Bangkok Bling Blang

Trip Start Oct 15, 2008
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Trip End Ongoing


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Friday, October 17, 2008

Well it's 1 pm on my first day in Bangkok and already I have had a bounty of enriching experiences and debacles. First, the debacles...When I tried to check in for my flight out of Boston on Wednesday, the agent informed me that I would not be able to check in because I only had a one-way ticket. In order to aquire a tourist visa in Thailand I would need proof of departure from the country. I found a lopole (sp.? I'm not bothering with spellcheck) and bought a refundable ticket from Bangkok to Cambodia. The agent assured me that I would be able to refund the ticket as soon as I passed through immigration in Bangkok. He also told me that if I lost the ticket, I would be deported upon arrivel in Bangkok. Of course I distorted the agents words and convinced myself that I would be deported from Thailand upon arrival, ticket or no ticket. So the next 30 hours of travel were filled with harrowing visions of my pending incareceration and deportation. Needless to say, I haven't been deported..yet.

When I arrived in the Bangkok airport and tried to return the ticket, however, I was informed that the ticket office was closed and I would need to return at 3 am. I left the airport to check into my hotel, set my alarm for 2:00 am, and took a taxi back to the airport. After waiting for 1.5 hours at the airport I was finally informed that I would not be able to refund my ticket there and that I would need to go to the office in downtown Bangkok. [This story is getting a bit too long.] After 3 hours of roaming the streets of Bangkok looking for the United Airlines office, I was finally able to refund my ticket. According to the woman at the office, however, the refund may or may not go through. At this point, I really don't care. The extra $263 dollars was well worth it.

I'm totally head over heals in love with Bangkok. It's wild and gritty, but incredibly user-friendly. I'm staying on Khao San Road, which is dubbed the "backpackers' mecca". This made for some horrifying spectacles at 3 in the morning, but during the day it's quite pleasant. I visited the Grand Palace and Wat PraKaew today and it is probably the most bedazzled place on the planet. Hence this entry's title, "Bling Blang!". After that I took a trip down Chao Phraya River on a ferry. The ferry is more of a commuter boat, but I was happy to travel up and down the river checking out the sights. For lunch I feasted on a huge plate of street food. I have no idea what I ate, but there is a mysterious rumbling developing in my tummy. Possibly more on this topic later.
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Comments

ellesod
ellesod on Oct 17, 2008 at 12:21PM

awesome!
what's the start of an adventure without debacles, a lophole, and a little bling? glad you're lovin' it!
miss ya!
~ellen

volberding
volberding on Oct 17, 2008 at 12:38PM

wowo
sounds cr-cr-crazy.

don't fall in with those crazy backpackers.

remember what happened to leo dicapprrio in the beach.

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