok with you and the address of your hotel/hostel!
The Second Day in Bangkok
We had limited time because we had to be at the airport to fly to Phuket. Tip #7 Arrange a taxi through your hotel or hostel. We decided to go to the Grand Palace which, I believe is a must when in Bangkok. It is around 400 baht but, really worth it (in my opinion). Tip #8 Wear appropriate clothing to the temple. ie. long pants for men and no sleeveless shirts. Otherwise, you will be wearing fantastic elephant pants and a Hawaiian shirt. Hey, that might be your style but, you will really look like a tourist then! I wore a dress and Molly wore a skirt and we were fine. Apparently, many people pickpocket there so, watch your belongings. Tip #9 Leave your passport in your hotel/hostel and just carry a copy with you. I could not think of anything more terrifying then being abroad without your passport. Tip #10 When in Thailand do as the Thai do; Never point your feet towards the Buddha, don't take pictures inside the main part of the Temple and take off your shoes when in the Temple. We found that this was not necessarily true for some of the not so famous temples but, definitely at the Emerald Buddha.
Tip #11 If you want to barter which you should, but use a calculator. If you don't have a calculator watch you might want to consider bringing a calculator with you. Otherwise, most vendors have calculators which will help when you want to barter and you don't know very much Thai. Tip #12 carry small currency with you. It is really hard to barter with someone and then ask for change. Once, you give them the bill they will just smile at you. Don't expect to get your money back. This however we didn't find with taxis or bigger establishments.
Last bit of advice; if you look and act like a tourist- you will be treated like a tourist. I am tall, blonde and white obviously, I stood out. But, we didn't dress like tourists and we tried our best to fit in. We actually got mistaken for English teachers a lot. This might have been part of their scam but, I don't really want to believe that :)
That is all I have for Bangkok- Advice for Phuket and Krabi to come!
This Post is Unofficially Sponsored by 7 Eleven "Where ever you go. 7 Eleven will be there"
More useful information:
Baht is Thai currency
Roughly 1 USD= 30 baht
great advice and travels! can't wait for the next chapter
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