After travelling for over 20 hours on a surprisingly comfortable flight we finally landed in Thailand. We were keen to discover how this country coined the nickname “The Land Of Smiles,” was it the insanely good food, the hospitable locals, the excitement and bustle of the big cities, the colourful wealth of history or those sparkly beaches? It’s all of the above combined but it’s the people that wear the smiles and it wasn’t long before 2 people, in particular, had us smiling too.
We were at the dreaded baggage carousel where you stand waiting, waiting for your dream holiday to either begin or come crashing down around you as you wait to see if your bag will pop up out from the mysterious void. You go from being nervous to ‘Ha! We’ve got our bags, see you later fuckers. As we basked in our triumph for a moment or two deciding on the next direction to take I received a tap on the shoulder. The sort of tap that sends shivers down your spine. Like the time you got a tap from a security guard for shoplifting as a teenager, the tap on the shoulder from the teacher who caught you smoking at school or the police officer that other time we won’t speak of.. And I thought that was it, I thought I was done. What were they looking for? Did I fit a profile? Should I call my lawyer or even worse my government? I hadn’t even thought about Thai prisons..
As I slowly turned around my anxiety and fear vanished as quickly as it came as 2 of our best friends stood right there in front of us in one of the biggest double-takes I’ve ever experienced. What the fuck! Our friends Karl and Sarah had just about finished their epic 9+ month jaunt around South East Asia. We hadn’t spoken to them in a few weeks and although we knew they were due to return home soon, we didn’t know when. We were absolutely dumbfounded when we turned around and saw them. After a few big hugs and laughs, we learned they had just got in from Vietnam and they had one last night in Bangkok before flying home. It just so happened that their hotel was a few stops away on the same train line away as ours. In a further stroke of luck, we found the hotel we were staying in was in an area they had stayed in when they arrived in Bangkok several months ago. You couldn’t write this shit, it was perfect!
All four of us jumped on the next train heading into the city. They got off around halfway through the journey and we arranged to meet up later so they could show us around. We were back on our own for a bit and were thrown back into one of my favourite parts about travelling. Arriving in a brand new city completely lost and full of adrenaline. They say that Bangkok is an assault on the senses and it truly is. The routine and order of the airport was a distant memory as we were plunged into the uncertainty and beautiful chaos of Bangkok, it’s busy, it’s loud, it’s chaotic. One minute the scent of tantalising street food will grab your nose’s attention before the not so tantalising smell of sewage knocks it away. The buzzing sound of small electricity pylons as you walk by is then drowned out as the 4-5 lanes of mopeds, tuk-tuks and taxi stampede by. Your eyes are popping out of your head trying to pick out every unmissable detail. This place was nuts and I loved every single second of it. This is what I want every damn day and that feeling of discovery was becoming an addiction, I just wanted more and more. We managed to find our feet fairly quickly considering the bounty of distractions on offer and we managed to find our hotel with relative ease. I could feel the months of research paying off already. After checking in and refreshing it wasn’t long till we were reunited with our friends again.
It was so convenient that they had actually stayed in the same area as us and I was amazed that they could remember where everything was after the insane amount of places they’d been to over the last 9 months or so. First of all, they introduced us to our first 7/11 and we discovered why these shops have a bit of a cult following. (they’re just awesome! ) We grabbed a few takeaway beers and cracked them open right outside the shop. In Thailand, you can legally drink in the street which was pretty cool. I went on to learn that a lot of countries allow drinking on the street, it’s just unfortunate in our little country that our people don’t know how to drink without being idiots.
Anyway, beers cracked, our guides led us towards some street food vendors on the edge of a small night market where we started to dive into some delicious roadside snacks. I will try my hardest to tell you in great detail about all of the little tasty delights we picked up from various places during our time in Thailand but the truth is the selection is so vast and half of the time I didn’t even know what I was eating! I promised myself I would try and push the boundaries of what I would usually eat and I think this is the best way to look at it. You may find food you absolutely love and makes your knees weak or you might find something you don’t like.. You win some, you lose some but please try as much as you can. Thailand is famous for its street delicacies and for very good reason. After sampling a few more bits and bobs and checking out some of the vendors’ trinkets we decided to go and find a bar and have a few cold ones.. and of course more food.
We sat down and our friends talked us through the menu and pointed out some of their faves and we chose a couple of extra items. In a short time, the table was full of soups, salads, and stir-fries. The food was delicious and the cold beer was really welcoming as it was still baking hot even late at night. It was getting on a bit and I just took a minute to take it all in. Here I am on the other side of the planet, in Bangkok! Had no sleep for well over 30 hours, sitting in a bar with my fiancé and 2 of our oldest friends that we’d just randomly bumped into in the airport. Was I tired no, did I want this night to end hell no! But unfortunately, it had to end as they had to fly home in the morning. As one adventure ends another begins and the beginning of ours was one the best nights of my life. I will never forget it. In the land of smiles, we were already over the moon and we hadn’t even started day 1 yet.