Hi everyone,
Recently, I took a trip with one of my best friends to Bangkok, Thailand. I was able to fund the trip using money I made from trading cryptocurrency and from work. It was my 1st trip out of the country in 15 years. I was excited and nervous at the same time.
I remember our flight from Chicago was delayed for 2 hours because of thunderstorm (thanks a lot Mother Nature). There were 2 layovers during our trip. We stopped at France and Bahrain.
When we finally arrived at Bangkok after over 20 hours, I could feel the hot and humidity in the air. I soon discovered that it was monsoon season in South East Asia. This is the season when it would rain a lot. The smell of Bangkok reminded me of Vietnam, my motherland. The lifestyle and culture in Thailand invoked a sense of nostalgia within me even though it was my 1st time there. I couldn't help but feel attached to it already.
After arriving at the "Nice Palace" hotel, my friend and I went to explore the city. We soon realized that taxi rides in Bangkok were very cheap and affordable. The public transportation there was also very easy to figure out. The trains were very modern and have AC which was a huge relief after long hot trip.
Similar to Vietnam, there are food vendors everywhere. Many people find them off putting and unsanitary, but I preferred them over restaurants because I ate at these vendors throughout my childhood.
Thailand also has a lot of temples scattered everywhere because it is a primarily Buddhist country. They actually built schools right next to these temples so there were many students around. Luckily for me, a Christian, I was able to discover a church near where I was living.
Bangkok has a lot of shopping malls. These malls are enormous buildings with many stories and make the malls in US look puny. However, I disliked the fact that I couldn't try on clothes because there was no space to do so. The top story of these buildings tend to have entertainment and food.
My friend and I actually discovered a child pageant and a dancing contest in one of these malls. The little girls were so adorable with their traditional Thai costumes.
I think that Murray Head is right when he said that "One Night in Bangkok and the world is your oyster." I will have more to talk about in part 2 of my travel blog (it's going to cover the nightlife and "juicy" part of Bangkok). Stay tuned :D
