open mind, empty stomach

This trip officially kicked off in BKK. Bangkok would be the starting point and ending point for the se Asia leg of my vacation. The hostel I stayed at, NapPark, was very close to the tourist hub of the city, Khao San Road. It was the highest rated hostel on the hostel booking websites, but was still lacking. They turned off the ac in the rooms from 12-6 everyday and did not do anything to facilitate travelers getting together. There were no tours, pub crawls and no rooftop bar. I made friends with an American dude about my age named Craig that was staying in the same room. We were drinking buddies for my time in BKK and added a Canadian named Ryan that was also staying at NapPark a couple days later. I checked out Chinatown and had lots of delicious and cheap street food. I went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market, which was HUGE, and spent 6 enjoyable hours. They sold clothes, housewares, art, pets, gadgets, food and all kinds of other stuff. I would walk around and browse, get some food, have a beer and people watch, then repeat. There was a cool bar in a prime spot to observe the sights of the market while listening to some really good electronic music. If you are an animal lover, I would avoid the pet section. The animals are not in treated well… Craig and I hit up Sukhumvit, which is one of the major red light districts. We sat at a bar facing the street and had beers while watching sleazy middle aged plus western dudes do what they come to Bangkok to do. I checked out the major tourist sites of Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew. They were really nice and lived up to the hype. Wat Pho is also home to the best massage school in Thailand and I got my first real Thai Massage at their affiliated studio. It was only $8 for an hour of pure bliss. I decided then and there that I would get a massage whenever possible while in se Asia. On my last night in the city, a police officer stopped me in the street in front of my hostel and gave me the most thorough pat down/search I have ever had; he was very thorough to say the least. I spent 4 days in Bangkok and that was more than enough for me. It had its high points, but was not my kind of place.

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