Six Weeks in SE Asia Already:)
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2005
1
35
285
Trip End
Jan 25, 2009
Bangkok,
Thailand
Friday, February 3, 2006
Bangkok marks the half way mark of my adventure through SE Asia. It's hard to believe that six weeks has gone already.
For those people planning RTW trips, I don't think 12 weeks is barely enough time to spend in SE Asia. As I write this, I'm contemplating how great it would be to base myself for a month or so in a city such as Bangkok. I'm absolutely loving Thailand and wish I had a longer amount of time here. Even though a year sounds like a lot to travel RTW, I'm starting to feel the pressure of having to move from one place to another within a specified time limit.
Even though I am in the Kao San Road area of Bangkok at the moment, I'm staying well away from the throngs of tourists by staying in the Silom area... about a 45 minute boat ride from Silom. This area is pumping with lots of tourists etc., but I think this area is good for a visit.
I survived the marathon journey from Ko Samui to Bangkok yesterday... I left Wishes Bungalow at 12:30pm and arrived in Bangkok at 6am this morning. I had a rest this afternoon and am 'probably' ready to hit the nightlife tonight. I'm looking forward to getting out given the low key nature of Koh Samui. I can't believe how long overland travel is taking through SE Asia... yesterday's trip wasted about 5 hours just sitting in bus stops etc. I'm really glad I met a cool group of people: Suwar from Auckland, NZ; two French girls; and a Ross from Calgary, Canada. Talking to this group, along with several of the locals made for a pretty good time:)
The 10 hours bus ride from Surat Thani to Bangkok was gruesome... at 1am, we stopped at a remote bus stop and I really struggled to remain focused - I was very much in a state of semi unconsciousness. But after a coke, a sandwich and a few walks/exercises, I was ready for another 5 hours of travel. Whilst travelling overnight saves a night's accommodation, it's really tough going. Even though I say this, I'll probably do Bangkok to Chiang Mai overnight as well - oh what fun!
I must be getting use to the Asian way of city life because I'm getting quite use to the motorbikes, traffic, pollution, lots of people etc... and I kind of enjoy the busy nature of such cities. One of the French girls (Vanny), mentioned how she's paying 5000 baht a month ($200) to live in a one bedroom flat here in Bangkok... kind of got me thinking but at this stage I'd prefer to skim the surface of the world and continue my itinerary through the 3 continents. I'm sure I will fall in love with other cities as well so we'll just take it as it comes.
Accommodation was difficult to come by in Bangkok... two hostels I wanted to stay in (Orchard and Suk 11) were full until the 9th Feb. In desperation, I resorted to a hotel on wotif.com and have a fantastic room at the Silom City Inn for pretty reasonable rate. The hotel is in the area that I wanted to hit the nightlife... and it's close to the Vietnamese Embassy.
This morning, after the bus ride, I went straight to the embassy to organise my visa for Vietnam. Some information for other travellers:
If you want the visa within 1 day the cost is 2500 baht ($85)
If you can wait at least 4 business days, the cost is 1850 baht ($60)
I went for the 4 day deal, but I have since learnt that there are deals going for 1600 baht here in Kao San Road...
I went for the 4 day offer through the embassy... probably the safest bet but it is a bit unnerving giving up my passport for a week.
My plan for the next week is to spend 2 nights here, 4 nights in Pattaya before returning to Bangkok for 1 night to collect the passport/visa. Should be a good week:)
