thaied up

Three days ago, I staggered into the Bangkok International Airport, sleep-deprived but victorious. I had managed to escape the clutches of India without a visa, and my checked luggage had actually followed me to Thailand. Though I should have slept on the flight, and did enjoy a half-hour nap, stretched out in aisle row front seat of the coach section, (charming the airline employees is well worth the effort) I spent the majority of my time availing myself of the in-flight movies.

We landed at 6:30 in the morning, and after recovering my luggage and clearing customs, I boarded a shuttle bus into the city. I've found that time never passes as slowly as it does when you're half-asleep, startling yourself into semi-contentiousness every few seconds only to slip back into a comfortable oblivion before repeating the process. And in the warm clutches of the gently-rocking shuttle bus, time lost all meaning as we sped into town over the course of what seemed an eternity.

Blinking in the bright morning light as I stumbled off the bus, had I been in Egypt I would have been easily overtaken and succumb to the aggressive touts and taxi drivers, but this was Thailand, Land of Smiles. So instead I was approached by a friendly local, who pointed me in the right direction, and wished me well. My hostel is one of the most charming places I've stayed in yet. The historically-protected teak wood building is anchored by an antique coffee house in the lobby, and the rooms are clean and well decorated.

I had arrived early, so I plunked my things down, in the common room, and killed time by walking around town. I made a few purchases, acquiring a pair of t-shirts to replace the ones I lost in Jordan, a rather trendy Thai Red Bull shirt (more on Thailand's history with Red Bull later), and a knock-off watch to replace the one that broke in the Dubai airport. The watch, "New" Swiss Army (take that "Old" Swiss Army!), is actually quite decent, and I'm hoping that it will continue to keep time through my next month of travel before I stop back in the US.

Buddhas of various shapes and sizes available for sale.

Bargaining in Thailand is very different from Turkey, Egypt, or even Nepal. Where aggressive barking and refusals seemed necessary before, smiles and coy suggestion rules the day in the Thai markets. I find this an easier and more natural way of bargaining, and I am getting correspondingly better deals on pretty much everything.

My cultural samplings were limited on this first outing, but when I returned to the hostel to properly check-in, the receptionist suggested I check out the Golden Mount. On the other side of a street and a canal from the hostel, the Golden Mount offers one of the best views of Bangkok the Old City has to offer. I climbed up to the top of this temple, perched on the only bit of elevation around, and got my bearings on the city as I took in the view.

A Buddha atop the Golden Mount.

Returning to my hostel I discovered that my roommates had arrived. Three girls, friends from Singapore, in a muted way they each fit the stereotype of the giggly Asian girl. The four of us decided to head into town to check out the dinner options available to us, and before long we were all sitting down to bowls of noodles and chicken. Street vendors are the real powerhouses of Thai cuisine, and the general rule here is the cheaper your meal, the better it will taste. The normal strategy is to pick a few things from each vendor, noodles from one, chicken from another, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera (sorry, part of being in Siam for me involves "The King and I" references). Then you combine these ingredients and sit down at an outdoor table to enjoy your meal. Having accomplished just this, the three girls and I finished our meals and made our way through the streets of Bangkok in search of another local food offering.

A typical dinner: pad thai, chicken strips, friend wontons, and Thai ice tea, all purchased from different vendors (7-Eleven's Thai ice tea is quite good).

Not quite as appealing to Western visitors, but enjoyed by the locals, the fried insects we were in search of were a perfect addition to my bizarre food samplings of the world. We found a vendor, and bought a heap of maggots, beetles, crickets, and most importantly, grasshoppers. Bringing them back to the hostel, we took turns sampling the various insects with varying degrees of reluctance. Popping a grasshopper into my mouth without reservation, a feet captured on video, I found it to be mostly crunch, and less than enjoyable. Nevertheless, it was the least offensive of the bizarre food offerings, even if bits of the leg do tend to get stuck in your teeth.

You eat 'em like Pringles with legs.

I have to cut myself off here, as I need to catch a bus down south. I'll finish updating about my adventures from Bangkok down there, as I relax by the beach and hope not to get swept away by a tsunami or typhoon.