Three nights in Bangkok

I arrived in Bangkok at about 1:30AM. After wandering around the airport for a few minutes trying to decide what to do, I headed for one of the information desks. It was there I met a tall, well-built American inquiring about a place to stay. It was his first time in Bangkok and my second, so I was just slightly more experienced in getting around, but not enough to make a difference. On a lengthy taxi ride from the airport to downtown Bangkok I found he was a marine headed to some training in northern Thailand. He was quite a cordial fellow and I would say my first acquaintance in Bangkok was a success.

I got dropped off by the taxi driver in what seemed to be unfamiliar territory. I stood on the street corner for a minute or so, picking my brain (it was well after 3am) trying to remember something from the last time I was in Bangkok. I finally recognized a McDonalds and a few other places on the street and trekked to one of the hostels down the road. I entered my bedroom, which consisted of a bed, fan, floor, ceiling, four walls, and a window, just before 4AM. The one perk I did get is that my window comes with a sliding screen pane, which can be nice, if the humidity isn't too high at night. I wasn't so concerned about the amenities and I was just ready to catch some zzzzs.

One might be wondering what I was doing walking around Bangkok at 3am by myself. Due to a mishap in my travel plans and an effort to conserve money I arrived in Bangkok one day after the friends I was supposed to meet left for the beaches in the south part of Thailand. I had no idea exactly where to find them, so I decided I would spend a few days in Bangkok alone.

After sleeping away most of the first day, I spent the next few days travelling in a tuk-tuk and seeing some of the sights of Bangkok. When it comes to attractions in Bangkok they consist of two things, Buddhas in a variety of poses (including sitting, standing, and reclining.) and Buddhist temples. There are over 40,000 in temples in Thailand according to one elderly Thai fellow I met in one of the temples. He began explaining to me the purposes of the different poses and which one to pray to for certain days of the week and certain problems. I only understood about every fifth word, so I don't fully understand how it all works, but he was very excited to tell me about it.



The first three days and nights here in Bangkok have been pretty long. On the second day it began raining and it never seemed to stop. I would come back to my room soaking wet each night. I wouldn't really ever get fully dried, because by the time I did it was so muggy that the wetness from the rain had become sweatness. That is, perspiration.

I have met a variety of people and found that the Thai people are really friendly at first, but if you don't give them what they want, they can become quite perturbed. For example, I payed a tuk-tuk driver 20 baht for a ride, that I thought was worth 20 baht. He felt it was worth five or ten times that. I just walked away after paying and he was undoubtedly very upset. I've found that money seems to keep the people happy or just giving of some of your time, if you don't have much money. Overall I would rate my first three days in Bankok a 3 of 10. Too much rain and too many rip offs.