Sunday, November 17, 2013

When in Rome... Mikey and Sam

Summary:
Heat: Ridiculous
Food: Amazing
Transportation: Easy
Shopping: Awesome
People: Friendly and helpful


Details:
Stepping into the Thai world intially took my breath away. Not because of the beauty or anything like that but because it is insanely hot and humid. I dont know about the rest
of the group but climbing the stairs to get to sky train in this heat leaves me winded every time!! Why is it so humid!!? Maybe because when we first arrived it was pouring down rain which
MAYBE added to the humidity and the shock factor but most likely its just because this is Thailand weather and I need to just deal with it. The nice thing is that almost everything is air
conditioned. So just when your melting away with you hair completely matted onto your sticky sweaty face and you don't think you can make it another second, the sky train's glorious doors
will open up and welcome you into its cool atmpsphere. AHHHHHH! <<sigh of relief>>


Public transportation seems to be the main mode of transport for lots of Bangkokians. (Is that a real term? I dont know I made it up) Between sky trains, metros, boat taxis and the
occasional tuk tuk, you can easily go just about anywhere in this melting pot ( refering to the heat since 99% of the time we are the only non thai roaming the streets) We've been able to
see a variety of sights pretty easily but So far the most difficult to get to was the Dusit Zoo. The sky train part of it was fine but the never ending trek that immediately followed was...
INTENSE. We did get to walk a long a moat type thing which was home to all kinds of reptiles and fish, including what looked like a small shark! We were able to provide free
entertainment to the locals who watched us be so amazed by the animals on the OUTSIDE of the zoo.  We're not from here and everyone can tell.


The zoo itself was nice. Some animals were clearly under fed and the hippos enclosure desperately needed clean water. The rules that limit/ protect you in US zoos do not apply here. You could easily enjoy wild cats (Panthers, tigers...) from about 8 feet away. (I wish I was exaggerating!) Monkeys, giraffes, reptiles...you could get up close and personal to almost all animals. Mosquitos also enjoyed being really close. :( 

Shopping! Much like most girls in the world, I over packed for this trip! And spending time in the thai markets these past couple of days has confirmed that. You can not only find almost anything
at a local market, but you can bargain with all the vendors so you pay close to nothing for it. The style of clothes are adorable and come in a variety of sizes, not just "Thai size." :)
So if you plan on coming to Thailand, please take my advice and leave room in your luggage to go shopping...you WILL go shopping, you cant avoid it in Bangkok, and you WILL find a ton
of cute clothes! I promise!!


Now on to the more important things....FOOD! Oh it is GLORIOUS here. I'm not going to lie, the streets of Thailand aren't exactly the cleanest, so I'm pretty sure all of us were a bit
hesitant to brave the street food. But once we did, theres no going back. Its amazing! Green curries, red curries, noodle soups, gravy soups, pad thai, fried rice and so much more... Most
of the street vendors consistant of one cook kinda boxed in with a grill in front of her/him and a whole "pantry" of fresh ingredients, veggies and spices on the side. That ONE cook wil
make ALL dishes that are ordered! So yes it does take a little more patience to get your food, but once it comes it's totally worth the wait! Have any of us been sick yet from the food?
Yes, BUT it was after going to an upscale restaurant in a fancy mall. Weird right? Moral of the story, when in Rome... eat street food :)


4 comments:

  1. Love this. Made me laugh! Miss you guys and I'm glad you're having a wonderful time :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice blog Tam. Keep showing us more pics too please! Love u.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, tell us... Is it hot there? LOL - Thanks for posting for us Californian's who are living vicariously through you! Keep it coming!

    The Becks (Larry, Suzette, Sydnie & Nick)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice to hear that things are going well despite the heat and humidity! Stay safe! We miss you guys...

    Deb Stone

    ReplyDelete