2022: Here we go again

Welcome to my blog. Here I write about my experiences and impressions of my trip to Thailand. Primarily for myself. Have fun reading.

Day 00: A bit regretful, I start in Jena. 24 hours ahead of me until I arrive at the hostel. 5 hours regional train, 16 hours flight, and then through Bangkok. So it's no wonder the mood isn't the best. BER is just a normal airport, nothing special. No wonder they have problems with the processing. First you get scanned and then thoroughly patted down. German thoroughness, of course. Turkish Airlines is okay, but the food, oh how I miss the Mensa. They go overboard with Islam, with Quran and prayer times everywhere. And what do you do at the airport when you have nothing to do? Exactly, people-watching. It's quite interesting, a group of fully veiled women in black followed by a fat man, the classic Central European family with dad, mom, and irritated child, and colorful young Asians, everything is there.

Day 01: Arrived in Bangkok, first I exchanged 100€ at a bad rate, but you need money for the beginning. Of course, I misunderstood the Visa, it got sorted out quickly. I really need to inform myself more before my trips. The weather is sticky, to say the least, it rains occasionally. Took the skytrain to the hostel, very modern what the Thais have there, the Berlin Ringbahn looks old in comparison. Hostel is okay, a few people are there (tip: only book hostels with air conditioning). By half past six it's already dark, but that's okay, out into the concrete jungle to the next food market and indulged in something tasty (obviously Phat Thai, and yes, I won't be vegan for the next 5 weeks). Went to 7 Eleven in the evening to get snacks, beer, and water (very, very important). In the evening at the hostel, we played some games (Unstable Unicorn and Secret Hitler, no, it wasn't me). Travelers from all over the world were there, in the next weeks I will meet people from all countries. I had a longer conversation with Sascha from Volgograd, early 20s and former software developer. Because of the situation in Russia, he is now unemployed. He set off just a few weeks before the start of the war and only wanted to travel for a few weeks. Now he has been traveling through Asia for 6 months, he doesn't want to go back because of the war and because life in Russia is not good, he says. However, he will soon fly back via Ethiopia. My mood on the first evening is great, I'm a bit worried about jet lag. But I'm really excited to be here.

Day 02: I like to listen to the stories of other backpackers, it's the best source of information. Jet lag hit me worse than expected. I only got going around 2 pm local time. First task: get a SIM card, 16 euros for 30 days of unlimited network, paradise (except for the constant scam calls). Then took a little walk around Bangkok, around the canals and small alleyways. Downside: you definitely encounter too many rats. By the way, they drive on the left here, which I had forgotten again (and will occupy me throughout the entire journey). To cross the big roads, I simply shadow locals. I don't know if they like that. Google said there should be a boat along the canals, but no boat came. So I made a detour to China Town. Many people, many different things to eat (almost everything that crawls on God's earth). I decided on spring rolls. Wanted to take the bus back, but didn't understand the staff. It worked in the afternoon though. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. A very good advice, just observe how the locals do it, for example taking the bus (how to make it stop and how to say that you want to get off). In the evening, it was quiet and I made plans and booked tickets (it takes a lot of time). In general, you must not be afraid to interact with people and simply approach them, so far no one has offered me a beating.

Day 03: Today I'm taking the train to Chiang Mai. I didn't do much during the day. Changed some money and got dollars for the visa in Laos. I was in the city and wanted to see some things, but it was raining too heavily. So I went back to the hostel and read a book (Alice in Wonderland). There were two Arabs in the hostel who enjoyed a huge joint, they were done, lovely. By the way, you can get it legally on every corner here. On to the night train, 6 pm is somehow rush hour, but everyone is disciplined. No one pushes and if the trains are full, you wait patiently for the next one. The train station is in bad condition, you hear many squeaking rats. My train does not come, I teamed up with other backpackers from Germany and the Netherlands. We find out that the train should still arrive, in the end it was over an hour late. Unfortunately, I only got a ticket in the cheapest class. A seat and unfortunately the seats next to me were occupied. The air conditioning were open windows, it got quite chilly. At the beginning, you could enjoy the ride a bit and look out the window and feel the breeze. Getting close to the seat neighbor when trying to sleep, I don't know how they can sleep sitting up. Sometime in the night, a few fellow travelers got off and I could lie down. It wasn't the best night.

Day 04: Back in Chiang Mai, the climate is better and the atmosphere much more relaxed than in Bangkok. A really beautiful city, but I've already been here, so just one night. Showered at the poshtel (better hostel) and shaved off the beard, too hot. You could buy all sorts of things there, including mushrooms. With Thi and the others from the train, we went to a Thai cooking class in the afternoon. Spring rolls, a curry, and Phat Thai were on the list. Very entertaining and the chef did a great job. In the evening, we met for beer and exchanged experiences and plans. Nice day and the night in a real bed was wonderful.