Tales From a Female Traveller

FIRST DAY IN BANGKOK

Having fun!

Arrived at 1 thismorning and Byron picked me up from the airport.
The roads are crazy and the Tuk Tuk drivers are mad, there's absolutely NO road rules whatsoever.. it's SO awesome!! You can do anything you want and not get in trouble at all!

We did a tour of Bangkok by Tuk Tuk today to all the Wats (Temples) and we only paid 10 Baht (which is about 30 cents) for the whole day!

At the moment we're at the touristy place where all the westerners go called Khao San Road and it's more alive a night than what it is of a day! You can buy freshly cooked grasshoppers and nicely fried cockroaches... I dared Byron to try one but we're both going to have to be veeeeeeeeeeeeeery drunk to attempt that one.

We took a boat tour of the river and stopped in at some rich Doctor's house where he stashes all his antiques and we saw some Traditional Thai Dancers perform and they made me dance which was SOOO embarressing. Then we watched some Thai Boxing and some Bamboo stick martial arts thingymajig... pretty cool.

Everyone is really nice and they wave to you from the boat as you go by their ramshackle houses.. it's just amazing the way they live. And there are so many stray cats and dogs around it makes me have second thoughts about not having that rabies shot. The river houses are built on rotting stilts and there are floating markets all about the place.

I think I already have Malaria because we left our balcony door open last night and I got eaten alive by these tiny little bugs I can't even identify. So I packed on the RID today and have made out well.

We visted all kinds of Wats... the Reclining Buddha, the Standing Buddha, and the Seated Buddha and the Lucky Buddha were closed so we couldn't visit those. But everything is just amazing, including the Golden Mount.. which is jus huge with all these steps up to the top and you ring large bells to awaken the spirits as you ascend... and there are all these Spirit Houses tucked into the side of the mountain.

Tomorrow Byron and I are taking a bus up north to a place called Chiang Mai where we have organised to go on a 3 day 2 night Trek through the Thai jungle which includes all meals, 1 million star accomodation, elephant rides and bamboo raft rides...and visits to the Hilltribes of Thailand at a place called Akha where the women wear rings around their necks to extend them that they start wearing from about the age of 5. We arrive back in Bangkok on the 29th so we won't have email or anything until then. But we are perfectly safe and happy.

The locals are so nice and happy and are more than willing to help you (so they can practice their English.. and hopefully pick up a commission.)...which comes in handy when you have no idea where the hell you are, where you're going, or where you've come from and can't read any street signs.

Anyhoo.. running out of time on here.. we're in an internet cafe tucked away in a building just off Khao San Road so I should get going.

I love you and miss you all (a little bit) and will update soon. And don't worry.

Lots of love,
Lucy (and Coby)

PS... will upload photos later

posted by Lucyspeak @ 12:25 am