Bangkok

Yesterday marked the first day in our 24 day journey throughout Thailand and Cambodia!

We arrived in Bangkok very late (2:30am to be exact) due to a flight delay. The hostel we stayed in for the night was very clean and well kept and all of the staff were very friendly! We were very happy to have made it this far and to have a clean and safe place to sleep.

The next day we headed out via taxi to the airport to connect to downtown Bangkok via the skytrain. The train was pretty conveinient as Bangkok traffic can be sometimes congested. This train, however, was NOTHING compared to the train Svein and I took while waitin at the airport in Shanghai! During our 8 hour layover we met a Chinese man and woman who were so eager to show us around the city. We were very hestitant considering we had just met this man in this country that is very foreign to us. He eventually purchased tickets for us to ride the Shanghai Transrapid into the city! It was the most generous offer Svein and I had ever received! Especially considering that these tickets were about 120 RNB each which is about 20 bucks each! So, Svein and I decided to board the train and head into Shanghai! Why not?! Luckily we were allowed to leave the airport during our layover, which was opposite to what we believed. We thought we would have needed a VISA. This train was like no other train we had taken in our lives! It was a high speed bullet train that reached..... 430km/h!!! That's' nothing compared to the 300km/h KTX  in korea! It was to say the least, thrilling! Once we reached the city we were disappointed to see that we weren't actually in the city centre - we were in fact quite far from it. And with only thing long sleeved T's on we thought it wouldn't be worth going deeper into the city. Next time Shanghai! Next time!

Now, back to Bangkok!

I am currently sitting in our guesthouse, the Sivarian, which has been amazing! The beds are the most comfortable Svein and I have seen since leaving Canada. It has been so nice to get a solid nights sleep. After reaching the guesthouse on our first day we decided to grab a bite to eat at a small local restaurant. It kind of looked like a diner. We ordered the obvious. Pad Thai and Changs (beer). Mm Mmm Mmmmm it was delicious! (Machisayo!) AND it only cost us about 3 dollars each. Very good! But not the best! We had seen Pad Thais being sold on the street later that day for about a buck a pop!

After our meal we boarded the number 3 bus to Chutachat Market which is only open on the weekends. It was HUGE and filled with so many different vendors selling clothing, china, plants, food, bags, ... you name it, it was there! The sun was beaming down on us the whole time which was also welcomed! We found some incredible steals at this market! $3-5 dollar T's, Tanks and Lacoste Polos, amazing smoothies, Chai teas and coconut icecream for under a buck and a nice hand made bag for about 5 dollars! 

After a long day at the market we headed out for dinner near Khao san road (the local foreigner hangout). As Svein and I had a beer and ate some amazing food (Massaman curry and Green curry fried rice) we were in awe at our surroundings. I think we were in shock, actually. There were so many interesting travelers, bright lights everywhere, funky music, Thai peddlers on the streets... it seemed like we were in some kind of movie. I don't think the idea of us being in Bangkok had really set in until this point.

Later we traveled around Khao san Road, which was somewhat of a disappointment. It was just so dirty and chaotic. There wasn't anything traditionally Thai about it either. Svein and I had read up on this however, so we were somewhat prepared. We did find some cheap dresses, which was nice for me!

Once we finally got back to our hostel, which was so peaceful and quiet, we crashed HARD into our beds! It might have only been 10:30 too.. haha are we getting old?
Tomorrow we look forward to a day filled with temples, a night bazaar and more amazing Thai food!

Till then and love to you all!
S & S