SEA06: First Day in Bangkok

Our hotel *is* really ritzy, not exactly what we expected from this trip, but is has been a perfect place to *land* in Bangkpok, and to recover a bit from the trip. Swimming pool in the top floor, huge fridge packed with beer in the room, sleepers, air/con. But, as said, a bit steep.




Anyway, after a short rest and a shower, off we go to explore this exciting city. With the help of the map we got from the airport, we manage to find our way to the station of one of the high-tech public transport systems of the city. This is a metro in the style of the one in Singapore. Fully automated, air-conditioned, ultra clean (forbidden to eat or drink in the premises, you are even supplied with plastic bags for your dripping umbrellas when it rains). Instead of tickets, you use a small plastic token you get from the ticket machine. That black plastic chip is electronically read at the entry of the metro, and swallowed again at the end, so it can be reused and no waste paper in the form of tickets is produced.



Once we get to the main train station, the situation changes. We enter into the chaotic, hot and humid, and agressive environtment of Bangkok's traffic. Cars, buses, millions of motorcycles, and Tuk-tuks all fight for road space, and the main strategy is to over-run any other moving vehicle, and dodge any obstacle in your way. As you can imagine, that makes is rather unfriendly for unsuspecting and somewhat jet-lagged tourists. May be we should include an entry some time on road ettiquette...

In any case, first thing as we get closer to the main train station to ask for some information, we are approached by this woman, who identifies herself as a registered tourism information agent, and who literally drags us to a tourist information office (more like a private-ish travel agency) *beside* (not into) the train station. Once there, we are seated, ofered a (sealed) glass of ice-cold mineral water, and given information and a quote for an organised version of our trip at a *very* interesting price (about 320E for 3weeks).

We thank them, and say that we have to think about it, take the tourism agent's card, and run politely away. It was an interesting proposition, and an excellent price, but not the kind of trip we had planned, we prefer to organise it ourselves, and have the freedom to change at our own will. A few more of these offers will arrive in coming days, but now we know what they are, and how to ignore them.

With just a couple of life-threatening experiences at the times of crossing the streets, we start towards the heart of Chinatown. We pass by the Chinatown Arch, visit the premises of the Temple of the Golden Buddha, and walk even deeper into the real Chinatown. Temperature and humidity are suffocating, and the traffic and the polution do not make it any better.







Streets are narrow, and organised by trade. We pass some areas devoted to mechanical repairs of all sort of machinery, traditional medicine, jewels, sacks, metal in different forms and shapes, food stands, some more markets that remind me of the zouks in Morocco (but selling mostly Chinese and Thai products), a few more Buddhist Temples, in one of which we saw the monk-students going to the Temple. It's just another world to what we knew from Europe.






Finally we decide we are tired, and we have already done a good job for the first day in Thailand, and we head back to the hotel. Swimming pool, shower, and dinner in the restaurant of the hotel. I thought I was doing a good job getting used to spicy food... mistake... I never thought that a *salad* could be that corrosive when put in contact with my tongue!!. Fortunately steamed rice and yellow curry were (almost) non-spicy (or may be I had already lost all sensibility in my tongue).





Time to plan the activities for tomorrow and rest a few hours.