one nite in bangkok.

arriving into bangkok was one of the more anxious moments of my life.

typically I’ll head to a foreign land armed with at least a handful of phrases.

however, thai is not exactly, lets say, an easy language to learn. 

I tapped out at: yes, no, please, and thank you.  YIKES!

and, the fact that I was ALL ALONE just increased my discomfort.

no one to hold my hand if I got scared, no one to look to if I forgot something,

and no one to loan me money if my wallet was ‘stolen’.

(this seems to happen far more than I care to admit)

it was just ME, and that’s it. 

anxiety is a mild word.  I was totally scared.

just another life hurdle to overcome, and of course… I did.

from the airport, full of fear and awe of this new land,

I hopped a cab to the infamous Khao San Road. 

and there the journey began:

 

 

khao san road is bustling with so much activity,

its difficult to take it all in in just one or two passes.

inevitably, it seems you walk up and down this road WAY too many times,

taking in its visual feast. 

passing by food stands, bars, all matter of things and services for sale,

and a plethora of dirty backpackers.

you can even buy a session of exfoliation from some local fishies:

so many food stands selling the most amazingly fresh and tasty thai food:

(shes probably on her mobile taking a ‘to go’ order)

 

 

I just HAD to buy a beer (or two) from this lady, I mean look how sweet she is!

and, judging by the sign, I was thinking they’d be pretty tasty. 

they were.

day turned to nite and the rain began, as it tends to do in monsoon season.

so I posted up in an upstairs bar, overlooking the road and listening to live music.

heaven.

I waited out the rain over dinner and a few beers,

then popped into a thai massage parlor.  

more heaven.

alright, I can handle this. DAILY.

(first day going swell, thank you very much)

and, of course, no visit to bangkok would be complete without

experiencing the ‘red light’ district.

  so, my newly befriended welsh pals and I hopped a cab to check it out.

I’d heard many stories of the seedy scene that lie ahead. 

seedy it was, but honestly, ive seen worse in places like las vegas. (sorry mom)

in my opinion, this is way better…

you can grab an amazing plate of food just in front and THEN grab a chick!

whats not to love? 

HA.

at this point it was very late into my first nite, and so I headed home.

to my LUXURIOUS accommodations.

  complete with roses that we’d bought from a little boy & girl in the red light district.

we bartered the entire bouquet for the promise that they’d go home to bed. 

I was given the bouquet (and then gave away most to strangers),

and im SURE the kids went home to bed.

riiiiiiiiight.

wow.

so much adventure on the very first day.

something new and exciting around every corner.

what will tomorrow bring?