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Pearl's Travels
Greetings from Thailand!
I arrived safely and comfortably after travelling for almost 18 hrs! My flight was delayed therefore I missed my connection in Singapore. But that was ok coz they reconnected me and gave me a free lunch. I love air travel with Singapore airlines, they are great! Lets see if I sing the same tune after the 10 or so flights I have to catch with them over the next 7 mths! At least its off to a good start, not a bad one.
Because I missed my connection it meant that my travel buddy Andrea would have more than a the planned 1.30 hr wait for me at the airport so she went ahead to the hostel. When I landed I strapped my backpack on and boldly strutted out of the airport only to be floored by the heat and humidity. Guess I best get used to that as is all I am going to experience for the next 6mths. I say six as I will be in New Zealand for a month in the dead of winter so will instead have to deal with english winter temperatures. It might be a welcome respite.
Anyway, caught the bus from the airport into town and jumped off just off Khao San Road. My hostel was on the other end of the street and I had rather an interesting walk down the busiest, most colourful and sensory stimulating street I have ever walked down. Sights and sounds merged and morphed from thumping techno to accustic guitar to gangsta rapping to a lone thai girl singing very hitched into a microphone competing for the same music airspace. Then there were the food stalls... my stomach didnt quite know what to do with its self. At first I pass a stall selling sweet, juicy mango and sticky rice and turn just in time to see a stall being pushed passed me selling fried bugs, grubs and grasshoppers. There were other crawlies on the stall but I decided not to try and identify them. The street is not that long, but it felt like miles when you are not sure where you are going and there are people, moving food stalls and motorbikes all going in the opposite direction to you. I eventually found my hostel and made my way up to the room. Andy had been asleep when I arrived but looked mighty pleased to see me, as did I, to see her! The thai cultural shock that lay in the streets just outside was a enough to make me hug her tighter and breath a sigh of relief that I was not here in this mad city on my own!
I had a shower and then we braved the streets together around 11ish. We did a lap of Khao San and a few neighbouring streets with I think what must have looked like "wide eyed, just off the boat tourists" expressions coz we just walked in silence trying to take everything in. Enroute back to the hostel we walked passed a bar that we had seen earlier. This particular bar was advertising "very strong cocktails", which I had been warned against. Advice I will do well to stick to because the scene I saw an hour and a half later was very different to the one I saw earlier. I small group of 2 guys and 2 girls were huddled together on small plastic chairs looking rather sheepish and a bit wide-eyed at the chaos that was Khao San road. When we walked past again 1.5hrs later the one guy was trying his best to woo one of the girls by what looked like kissing her arm (looked more like sucking to me though... eeewww!) whilst her friend watch in distaste and looked rather green around the gills (the smooching sounds might not have helped) and the other guy from the group was no where to be seen!
Yes, arriving on Khao San road on a Saturday night is rather a shocking experience!
Tried my best to sleep through the bad cover versions of Sting, GreenDay and Oasis and eventually only woke up at 1 the next day. Andy and I had a long chat and "get to know one another" session and only ventured out around 4ish. Had a little bit of a pamper and a leisurely lunch/dinner and then wandered around looking for a better hostel to check into tomorrow. Found a few that were way better for the same price or just a little more expensive and possibly a pool!
We are gonna have early nights tonight so we can be up early and tackle the Grand Palace in all its glory.
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