Near the MBK market in Bangkok – hello heat!
After a send off dinner, my mom dropped me off at the airport and I begin the long process of getting to Bangkok. Luckily the flights were uneventful and ~ 24 h later I touched down in Bangkok.
I cleared customs smoothly and really the only glitch I had was that the first ATM I tried didn’t work- luckily there is plenty of ATMs and the next one worked, I haven’t had any problems since. After getting a prepaid SIM card for my phone I was on my way into town.
Sidebar: I got a 30 day 4.5gb package for 500 baht. I’d hate to guess how much a comparable package in Canada costs, so this was already a win in the Thailand column.
The train from the airport took me pretty close to the hostel I had booked for my first couple of nights. Once I could check in I decided I was going have a small nap before heading out to explore the nearby town. That turned into a 13 h slumber fest, but when I woke up the next day I was energized and spend my first full day in Asia exploring. This also happened to be my birthday.
Those who know me know that I really don’t like my own birthday and so a day alone exploring a new city was kind of the perfect birthday.
Not quite prepared for the heat and humidity my first stop was one of the near-infinite 7-11 you find in Thailand. Stocked up on water I set out.
The first stop I went to was only a few min walk from the hostel and rated as one-off the top 10 things to see in Bangkok – Jim Thompson House.
Jim Thompson House in Bangkok
Jim Thompson was an American who settled in Thailand after World War II and was heavily involved in the Thai silk business. An architect by training he built his house on the banks of a canal and collected a number regional relics to furnish his house. He mysteriously disappeared a few year later and with no family his house eventually became a museum.
While probably not on my top 10 things to see in Bangkok the tour was nice and there were a lot of cool antiques to see. Furthermore, the grounds a nice cool break from the surrounding heat and hustle bustle.
From there I wandered into the nearby MBK market which is basically an outlet mall on steroids. it’s a multi floor maze of small shops selling anything from shoes to cameras and phones. It was a bit too much for me and I retreated to the near by Discover Square which a little more muted, even if it had things way outside of my price range – like a mazzarati dealer.
After a lite dinner and another trip to 7-11 I decided to call it a night- all-and-all not a bad start to 33 and SE Asia!
The Travelling Scientist 