Bangkok, Thailand

First stop of our trip, Phil, Bernice, Akhil and I are on the same flight to Bangkok, Thailand. The flight went smoothly, we took TigerAirways, budget airline. One of the things I am starting to notice here in Asia is the emphasis on class differences here. For instance, there was a separate terminal built just for the budget airlines, which was painted in bright yellow, compared to the chic and modern look of the rest of Changi Airport.

They all had packs, except for me, but I manage to cram almost 2 weeks worth of clothes and other daily necessities into my good old Adidas backpack! I was quite impressed with myself! ;)

We take a taxi and head over to Khao San -- backpackers central in Bangkok-- and find a hostel for the night, and head for some food. Pad Thai street style is very different than the Pad Thai I was used to in Canada -- I prefer the westernized version.
Dessert was banana and chocolate roti. Yummie.


I had one mission in Thailand - to buy Thai pants! I really haven't done much shopping since coming to Singapore, but these pants were a must have for me! They are so comfy, and breezy.
After a good nights rest, Akhil met up with his travel group the next morning, and Phil, Bernice and I start our 10 day trip together. We spent the next day doing touristy things around Bangkok, including visiting the Emperial Palace and the Reclining Buddha at the temple.

The temples (especially at the palace) were beautiful. I really admire the architecture and the amount of detailing in each of the temples. All the outside of the temples, and statues were covered in colourful gems and crystals. The walls had murals depicting a story of a king or prince... I overheard a guide telling this. :)
We didn't get scammed too many times, just a few, that we knew of. There was the pigeon scam when we were walking through the park. Some people were offering us these packages, and I have learned to just cross my arms, wear my sunglasses, smile and keep walking.

Sometimes people try to thrust something into your hands, and then demand money for, so I'm always weary. Anyway, the people were trying to get us to feed the pigeons. Bernice and I walked away, but Phil stayed behind, and fed the pigeons, and was later demanded to pay $5 US -- for bird food! We don't even spend that much on people food!

Walking around and sweating the entire day, I could foresee that I would be very tanned by the end of this trip... :P

After the temple and palace, we head back to the marketplace for some food and relaxing. I also searched for my Thai pants! The people at the marketplace, and the temple, I found weren't too friendly.

The ticket guy at the temple said something then laughed at Bernice, and I was called stupid by one of the ladies selling clothes! Not to mention this other guy that got pissed off at us cuz he thought we were taking too long to decide on which pants to buy!

I am sure that not all of Thailand is like this, because where we were staying was very touristy. It's just unfortunate that those had to part of the memories we had of Thailand.

That night, we relax, and order fruit shade after fruit shake (a trend that will continue into Cambodia and Vietnam), and enjoy the rest of our evening before heading off to spend the night in the airport, to catch our early flight out to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Bernice and I ask Phil to exchange stories, sort of like a bedtime story to put us to sleep. Instead, he tells us a riddle that we spend half the night trying to solve! The riddle: A man walks into a restaurant and orders an albatross. After taking a bite, the man leaves and kills himself. Why?