Bangkok

Another month and a whole new set of unexpected challenges to overcome.  Looking back on the last 30 days it feels like I haven’t accomplished much but, at the same time, it feels like I’ve been in Thailand much longer than that.

Then it came time to sift through my photos and videos from my phone, camera, and GoPro and there were a lot to go through. I had ambitious but unorganized plans to visit just a fraction of the many national parks this country has to offer but I encountered plenty of difficulties and setbacks along the way causing me to frequently alter my plans.

This will likely be my last blog update for a while for a while but more on that in a bit…

Coming into Thailand, I was expecting this country to be similar to Cambodia.  Despite a crazy long line at immigration, the process was simple and surprisingly with no baggage check whatsoever.  Once the bus was underway again, I noticed we were now driving on the opposite (left) side of the road.  The highways are wide, divided, and in very nice condition, unlike Cambodia and it felt like we were driving into a larger city in China as we approached the stacks of overpasses surrounding Bangkok.

Mostly due to the crowds and chaotic transportation, I quickly disliked each of the capital cities I arrived in from the previous countries but I liked this one right away.  I wandered the streets of Bangkok for a few days and it reminded me a lot of China except very hot and people are nicer.  Thailand is definitely a tourist hotspot and foreigners can be spotted everywhere and many of them now call Thailand home.

The first time I was waiting on the platform for a metro train, I was shocked at how common sense actually prevailed for once.  As the train door opened, I witnessed people exiting while a queue of people waited on either side of the people leaving.  I’ve been on plenty of buses and trains in China and not once did people wait for passengers to disembark before wedging themselves into the trains.  I’ve slowly become more and more aware of how Thai people proud themselves on their politeness, sometimes to a fault.  My first experience with this intense generosity was at my next destination in Chiang Rai.