There's a first time for everything

Today involved many firsts in my life today.. Waking up at 4:30am was not one of them, but boarding an international flight bound for Thailand most certainly was!


After an extremely rushed goodbye at the departure gate, Kate and I were off (for my FIRST TIME overseas)! Despite a long queue, we moved quite quickly through Customs and Security without a hitch. Can you believe that both our bags weighed exactly 11.1kg each?! It still hadn't really hit me that we were heading overseas. We both felt a sense of disbelief; an almost out of body state of being as we stared at each other with funny grins on our faces. With 45 minutes until departure, we decided to sit down with a beer and croissant at some attempt at easing our nerves. It didn't work.


9:45am and it was time to get going. We were greeted in Thai upon boarding the plane. *Note to self: HAVE to learn this!* I was amazed at the cabin crews' outfit: so neat and polished. 57A and 57B were our positions, and a window seat. BRILLIANT! Then the sound of the engine fired up and Kate and I really were struggling to contain ourselves. The giggling started as the plane taxied down the tarmac, and we clutched each other as the plane started to gain momentum. Lift off.


The first thing I noticed was that all the screens were able to display the flight path and information. This kinda stuff fascinates me. Having only traveled 133km, the distance to destination equalled 7571km, and we were traveling at a ground speed of 874km. Nek minnit, we are over the desert of the Northern Territory. Pretty much what I had imagined it would look like - red. First course consisted of potato salad with shaved turkey, chicken red curry with bamboo, steamed rice and stir-fried mixed vegetables, cheese and crackers, and a bread roll. If the food served on the flight was anything to go by, then Kate and I were in for a treat! After realising that all food and drinks were included (no prices on the menu!), we treated ourselves to a glass of wine each. Non-alcoholic beverages were also offered quite regularly during the flight, which was fantastic considering we were both suffering from killer headaches. Thank you Thai Airways!

The NT desert

Flying over the coast of Vietnam

Cambodia

Rice fields of Thailand

Descending into BKK

We both tried to have a snooze as we continued over Darwin, the Timor Sea and Singapore. With 2956km to our destination, second course was served. Stir-fried prawns and rice noodles in black bean sauce, fresh fruit and Anzac cookies, followed by a vodka or two. Slowly we passed over Indonesia, Malaysia, and we watched out the window as we flew over the coast of Vietnam. There was a lot of cloud and a massive river (which I do intend on identifying), then a bit more cloud and we were flying over Thailand! We had the most incredible view of the flooded rice fields along the coast, then the view got greener and greener as we descended. "Weeeeeeeeeeee," Kate squealed as the landing gear contacted the tarmac and I gripped her arm with excitement.


Navigating our way through the airport was easier than expected. All of the signs were in both Thai and English. However, getting through Immigration was not so easy. The lines were huge, with anxious foreign travellers clutching their passports and Immigration cards. I thankfully was not asked any questions at the desk, and after handing over my passport for a stamp and a few awkward nods and "thank-yous", it was onwards to collect our baggage. The sign above the carousel read "Sydney: Last bags", and we found ours sitting on the floor for anyone's picking! Now, to find our private driver…


We found him (I feel terrible that I cannot remember his name!) waiting in a small sectioned-off area outside Gate 5 of arrivals wearing a beautiful grey suit. Thankfully he was still there, considering it took us well over half an hour to disembark the plane and make it out of the airport. Insisting on carrying our bags, he led us out of the airport to a black Toyota Camry. It was at this stage that my body registered the heat and the choking humidity, and I lost count of how many times Kate and I commented on the heat. At least it wasn’t raining! It was a relief to slip inside the luxurious, leather-interior, air conditioned car that had 2 bottles of water waiting for us.

Then the fun really began.. With a driver that spoke no English, we weaved in and out of traffic down the highway that was, at some points, 5 lanes wide. Chaotic is an understatement. We were in awe with our mouths hanging open, hanging on to the door of the car. Indicating is optional as vehicles change lanes, sometimes occupying two lanes, and pull out with no one appearing to flinch - Shock factor one. Motorbikes and scooters zoomed in between vehicles with no regard for any road rule (or anyone's life!) with most of the passengers without helmets and protective clothing. Most passengers are usually clutching groceries, baggage and/or babies and seem completely unaware of their potential dangers - Shock factor two. Construction workers working on top of high rise buildings in the hot sun, crawling over infrastructure with no sign of any safety equipment or harnesses - Shock factor three. The mind-blowing contrast of rich and poor, with run-down apartments nestled amongst tall commercial towers, well-kept homes and temples - Shock factor four. A ute with a cage surrounding its tray traveling at over 80kph with two men sitting in the back - Shock factor five. The massive bundles of electrical overhead wiring that would make any Australian electrician cry - Shock factor six.

Tangled chaos (Photography courtesy of Kate)

We were delivered to the door of the Sukosol hotel just after 6pm, with hotel representatives opening the taxi door and greeting us. We were to not worry about our bags as we entered through the grand doors of the hotel and were greeted again (at this stage I was feeling extremely awkward just nodding and saying thank-you!). Harry met us at the reception desk and collected our necessary details before handing over our hotel keys: Room 1769. That is, on the 17th floor (of 21 floors). Kate and I made our way up, opened the door, dropped our bags and were drawn to the window. The view consisting of high rise buildings, roads and alley ways, and the amazing rooftop pool on the 6^th floor. Within 5 minutes, our bags had been delivered to our room and we discovered the free Wi-Fi. Talk about service!

The Sukosol Bangkok - 477 Si Ayunthaya Road, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400


I think it was around this point that it hit me that yes, Karina, seriously, really, truly, AMAZINGLY, you are in a different country. No turning around or heading back home. I felt exhausted and extremely overwhelmed – a new city, unknown faces, a entirely different language, an exciting culture, and fading daylight. Like we were sharing a brain, Kate and I at the same time exclaimed that we were too scared to venture outside! "I feel so sick, I'm petrified," the wuss inside of me spoke as Kate confirmed that we just need to get out and go exploring. We asked at the reception for a city map, and Harry kindly advised us of popular shopping, sight seeing and night life spots. He asked if we had seen the Hangover II, and as we laughed he circled a street on the map. "The street where they are walking with the monkey," he said. He also handed the both of us a card with directions back to the Sukosol in Thai language, and told us to be careful so we "don't wake up with a monkey in our hotel room". So armed with a map and 2000 baht (THB) (approx. $70AUD) I withdrew from an ATM outside our hotel, we made our way to the train station. Not only was the heat overwhelming, but also the smells (that I had been warned about) and the amount of people around. Men approached us attempting to entice us to a tuk-tuk ride. "Tomorrow!" we politely said as we confidently walked on.


Somehow we missed the closest station, Phaya Thai, and walked to The Victory Monument (N3). No biggie, not too far. Bravely we approached the ticket counter asking for a ticket to Siam. No ticket was given, but change that was needed to use a ticket machine behind us. Only 25 THB (approx. $.87AUD) for a distance of 3 stations. Easy enough to figure out how it works by the sign on the wall near the ticket machine. A train arrived minutes later, and I cannot describe the looks that Kate and I received standing inside the train! "We did it! We are on a train in Bangkok!".

Stepping out of the air conditioned train felt surreal, pushing onto a congested platform and finding our way to the exit. Straight away we found ourselves standing in the street markets that occupy the space underneath the BTS train tracks. The sticky heat at this stage was suffocating and I felt every part of my body becoming more and more clammy. After having a quick look at a few markets that are filled with clothing, Thai jewellery, street food and pirated DVDs, we crossed back over the train tracks through the station and walked right into the colourful Siam Square – the shopping district. 

In front of us was Siam Paragon, to the left Siam Centre, and to the right past some beautifully lit up palm trees was Ocean World. The atmosphere was buzzing. Massive screens hung between the two shopping centres casting colours upon a water feature. The traffic beneath was insane, with a traffic controller doing his best with many blows of a whistle whilst gesturing to vehicles.

Siam Paragon (Photo courtesy of Kate)

Siam Paragon

By this stage the stomachs were grumbling and we thought we would try our luck inside the Siam Centre. The food court, named Food Republic, was still well alive at this time of the night. To purchase food, it was necessary to obtain a prepaid cash card. Loaded with 190 THB, we wandered the food court taking in the many choices we had. Too many choices! I decided on vermicelli noodles with mimosa, only 75 THB ($2.63 AUD!). Absolutely delicious but resulted in my entire mouth and tongue tingling from the intense spice. A bottle of water and cup of coke was only 35 TBH (approx. $1.25 AUD), and it wasn't until Kate took a sip of the coke before we realised it contained ice. Oops. We had been warned against ice, but we shared the coke regardless. It tasted so good to our dry throats and numb mouths. The cash cards were refundable which was perfect, as we needed more change to purchase our return train tickets.

The BTS network

It was nearing 10pm as we made our way back through the Siam Centre and landed on the platform. A train bound for Mo Chit arrived only moments later, and we knew this time to hop off at Phaya Thai (N2), which is located basically across the road from our hotel! Getting back to the hotel involved 3 road crossings - no where near as easy as it is in Australia. Pedestrian crossings exist, but it appears that the striped lines across the lane mean nothing, and many motorbike and scooter riders do not obey traffic lights.

To finish off our amazing and fulfilling day, we treated ourselves to a drink at the hotel Sapphire Bar. We took our seat, ordered our drinks (a white wine, Sav Blanc, please), and sat back with a bowl of nuts and fried onion, laughing at each other and how we had so easily survived our first day and loved every second of what we had experienced!

Bangkok - thank you for an amazing day and a remarkable introduction to your city! I cannot wait to see what we get up to from here!

____________________________________________________________________________            





Travel tip 1: Drivers are ruthless. To cross the road, wait for a break in traffic, then run, or sometimes you are lucky and a traffic controller will help you out. Do not assume that vehicles will stop at 'pedestrian crossings'.

Travel tip 2: Keep to the right when walking, whether it be paths or stairs. I learnt this from the back of my train ticket ;) No real big deal when it isn't busy, but it definitely makes navigating crowds easier.

Travel tip 3: Thai food is eaten with a spoon. The fork is held in the left hand and is used to move food onto the spoon.