This is my third time in Bangkok and it surprises me that each time I am unprepared for the immense sensory overload you encounter. There is noise, smells, way too much take in visually all at once and the then there is the HEAT. I awoke to the sound of the antique fan chugging hot air around the far corner and although it was very warm in the room it was bearable. I thought I was acclimatising well to the temperature change until I opened the door and stepped out into the hall. The heat hit me in the face and I struggled to find even a tiny amount of fresh air (there wasn't any). I hadn't even stepped into the sun yet and so I took a deep (humid and sticky) breath and made my way out of the building and down the street.
The smell of grilled fish and meat from a street vendor stall filled the air along with aromatic incense and a faint whiff of garbage. I passed lazy stray dogs sleeping in the door ways of small shops which appear to sell the most random collection of goods (if you ever need a vast collection of fluffy animal key rings then Bangkok is the place to go!). There is a 7-11 (Thailand's local convenience stores) on every corner and the DING DONG sound made every time the door opens can be faintly heard at all times.
Traffic is continuous in Bangkok regardless of where you are and the hum of mopeds and honking of horns fills the air. I decided to get a TUK TUK (see photo) and smiled in delight as we whizzed at top speed weaving through the manic traffic. As a nurse I have spend the past 15 years constantly assessing risks (Health and Safety is the key!) so with my 'official' hat on I should have been both terrified and horrified. We passed mopeds carrying the whole family including a baby just being held by the mother. We sped past trucks with their loads loosely balancing and tied with random pieces of rope or plastic and makeshift carts emitting thick clouds of smoke. At the traffic lights vendors would walk between the traffic selling food and quickly hop out the way as the lights turned green. Police men holding cardboard stop signs confidently walk straight out into on coming traffic in order to let pedestrains cross.
After a general wander around the city I made my way back to the Koh San Road area (backpacker realm) and had a refreshing watermelon shake. The sun had set and the bars were already starting to fill. Vendors selling fried scorpions drew in the 'fresh' travellers and the hill tribe people selling bracelets and wooden frog noise ornaments (rub the back of the wooden frogs with a stick and they sound just like a frog) walked amount the crowds.
After taking in all this I was happily exhausted and looking forward to travelling down to Koh Chang the next day.
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