We found bangkok to be a little too big, spread out, and overwhelming. It was difficult to get around, and the hostel we stayed at was pretty far away from anything. Getting to see kevin was great, and we also got to eat some great thai food, both at kevins and at a small restaurant next to the main rail station. There we had cha-rom (i think that's right) that were fried and amazing. Probably my favorite food that I've had thus far in Asia. The place was so good that we went back for a second meal before our bus ride out of bangkok last night.
A few random observations/thoughts:
-we didn't feel all that inclined to rush to all of the touristy things as we were just adjusting to thailand (much, much different from hong kong, and obviously a far cry from california) since we will be back through bangkok towards the end of our journey after we make a loop through northern thailand, laos, vietnam, and cambodia.
-Nice, modern buildings are mixed in with completely run down, falling apart buildings. This seems to hold true for houses, skyscrapers, businesses, etc. It wasn't like in the US where there is generally a 'nice' part of town and a 'not-so-nice' part of town. Just all mixed together here
-the walk to our hostel was SKETCHY. On our first night back at the hostel after eating some mediocre thai food court food a a nearby mall, we witnessed a man getting semi-mugged by a motorcycle taxi driver. Apparently, the taxi driver said the ride would cost 50 baht, and the passenger (like a 50yr old dude staying at the same hostel we were staying at) understood the fare to be 15baht. The passenger refused to pay 50, and every time he tried to walk away the driver would grab him and pull him back to the motorbike. Once, he even threw him on the bike and tried to drive off while holding the guy on the back--both sad and absolutely hilarious at the same time. The driver also punched (or what we refer to as a slap in america) the guy in the chest a few times...finally some local thai people saw the commotion and came over to calm the taxi driver down and begged him to leave the man alone. I'm not sure what the final economic outcome was, but it was definitely an entertaining scene
-For those that know kevin, he's doing really well. Moving to thailand was obviously the right choice for him as it looks like he has his act together--goes to a great university and lives in a cool place with his mom, who was awesome and very hospitable. It was great to see the old kstew
-Khao san road was awesome--kevin brought us here even though he doesnt really like the place since it's pretty much a touristy backpacker area of town...so its understandable why a local would rather party somewhere else. But it was really cool--jam packed with tourists, backpackers, stands, stores, clubs, bars, restaurants, tuk-tuks, etc. We ate a touristy restaurant, which had mediocre food but awesome beer towers which more than made up for what it lacked in food quality. From here, we shopped around a little, or rather, emily shopped around a little while me and kevin bs'd and tagged along, and then we went to a small hookah lounge off he main drag that kevin's friend owned. It was a really cool place...you sit on the floor on giant pillows, cool decor, dim lighting, etc...definitely more of a local dive.
-We were ready to move onto chiang mai sooner than we had originally planned. Bangkok was just a little too massive, especially when we had just come from hong kong, which is also overwhelmingly huge. We took an overnight, 10hour bus ride to chiang mai, which was actually not too uncomfortable, and arrived at 6am. First impressions of chiang mai: THIS is what we came to thailand for. It seems quaint but busy, filled with backpackers yet there is still a local vibe, and it seems that there will be plenty to do, especially on the more nature, outdoorsy side of things, which i prefer to the giant city feel. We walked around a little earlier, saw some really cool temples, got sprayed with pesticides, ran, and then checked out a HUGE market selling everything from living frogs to spoiled beef to baht on a stick. We're staying at a place called julie's guesthouse which was recommended by everyone, and so far it seems like a great place.
-motorbikes everywhere
More soon, hopefully with pictures.
Hope all is well in CA.
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