I always seem to have alot to say my first day in a new country. I've actually been in Thailand for close to a week but since today was the first day I spent in Bangkok, in a way it feels like I just got here. When I got on the plane back in Katmandu, I had no plans for my arrival-- since this trip was put together last minute, the idea is that I'd plan as I go, but didn't have a chance to do any research on Thailand while I was trekking in Nepal. To further complicate matters, I only had 6 days here before flying down to visit Weijie in Singapore. Weijie is one of my best friends from college at Hopkins. I really wanted to visit him while I was here but, since he's currently completing his service in the Singaporean army (as all males have to do) he only has weekends free so I had to work around his schedule, which made my arrival a bit complicated-- I didn't want to spent 6 days in Bangkok, but didn't think it was long enough to go anywhere too far. When I was on the plane, the American couple sitting next to me on the plane suggested Chiang Mai, a city in the northern mountains near the border with Myanmar. I'd never heard of it but it sounded cool. My alternative was to head to Khao San road, what Lonely Planet describes as the "tourist ghetto" of Bangkok. Every big international city has one, I'd just come from Thamel, the Nepalese equivalent in Katmandu, so I knew what to expect--not being able to walk more than 10 seconds without someone trying to sell you something or rip you off, among other things. I wasn't in the mood for more of that, so on a whim I took a taxi from the airport directly to a bus station to see if I could catch a nightbus to Chiang Mai. I was in luck and got a ticket for the 10 hour ride, and within 2 hours of touching down in the country I found myself sweating on a hot, chaotic bus platform, watching buses coming and going and wondering whether this had really been such a good idea. After the long and slow trip, including a somewhat surreal rest stop where I stumbled off the bus in the middle of the night, half asleep, to eat some weird rice porridge and use the bathroom, I arrived in Chiang Mai having no idea what to expect. Fortunately, I met a representative from a hotel at the busstop who offered me a cheap room which turned out to be just what I was looking for. The hotel also offered treks through the mountains, and had a 33 day trip leaving the next day--they were cheap and looked good, so I decided to sign up, having nothing better planned. For the remainder of the day I rented a motorbike and explored Chiang Mai and the surrounding mountains--It was tons of fun, and the power and exhilaration of zipping in and out of traffic at up to 100km per hour gave me a new found confidence after the initial worry of my arrival. I checked out a really beautiful Buddhist temple which had a spectacular view of the city and surroundings.

The next day we left on our trekking tour, which was supposedly going to a "non-touristic area" (the irony of the fact that bringing us there was, by definition, turning it into a tourist area didn't escape me, but I tried not to have any expectations). The first few kilometers of sweating through the jungle made me think--I've just been walking for the last 2 weeks straight, why did I sign up for 3 more days? But it turned out to be a really fun trip, quite a bit easier than what I'd done in Nepal, but still real trekking. We swam in a beautiful waterfall the first afternoon, and I was delighted to eat my first genuine Thai food for dinner--the curry, spicy pork, and stir fried vegetables were exquisite. After dinner, we indulged on beer and cheap Thai wine, a celebration I hadn't done much of in Nepal. On the second day, in addition to trekking we got to do an elephant ride through the jungle, which I really enjoyed (not least because we had to share and I somehow ended up being placed right in between the 2 cute 21-year old Canadian twins on the trek--it was random, I swear!) On the second night children from the village we were staying in came and did a little choreographed dance for us by the campfire--it seemed a bit hokey but was fun for everyone. The third day we did a bamboo rafting trip down the river. The ride wasn't that spectacular, I was just happy to have another opportunity to get to use my waterproof case for my digital camera. After heading back to Chiang Mai, we went out on the town to celebrate. Memories of the night are sketchy.

The following morning, I decided to take a day just to chill out and relax. I realized that in my determination to do as much as possible in my travels, I've been moving almost every day, so I spent the day lounging in cafes, wasting time on the internet, and reading. I had a reservation for another all-night bus back to Bangkok, so I left at 6:30. One notable experience happened as I was leaving my hotel-- as I was saying goodbye and thanking the owners, the wife gave me a cold bottle of water to take on the bus. This small gesture really touched me--that she had thought of this way to make my trip more pleasant without expecting anything in return. As a traveller, trying to pinch every penny and not get ripped off, I sometimes forget that people can be generous and kind. If you're ever in Chiang Mai, Thailand, go stay at the Five Star Guest House!

After another long, tiring voyage filled with frequent stops (which for some reason they insisted turning the lights on every time, preventing any real sleep), I arrived at Khao San road in Bangkok in the early morning. I found a cheap hotel and tried to sleep for a bit, but soon got restless and went for breakfast. I spent the day exploring Bangkok without really making much of an itinerary. From Khao San road, a man offered me a Tuk-Tuk tour (a miniature half taxi-half motorbike) for 20 Baht (about 50 cents U.S.). I knew immediately that it was a scam--I'd even read about it in my Lonely Planet, but I couldn't figure out how they intended to rip me off. Not having anything better to do, and more from curiosity, I decided to give it a try--I couldn't believe they were going to rob me in broad daylight, and I figured I could always leave if I didn't like it. I found out that the money came from bringing me to a tailor shop which somehow gave the driver free gasoline--they had told me this beforehand. I told them I wasn't interested in a new suit and went back to my tuk-tuk. After dropping me off at the next site, a giant 45 meter Buddha statue, my driver said he'd wait for me to return. When I got back to the place he had left me, I wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't there. But I hadn't paid him, and got to 2 rides for free already, so I didn't particularly care. I made my way over to the river and took a commuter ferry towards China town-- it was a great ride, mixed with locals, tourists, and a bunch of Buddhist monks (as is the entire city), and had an outstanding view of the city skyline. Walking around Chinatown, I felt I almost could have been back on Canal Street in New York City! From there, I hopped a legitamate cab over to Siam Square, the trendy shopping center of the city. I'd eaten bacon and eggs for breakfast, so I continued the comfort food trend with a late lunch at McDonalds. I really HATE shopping, but realized that I felt more comfortable walking around the mall--it was the most American like environment I'd been in in months--so I wasn't in any hurry to leave (another reason for this feeling was the knowledge that as soon as I left the air-conditioned mall I'd be hit by the humid heat of Bangkok!) So, I decided to see a movie and bought a ticket for the new Bond flick. It was pretty decent, and a nice diversion for a few hours. After that, I wandered around the different levels of the shopping center, looking through different store windows and trying to postpone the state of perpetual perspiration I would face as soon as I left. Since I'd already had 2 fast food meals, I decided to make it an even 3 and had KFC for dinner (I knew McDonalds were everywhere, but have been surprised to also find KFCs all over the world). Afterwords I headed back to my hotel and tried to get some sleep, which proved to be quite difficult in the heat and humidity which lasted throughout the night, desite the noisy ceiling fan.