Travel Talk

Sweating in Bangkok, Thailand

bangkok thailand street life

Sweating like a morbidly obese marathon runner in 100 degree heat here in Bangkok, Thailand. This place is HUMID but even cheaper than it is humid if that makes sense to you. I’d rather be sweating it out 24/7 in a pair of shorts than shaking in my car in -40 or even be remotely cold for that matter.

Finally arrived after a ~19 hour trip from Los Angeles. Met a guy my age in the stop over in Taipei and we split a cab downtown from the airport. It was only 400 baht total or ~12$ or so. Now I’m at a guest house that is 500 baht a night or ~$15.

It’s incredibly humid here but luckily it is raining and I can feel the temperature falling, or maybe it’s because I’m inside the air conditioned lounge.

It’s hilarious how the minute you come here, the inner frugal Frank in you comes out. Just met a guy from Australia who I talked about being hung over with in the guest house. He saw me on this here internet cafe computer which is 10 baht every 20 minutes. That’s $0.33 or $1 an hour. He told me it’s a rip off and if I go 2 doors down I can buy a rice bowl for like 10 baht and use the wireless on my laptop as long as I please. AWESOME. Why? This computer is prehistoric junk and there is no way I’d be able to upload photos, let alone the videos I’m taking.

The driving on the streets is absolutely mental and I have already witnessed almost 2 collisions, all involving those crazies on the motorcycle / mopeds. I also can’t believe some familes get around on 1 motorcycle. I”m talking a husband, wife and 2 infants. I find it hilarious that people drive those organ donors through the cities with great zeal, no helmet and a mask. What’s a bigger risk, getting your skull cracked open like a coconut or catching some pesky flu!? I’ve had the swine flu aka h1n1, it sucks but it’s not that bad.

I think I will stay here for a while and I’m glad I met up with that guy as he has been here a few times and is going to school here. He knows what is up and where to go.

On the agenda, I’m buying a mobile phone so I can stay in touch with people I meet here and a lock so I can put my stuff in a big safe in the rooms I’m in. The room is clean might I add, impressively clean for the price. As I speak there is a guy who just keeps going around cleaning the floors, I’m impressed.

The smells of Bangkok are quite intense, sometimes it’s street meat, sometimes it’s sewage, sometimes it’s smells I cannot and will not try to identify.

I’ll find out about that wireless soon.

Good day to you and remember, you only live once so if you’re bored with life, it means you’re doing something wrong aka not doing what you should be doing on this short visit here. Since quitting my job and “doing what I want”, it’s been non stop adventure. Everything that would make most people scared or worried has worked out ok. Mark Twain has a great quote something like this “I’ve had lots of problems in my life, most of them just in my head”.

Back to the sweaty streets of Bangkok to live like a king, pennies on the dollar style.

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