As I write this I am on a bus on the way to Koh Tao. Ben is passed out next to me after a big night and we still have to make it onto the midnight ferry. Today is my 5th day in Thailand. I wanted to take the time I have tonight to reflect on my adventure so far.
Deciding to come to Thailand was one of these ‘screw it’ decisions. I had been facing down a rather boring month in Wellington and Ben C, being the incredible friend he is, talked me into dropping everything and going overseas. As a plan-alcoholic in recovery, this sounded equal parts scary and exciting.
While not my first overseas experience, this is my first trip backpacking and my first trip going alone. Both undertakings have intimidated me greatly in the past. But, like with many of the things that have scared me, such as getting a new job and talking to new people, once I started, it was far less scary than I expected.
I spent some time attempting to put my reflections from these first days into words. However, too many of my thoughts feel underdeveloped. Putting them into words solidifies them in a way I am uncomfortable doing at this stage. In light of this, I have instead put together a list of things that have filled my heart this week.
Exploring Bangkok on foot
I spent my first morning simply starting at my hostel and following interesting-looking streets. I stumbled across so many hidden gems, finding local food markets along several of the canals, narrow streets lined with well-loved plants, markets selling religious art, and a giant flower market. I ended up exploring several temples and found a tiny local museum about a poet where I was excitedly shown around by three young girls who spoke about four sentences of English.
On my second day, I took the public bus to Chinatown, a massive adventure in itself, and spent hours walking around. Taking the same approach, I followed interesting streets to find a gorgeous heritage area with funky buildings and colorful street art. After, I wandered into a massive maze of a market selling all sorts of funky-looking food, clothing, art, and trinkets.
Meeting other travelers
He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata. The people, the people, the people.
As is usually a huge part of any experience, meeting lots of new people has been cup-filling.
From the Kiwis at the airport who shared a Grab, Katie, and Ryan who we spent 2 days exploring with, many many people met on the street and in hostels, and Eden with whom I mainly communicated with by Google Translate, it has been both overwhelming and fulfilling. I am so incredibly appreciative of how open and welcoming everyone has been.
Songkran
I arrived in Bangkok a few days before Songkran, the Thai New Year. Songkran is a massive 3-day water fight, symbolizing cleansing and the washing away of misfortune. It has been an incredibly joyous experience and a wonderful insight into a small part of Thai culture. There is something indescribably entertaining about watching grown adults on the back of scooters cradling their massive water guns. I got to completely let out my inner child, starting water fights and having splashing contests with people on the streets. Suffice it to say, I was thrilled to have my Aarn Pack with its water-resistant lining keeping my stuff dry on the way to the bus.
While in the past I have tended to be quite un-adventurous with food I am taking this trip as an opportunity to go out of my comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, with my Western stomach I am scared of getting sick but, by taking a few precautions I have felt comfortable trying a bunch of new foods.
So far the new foods I have loved include, Rab Na, chili fried mussels (Ben ordered that one and let me try one), chicken rice soup, barbecue chicken from a small street stall, and pork and basil on rice. Getting to try something completely new every meal has been an incredibly fun adventure.
I knew very little about the Kingdom of Thailand when I booked my flights. Understanding the history and culture of a place has always added so much richness to my experience existing in a place. Thailand has been no exception.
While the history podcasts I downloaded for the plane were so dry I could feel my brain crumbling, spending an afternoon at the Museum Siam was a delightful way to learn a bit more. Several of the temples I visited also had signage in English about the history related to the temples.
This one is a bit of a joke, but I wanted to highlight the fact that while traveling may seem all fun and games it isn’t all like that. I’m not posting pictures of me drenched in sweat, dehydrated, jet-lagged, overstimulated, and exhausted from a day of exploring in the heat.
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