in the land of smiles – or the furnace that I learned to love

This is not going to be a post with lots of pictures.  Actually none at all. I am writing this from an Internet cafe – and thus not photo editing and sharing. For that you have to wait a bit more.

However, this IS a post about my arrival in Bangkok, and my impressions after a day and a half.

The first thing I noticed about Bangkok was the overpowering heat. The moment I stepped out of the airport it hit me like a wave. For a few moments I could not breathe. Of course, that passed pretty quick.  The second thing I noticed is the traffic – or more precisely the gridlock that is Bangkok. I took an Airport Express (not…quite) from the airport and it took some time to arrive in the general area that my hotel is located. And the third thing I noticed? The huge mass of people. It is the same impression I had in China, yet it seems more dynamic – or more chaotic. But all these things – you will find out that not only no longer annoy me (ok, except the heat) but they started to grow on me…

The heat is fought with aircon. This discovery of the modern age that keeps us sane here is used with…gusto. Bars that have open terraces use 6 or 8 aircons only at the entrance, and up to 10 ceiling fans. The skytrain (BTS as the original name) uses such a low temperature aircon that I am actually shivering in it.

The traffic is pretty simple to manage – I just have to keep in mind that: 1. people give way to tuk-tuks – tuk-tuks give way to cabs and cars – these give way to buses, minivans and other users of the street. And all comply to the kind-of present traffic police. It’s actually fun:) 2. there are some amazing ways to quickly for from one part of the city to the other – the SkyTrain is one – a fast train that is perched on top of the highways, which are on top of the BKK traffic. And also the river express which not only is fast (a great thing to start!) but also offers very nice photo opportunities.

And finally – the people. More often than not smiling, helpful, and a very likable people. ‘Sanuk’ here is a big thing – always having fun, always trying to find compromises, avoiding conflicts, and measuring life by the fun part in it. I have never met a people more open to having their pictures taken, nor so fast to apologize for everything (like the English sometimes). Of course, there are a lot of tourists also. It actually is pretty crowded at some of the monuments and sights – the “good” season started, so a lot of French, Germans, Americans, Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Spanish (and these are the ones I id’ed) are here.

Speaking of which – it’s fun to see the number of people who are having Thai girlfriends. Generally faar younger than them. It’s a well-known thing, but it is actually fun to see first-hand. Now, maybe the location where my hotel is located does tend to attract a certain kind of people (unlike previous travels where I found myself in Chinatowns, now I am in/close-by a red-light district).

And last but not least (for the moment) – the food. It’s delicious. It was to be expected, but it’s even more delicious when eating it 😉 And thank God – no more sticks!

I will soon write about the Palace and the different temples (Wats), post some pictures, and generally do a better job of telling my adventures in the land of smiles.