Thailand at last!

Whoa so here I am, finally, in Bangkok Thailand about to make one final leap up to Chang Mai to start my massage studies. Getting off the plane and walking through the terminal a huge cheesy grin began to spread across my face as the realization hit: I'm in Thailand. . . . Hell. Yes. Getting to the city center was easy enough on the train and I even had a short lived travel buddy in a young German woman named Sama. Sama had also been on my flight but I did not get a chance to talk to her until we were both on the escalator walkway in the Bangkok terminal. We shared the excitement of being in Asia for the first time, and alone at that! Though she was off to meet up with her sister after we went our separate ways. It felt so nice to finally have someone to talk to! I wish I had sat next to her on the plane! I was aching to talk to someone on that horrendous 11 hour flight.

Sama and I shared our first ride on the Tuk tuk taxis which was thrilling even though it lasted only a short block or so. Soon after she finally got in contact with her sister and we parted ways. After buying my bus ticket to Chang Mai I wandered around a nearby shopping district and did some small damage. I also got a delicious lunch of shrimp pad thai with whole fried shrimp, eyeballs and feelers and all. MMmmmmm crunchy tasty. The shopping distict seemed to stretch on forever and at each turn the alleyways would get narrower and narrower. Amongst the throngs, vendors sell cheap toys, fruits and juices, and even the occasional motorbike presses its way through the mass of people. Just insane. Below, in an attempt to capture the energy and swell of the people, is a picture of a vendor selling pineapple amongst the craze. Another picture shows the tangle of wires that hang above everyone's heads. It's hard to tell if you are inside or outside here, a bit of both I guess.

The last picture was taken from a pedestrian overpass over a Bankok motorway. I didn't capture much but I tried to show just how crazy the traffic is here and how many different sized vehicles there are, all in bright primary colors! The very small and insanely fast motorbikes, the Tuk tuks, the taxis, the buses, the cars! Sheesh its enough to make you dizzy. I'm not sorry I'm leaving Bangkok just now though I do want to explore it a bit after I have acclimated and returned from Chang Mai. I'm really excited to see Chang Mai as it is supposed to be an artsy and craftspersons sort of place. mmmm Can't wait!!

My bus is leaving soon to Chang Mai and I've been at this cafe now for some time so I think I will dart for now. So begins my voyage through Asia!! I'm here at last!

A vendor selling pinapple to the masses of shoppers crammed in a small alley way of the shopping district.

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A tangle of electrical and phone wires above the shoppers heads.

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A small sampling of Thai traffic on a busy Bangkok motorway.