Day 315.

After the worst 9hour flight of my entire life I'd finally landed in Bangkok. Apparently Jetstar don't believe it's necessary to provide food nor entertainment on long haul flights... They provided no food and they even charged to use the tv's! Surely that's the perks of flying long haul!? Never again...

So anyway, I land and decide to tackle public transport than opt for a taxi. It turned out to be super easy, it was 2 simple changes and it took me to the doorstep of my hostel, not to mention it cost 70baht which is about £1.40 rather than a 500baht/££10 taxi ride! #savvytraveller. As I hadn't ate anything since breakfast (thanks Jetstar!) I was absolutely starving so I took a walk down the street to the 7/11, I grabbed a few snacks and when I left I spotted a street stall had rolled up! So I walk over and enquire what was cooking... Well, it was basically a disemboweled chicken. There was a plethora of chicken body parts and organs on sticks... I'd not even been here 24hours yet so I stuck safe and went for breast! 

My first day in Bangkok was set to be a busy one, my plan was to organise my whole Thailand trip so when I come back from Cambodia and Vietnam, I can hit the ground running. Australia have a company called PeterPans, which personally I can't speak highly of enough, they sort absolutely everything out for you and you just pay! I'd found out they had a shop in Bangkok so I was going to head there to sort it all out. 

I asked the reception of my hostel the best way to get to the address and it was a bit of a distance so a taxi was the best option and all I had to do was get one from the other side of the road... Easy.

No.

I walk out and first of all I get hounded by tuktuk men so I just try escape them but also realise there isn't a crossing anywhere to cross the pretty busy road. I carried on up the street to be met by another mob of tuktuk's!! Thankfully I flagged a taxi down just as their heads 'popped out the sand'. I pointed on the map where I wanted to be and he seemed to understand... Seemed to.

We drive for about 15 minutes through streets I have no idea the name of and unable to follow it on my map. He then stops the car and points and says 'there. Peterpans.' He was pointing to some kind of temple thing... 'Erm, let me explain again what it is I'm looking for...' So he turns the car round and we head back in the other direction and stops at a side road about 5 minutes down the road 'there. PeterPans'... Ok well as you can guess we weren't getting anywhere! So I decide to cut my losses, pay him his money and get out to be immediately greeted by another man. Clearly I looked as lost as I was. He seemed pretty sane so I explained where I wanted to be and he began talking in what I only understood as jibberish! I picked up random English words but in general, it was just a lot of nodding in confusion! Another guy, a backpacker I'm guessing, then comes over and asks what we're looking for to which I turn to explain but before I get chance, the first man starts screaming at the guy and telling him to 'go away' in a much more profane way! I was totally startled so I just decided to duck out and run away! I eventually found a wifi hotspot and directions to where I actually needed to be! THANKS CRAZIES!

After talking to some English speaking people in PeterPans my Thailand trip was well on it's way to be planned, the travel agent even bought me lunch from a street vender! (Only 25baht/50p but it's the thought that counts!) it was, I believe, fried chicken skins with sticky rice and chilli sauce. It was delicious! I'm getting sold on this street food despite going against every instinct in my body to run away from it. While he finalised it all I went out and did a little bit of exploring...

The streets are FULL of markets, like literally, every street is lined with stalls selling any and everything! So I thought I'd take a browse, well this was when I discovered something in me that shocked me more than eating street food... IM A HAGGLER! 

The idea of haggling had always scared me, I hated the idea of debating over money, just set a price and leave it at that! Well, turns out, I love it! I haggled some underwear, then some shorts and then a power bank! (which I played hard ball and walked away from hoping she'd chase me - she didn't.) There was just no stopping me!! Who knew haggling over pennies would be so exhilarating!?

After robbing people of their living, I took a long walk in the HOT heat to The Grand Palace. With it being a place of worship you were asked to be respectful and cover up, so I swapped my shorts and vest for long khaki pants and a shirt a shade of green I can't even describe with words...

Walking around The Grand Palace in shorts would have been hard enough in 40degree heat but with long pants AND a shirt it was almost unbearable so I was barely taking note of the meanings on the buildings... Unless they offered shade.

I entered The Temple of The Emerald Buddha which required you to take your shoes and hats off (my hat!? I've wore it for about 2 weeks straight, I swear I do have hair under it!), when I left the temple in my get up an Asian woman approaches me pointing to her camera, I assumed it was to take a photo of her and her friend, so I go I take the camera from her but as I do she hands the camera over TO her friend... She then proceeds to point and me and point to the temple behind me. I think this bitch thought I was a monk!? Well anyway, I stood and smiled for her photo, don't want her thinking us monks are rude!

So it was a pretty eventful first day in Bangkok to say the least! I must admit, I'm not 100% sold on the city, in comparison to others it just can't hold up but the food - wow - Thai's can cook! I had an amazing chilli and peppercorn noodle dish for 45baht/£1!? But I'm not finished with Bangkok yet and I'm not giving up hope for the rest of Thailand either, but that's a surprise for when I return in a months time!

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