Day 1 — Bangkok

Well, after many days of preparation and stress, I finally made it! I’m laying in my hostel bed at “Back Home Backpackers” in Bangkok, Thailand. In my previous travels I always had this overwhelming and uncomfortable feeling upon arrival, but for some reason on this trip I feel very calm and at ease. Maybe it just hasn’t hit me yet, or it’s because I’m so exhausted.
Our plane ride was fifteen and a half hours. We tried to sleep, but kept waking up to every sound and small movement. There weren’t any babies crying though, so that was nice. The asian flight attendants were dressed beautifully. Each of them had their hair up in a chignon, and every piece was placed perfectly. They looked like barbies. They seemed to really enjoy their jobs which was great to see (there is nothing I love more than authenticity). The smiles and lipstick complimented their outfits wonderfully. They provided us with excellent service and lots of food! Since we were on such a long flight we had three meals. They were okay. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed them as much if I wasn’t practicing mindful eating. Both options usually contained meat which is something I don’t eat, so I pretty much just had buns, croissants, fresh fruit, and small salads for the duration of the fifteen hour flight. Mitchell and Chris (the two friends I am travelling with) both eat meat so they gladly took whatever I couldn't have. I felt bad wasting the meals the women had prepared for us so I was happy that the boys finished it for me. I still can’t believe I sat there for that long! Oh and I wasn’t even scared this time, yay me!
We landed in Taipei for our layover. I prayed every time we took off and landed. The airport was filled with luxury stores and questionable snacks. I couldn’t read any of the signs or labels on food, but some had english translations. The vending machine had all of the same products we have in Canada (Coca Cola, chocolate bars, etc.) except they looked slightly different. I didn’t get a chance to try any because I didn’t have the proper currency on hand. I figured I would get to try them once I arrived in Bangkok.
We walked around while we waited for our next flight. It was weird to feel like I was the different one. We got a ton of funny looks and stares from the locals. There weren’t a lot of white people in the airport — I saw about ten. That was something I never felt before. The women looked at my butt in jealousy, and the men looked at Chris for his height. We shrugged it off, but it definitely gave us a different perspective only a few hours in.
While we were walking around, I noticed these telephone booths with a stack of books underneath. I said “Perfect! That will make a beautiful photo!” But as soon as I got there to take my camera out, a swarm of people came and stood right in front of them. I guess that is just something I will have to get used to — I either have to be quick with my camera, or plan to head out early mornings before the crowd comes if I want to get good photos/videos.
On the flight to Bangkok I was sitting beside a girl named Jessica from San Diego. We talked about having a backpack from the same company, and where she would be travelling to during her one month trip. She was asking for advice from Mitchell. She gave me something she called “asian oil” to put on my temples. “I use this to relax me, and get rid of my headaches” she told me. It felt warm, and then cool, and smelled of an intoxicating essential oil combination. Wow! That stuff was amazing. I was asleep within a few minutes. Even after washing my face a few times the scent is still lingering — which is a nice reminder of her. She was such a sweet girl. I wish more people were like Jessica.
Once we found our bags we parted ways and waited for Chris to arrive on a separate flight. We still aren’t sure what happened, but his second flight was different than ours. He was so brave to go by himself. I think I was more worried than he was. We waited for about fourty five minutes and finally I noticed him walking to look for his backpack. Of course he wasn’t hard to find, considering he is 6'3. We were all quite happy to have finally made it, but first we had to exchange our Canadian money for Thai Baht. The bills look very different than ours. They vary in length and are quite detailed. They feel very thin. I laughed when she handed me the money because it was a huge stack! $100 in Canadian is about 2500 Baht so I felt like I had a lot more money, even though I didn't. What a brilliant illusion that was.
We searched for a bus to take, hoping to get to our hostel as soon as we could. We were hungry again and really wanted to shower. The bus we got on was very spacious. There were many people on it all speaking in different languages. Most of them were travellers who arrived at the same time we did, and some were locals who sat there peacefully. We reached Khao San road which was a street Mitchell remembered from his last trip. He stayed at this same hostel last year, so he knew his way around. We got off the bus, and it was hot. When I say hot, I mean we were instantly sweating as soon as we took our first step. The humidity is insane! The streets weren’t as busy as I thought, but still packed. Every couple steps you take there is a different type of clothing, food, or accessory at every vendor. Anything you want or need is only a few dollars. I was overwhelmed with all of this. I just kept thinking about how my mom would love all the little nick nacks. The only thing I could vocalize during the entire walk was “Wow!” The air smelled of spices, meat, oil, and moth balls from the different types of fabric. My nose was very confused with multiple smells all at the time same. I felt a lot more comfortable walking in the streets with my valuables than I thought I would. Mitchell was in front of me and Chris was behind me. Again, another reason I’m glad to be travelling with two guys.
We arrived at the hostel. We walked in and they gestured for us to take our shoes off. There were a few people lounging, texting, and reading. They all smiled as we walked in. It was a very warm welcome. The owners Matt and Sophie were very fun and relaxed at the same time. Sophie has an adorable three month old baby girl named Charlie. Even with all the loud noise and strangers everywhere, she was smiling and happy to be in her mothers arms. Sophie told me she was always around the noise when Charlie was in her tummy, so she is used to it now that she is born, and even enjoys it!
We signed in and they helped us up to our rooms to get settled in. Natalie who works here invited us to shop for ingredients to make spring rolls. It was their daily activity and they insisted we join them. We paid 100 Baht, which is about $4.00 Canadian to have unlimited spring rolls that we put together ourselves. How cool is that! Not to mention how inexpensive for all of the fresh ingredients. We decided we would skip out on going to the market to buy the ingredients, and instead we had a well deserved nap. At 5:00 we had to be downstairs to prepare them. Everybody at the hostel pitched in, and we all helped in the creation of our little masterpieces. One person would be cutting, and one would be rolling. It took about an hour and a half before we had enough made to feed everyone. Natalie heated the oil on a metal bowl and we fried them until they were golden brown. They were filled with either pork, chicken, or vegetable, which was good for the many vegetarians. They also had a sort of dessert option — pineapple and apple. The pineapple one was my favourite! They served it with a sweet and spicy Thai sauce which was the cherry on top. There is something about taking the first bite of food that you spent time to prepare. That’s what makes all the effort worth it. I was more concerned that everyone around me would get enough food, so I only ended up having a few pieces. It was the best food I’ve had in a long time.
We all sat around wooden tables and chairs and got to know each other before heading to bed for an early night in. It was pouring rain, and I couldn’t help but want to go out and dance in it. I feel so free being here, especially in such good company — Mitchell, Chris, and I were the only Canadians at the hostel. It was amazing to see complete strangers interacting so effortlessly, and all getting along no matter what colour, race, or religious views we have.
I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring.
I am so happy to be here.
Alanna
