An Alien Land

THAILAND...

Greetings from Bangkok! Currently I am in the heart of Chinatown in a small internet cafe surrounded by Thai teenagers playing World of Warcraft. These past few days have been an amazing experience. There is so much to talk about I don't even know where to begin. I have a limited amount of time here on the internet so I'm going to attempt to just type what comes to my mind. It may not be the most organized or coherent or properly spelled, so please excuse me. It will also be quite long and rambling, so if you want to skip ahead, be my guest.

ARRIVING IN BANGKOK

The journey from Moraga to Bangkok took about 27 hours. Needless to say, I was absolutely exhausted by the time I arrived. As I walked off the plane, it finally hit me: I am in a completely foreign world. Farther away than any place I have ever been before. A lot is the same, but so much is different. It would be impossible to describe all the minute differences, but it is definitely different. I made it through customs and the lady gave me a rose and welcomed me to Thailand. My positive first impression of her has remained quite accurate during my time here. I wandered outside in a terrified daze from the lack of sleep and the culture shock. A man instantly approached me and said he would take me to Bangkok for 800 Baht. (Note: 1 dollar equals about 35 Baht, so you can do the math whenever I mention Baht). It was obviously a rip off and quite shady, but in my sleep deprived state I almost fell for it. At the last minute I smartened up and found the actual spot where everyone finds a taxi. I got in the taxi no problem and of course the driver did not speak english. I showed him the map of my hotel and he looked confused. We eventually got on the freeway to head to the city. It was dark and no one was around (due to the bombs that were set off earlier in the night). We finally arrived at the hotel room 45 minutes later becuase the driver was "lost". I've learned that taxi drivers often pretend to be lost to jack up the meter price. As we drove through dark alleyways in an attempt to find the hotel, I was got more and more nervous that the driver was going to shoot me and take all my money.

DAY 1: "Holy Crap I'm In Bankgok"

I slept approximately 6 hours that night, and awoke at 8 am in an attempt to combat the jet leg. I explored the hotel for a bit, went for a swim and did some suntanning (burning) on the roof. It wasn't until about noon that I worked up enough courage to leave the safety zone of my hotel and venture into the absolute chaos that is Bangkok. I purchased a map and attempted to improvise a short route around the block to aquaint myself with the city. I loaded up on sunscreen, secured my valuables and mustered up all the courage I could as I embarked on my expidition. I made my way to the main drag surrounding the hotel and instantly noticed that I was the only non-thai around. As I walked through the city, I tried to take in as much as I could. It was a complete assualt on the senses: Honking horns, pollution, tuk-tuk drivers, motobikes, people selling shit EVERYWHERE. The city is so diverse: some buildings are extremely modern and westerenized, other buidlings are run down and falling apart. There are abandoned buildings all over the place. The line between residence and business does not even exist. Half the time I didn't know a guy sitting in his garage was selling something or if he was just hanging out. In the area where I was walking around, there was no white people. I had this image of Bangkok as this tourist hub where foreigners outnumber natives and english is spoken as often as Thai. That is not the case at all (not counting major tourist sites). English is spoken and understood, but the level is very low for the most part. It is often extremely difficult to communicate. Especially when I got away from the main areas, no one speaks english whatsover. That was quite a shock to me as well. There is so much more to decribe about the city, but I'll get back to the story. At this point I felt so awkward, out of place, terrified and excited...all at the same time. I didn't want to stop and take pictures for fear of standing out as a "tourist", of course that was pointless because anyone can tell I'm a foreigner from a mile away. I made my way in one big circle around the hotel. I did not talk to anyone, I didn't go into any shops, I didn't take any pictures and I was soaking wet with sweat from the heat and humidity. It was a good way to ease myself into this city. I took a break to cool off, consulted my map once again, and decided to give it another shot. This time I actually stopped to take some pictures. I even went into a restaurant to order some food. Each time I went back out, I became braver and braver and felt less out of place. I even got on a tuk-tuk (see picture, its basically a tricycle with a motor and seats in the back).

DAY 2: Lost In Chinatown

The next day I moved to another hotel where I would spend the night and meet up with the group the next evening. As I checked into the new hotel, an Australian girl my age named Kate was also checking in and I noticed that she had Intrepid vouchers as I did. She is very fun and outgoing, and her Australian accent makes her even cooler. We quickly realized we were on the same tour and decided to go explore the city together. We were in the Chinatown area of the city. Chinatown is similar to other Chinatowns (San Fran, Chicago, etc.) in the sense that people sell stuff, but it is so different in other aspects. First of all it is completely and utterly packed, the streets are cramped with people selling every imaginable product, from bat wings, to machetes, to motorcicle parts, to washing machines. Every now and then I would spot a tourist but for the most part everyone was a local. After about an hour of wandering around we got bored and decided to come back to the hotel. Long story short, we got lost and it took us another 2 hours to get back.

That night, Kate and I decided to venture into the notorious "Backpacker's Ghetto" known as Khaosan Road. It was quite a spectacle. All sorts of stands selling food, imitation clothing, jewelry, bags, fake IDs, music and anything else you could possibly fathom. We honed our bargaining skills and bought a few pieces of cheap jewelry and T-shirts. I've never really had experience bartering with people, but I think I finally have the hang of it. The price the vendors quote is always way high. Immidiately offer half of what they start off with. Another key is to be willing to walk away. A few times I said a price and they tried to get me to go higher, so I walked away. Seconds later I would hear them calling at me in agreement with my price. Bargaining is a lot of fun now that I've gotten the hang of it. Anyway, there were people from all parts of the world congregating on this one street packed with bars, food stands and street vendors. Anyone visiting Bangkok should definitely check it out.

DAY 3: "I think I've got the hang of this...."

The next day, Kate and I decided to get a "Traditional Thai Massage" (that means that it is legitimate, no shady business going on). We wanted to check out the skytrain and the subway system so we used that to get to our massage parlor that was reccommended in my lonely planet book. I was absolutely amazed at how modern and new the facilities are. The entire floor was marbled and air conditioned with immaculate cleanliness. It was 10 times better than the Manhattan subway system and about 5 times better than BART. It was also very easy to get around; we had no problem getting to our destination and back. I was pretty nervous getting the massage because I didn't know what to expect. The Thai's use pressure points and stretching techniques to give their massages. I found it to be actually quite painful at times, but very relaxing during others. It was an interesting experience, but I probably won't be doing it again.

That evening we met up with the tourgroup. There is no real age limit for these tours, so anyone can sign up. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that everyone was between 20-30. There are 7 Australians, 2 English, 1 Canadien, 1 Irish, and I am the lone American. Everyone is easygoing and fun so I think it will be an amazing trip. Its cool that there are people from all over the world, and the accents are so interesting. At times I have trouble understanding them, but I'm getting better.

DAY 4: Klongs and Train To Chang Mai

Today we went along the river that goes through the city (Klong) on a longtailed boat. At times the Klong is as narrow as a street and there are houses lined on either side. It feels as if a normal street was flooded with water. The houses are all on stilts and fishermen fish in the water even though it is very poluted. The architecture is so diverse as I said before. Some houses are amazingly modern, new and beautiful, others are decrepid and falling apart.

Well, I'm running out of time and I'm beginning to realize that its too much work to tell every detail of my experience here so I'm going to write some thoughts about some random topics:

THE PEOPLE

The people here are extremely warm and friendly. People smile a lot and are often offer to help tourists who are lost or confused. When I first arrived at the airport and ate at the cafeteria, I had no idea what to do with my dish when I was done. I stood up and looked confused and some Thai girls smiled at me and motioned for me to leave it here.

Locals don't seem to take much notice of foreigners, probably because they see so many due to tourism being one of the main economies here. I've gotten a few looks in certain areas that are less populated with tourists, but for the most part I seem to go unnoticed.

With that being said, there are also tons of con artists and scammers who try to empty the pockets of trusting tourists. The scammers use charm and friendliness to get your money, never use strongarm tactics.

Locals also have a great sense of humor and despite the language barrier. Many times I would find myself cracking up with the locals as we played the bartering game. The Tuk-Tuk drivers are a lot of fun too, they will usually go fast and weave in and out of traffic to impress the riders and show the foreigners a good time.

There is an abundance of people in the service and tourism industry. It is common to see 4-5 people hovering around in a half empty restaurant waiting to service the customer: take away their plate, get them more food or drinks, etc. There is also an abundance of poverty. People survive on what is so little compared to what we make in America. It makes me thankful for what I have.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Bangkok is extremely Westernized. I realized this yesterday morning as I sat inside a KFC, listening to the Black Eyed Peas and looking out the window at the 7-11's, Starbucks and MacDonalds that I could see in the distance. It is amazing how much influence American culture has on the people here. With that being said, there is still a strong sense of Nattionalism with the Thai people and they respect their king with very high reverence. Buddha is number one with the royal family coming in a close second.

The traffic is nothing like I've ever experienced before. Lanes, traffic signals and crosswalks merely serve as a suggestion that people rarely follow. Motorcylces weave in and out of traffic, cars change lanes without notice and often just drift from one lane to the next. I always expend a great amount of effort and focus when I walk around the city to ensure that I don't get distracted while I'm crossing the street and get taken out by a crazed taxi driver.

While it is extremely chaotic and lawless, there is a certain flow and coherence to all the madness. The locals seem so relaxed and easygoing as they brave the traffic and weave in between cars to cross the street. I have yet to see an accident here even though cars often come within inches of hitting each other. I could not handle driving around this city, not only is it chaotic and stressful, they drive on the left side of the road to further complicate matters.

The order, safety and protocol of America is completely lacking here. For example in America you don't have to worry about people constantly trying to rip you off and squeeze every extra penny out of you. There are police officers at major tourist areas, but for the most part the people here police themselves. It doesn't seem like there is a lot of crime from what I can see and Thailand actually has special tourist police to make sure that the tourists are happy so they can continue to bring money into the country.

There are people selling stuff everywhere. And they are very aggressive sellers. They treat Westerners as a walking ATM machine, but are never too pushy. It is amazing to see all these people on the street selling watches, fruit, noodles, bags, etc. I wonder how they make a living and where all the goods come from.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I was very nervous and wary when I first arrived, but at this point I feel completely comfortable in the city. I feel safe (because I'm bigger than everyone), I'm confident in my bartering skills, I can spot a guy trying to rip me off and I understand the way things work around here.

So far I am having an absolutely amazing time. I really love Thailand from everything that I have seen: the people, the places, the culture, everything. And I still really have not experienced the "real" Thailand since I've only been in Bangkok.It is so much fun to explore a new area and culture and meet new people. This trip has already surpassed my expectations and I have a feeling that it will only get better. My group leader is fun and down to earth, and all the other people on the tour with me seem to be very cool and fun as well.

This blog only covered a fraction of my thoughts and experiences, but it has taken me way too long to write and I have to go back to meet up with the tourgroup now. We are catching an overnight train up to Chang Mai (about 14 hours away). At this point I am ready to leave the madness of Bangkok to check out a slightly smaller and less crowded town.

Hope everyone at home is doing well, more updates to come....

P.S. This computer is doing some weird stuff with the formating of the blog, so if it looks all bunched together, thats not my fault, I blame the computer.