I know you just heard from me about my passport, but you haven't yet heard about my time spent in Bangkok and Ko Tao. Since I've got some free time I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone and do both. Enjoy.
I got into Bangkok a while ago on the night train. After being here (twice now) I have to say this place is nuts. I've seen a lot of the city, but still almost nothing; its huge.
I've spent most of my time on Khao San Road, which is the main backpacker district. During the day its filled with touts trying to sell me everything from tailor made silk suits to little wooden frogs that sound like a real frog when you hit the ridges on their back correctly.
I've been doing my best to avoid most of these tourist traps but I've seen plenty of newbies who walk into every store to find something new. Its hilarious.
At night though, Khao San's darker side comes out.
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| My two favorite Poles, Ania and Aleksandra |
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| The Polish Connection; Ania, Aleksandra, Joanna, and Patrycia |
Walking down Khao San in the daytime is an exercise in patience. Walking the street at night is an exercise in avoidance. Over the course of my time here I've been offered a "Beautiful Thai girl" about 15 times. Eww.
You run into these problems being a solo traveler, especially a guy. Luckily though, I was able to meet up with a few on the road who I could hang out with.
My favorite group to hang with was definitely my Polish connection. (as I call them).
When I was up in Chiang Mai I met two Polish girls in my hostel. We talked for a little while and hit it off. After they left for Phuket we got together on facebook and they told me they were coming to Bangkok. I offered to stay and show them around. When we finally met up it was like walking around with a bunch of my best friends. They're great fun and their English is excellent, so I didn't even have to speak slowly around them. They even taught me a great trick.
Whenever I walk around Khao San I get asked where I'm from. Normally, I answer "America" very quickly and try to keep walking. When I do this they follow me and say the prices are very good for Americans. Even when I say nothing they just follow me, which makes me feel worse.
When I was walking with the Poles they told me to just say Poland. Ola, one of the girls said; "They think we're poor so they leave us alone." I didn't really believe them but I tried it. When the next tout asked, I said "Poland" in the best bad accent voice I could come up with.
Damned if it didn't work like a charm.
The guy walked away from me like I smelled. It was fantastic. Since then I've been saying it all the time, and it keeps working. It was wonderful.
After my Polish connection left I went down to the island of Ko Tao. Its a small island down in the Pacific Ocean and I'd been looking forward to going there for a while now. Honestly, I just wanted some sun, surf, and some relaxation.
The problem is that Ko Tao is so set up for scuba divers that non-divers (like me) get shafted. My room was the most expensive in all of Thailand so far (Bangkok was half the price for a better room) and even the food was pricey. I spent all my time just trying to not destroy my budget. On the bright side I met some great people, they made the place bearable.
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| Anais, cool French backpacker from my hostel |
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| Emma and Becky, met them on the boat to Ko Tao. |
I got to go all around the island and even do a little snorkeling.
Honestly though , I was really disappointed with Ko Tao, the entire island felt like a tourist trap. I really doubt I'll ever go back.
But, now its on to newer and better things. As we speak I'm on the island of Koh Pha Ngan and loving every minute of it. I've run into some great people who showed me an awesome (and CHEAP) place right on the beach. But, I'll save that story for next time.
The last thing I want to say is to a special girl I met recently. You know who you are, and I wanted to say that it was truly special meeting you and I really hope we can meet again sometime.
Muah, that's just for you.
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