Bangkok, day 1

Holidays are usually something that people look forward to. Something that requires planning ahead. In my case, this vacation, has been just book a flight, the cheapest possible, book a hotel, the cheapest possible but still trying to preserve a bit of privacy and that's it. I do not have the faintest clue of what I am going to do every single day in Thailand. I don't even know what I am going to do today, to be frank. I just arrived from the airport via taxi and I don't know what I will be doing. Probably I will hit the gym very soon as I need to move a bit after 11 hours in a plane.

The flight with China Airlines was perfect. The entertainment on board is very good and food, for diabetic, is really tasteless and nice... I am not joking! Sometimes spices make food inedible, especially on planes.

So, all perfect from Rome to Bangkok.

The airport is pretty big and very new, everything is well sign posted and people are pretty friendly even if English seems to be a sort of optional. I just wonder how I will get along if and when I will decide to go off the beaten paths...

I heard many horror stories about taxi scams and I was sort of lucky... The guy put the meter on, he wasted a bit of time trying to find the place and first of all, trying to find his glasses as he could not read... He asked for 100 baht for the Mway tolls (25+45 = 100 ??) and when I handed him the 500 Baht to pay 349 and I asked for 100 back he just said thank you and drove off... So, add 600 baht to the bill... That is 12 Euro gone and I have not even eaten yet! eh eh eh

The hotel is ok, the room is very basic, but big. The first thing you notice is the minibar packed with condoms while the first thing you notice in Thailand is the people wearing masks, including at the hotel reception. The fear for H1N1 is big and I received already some text messages from the local authorities about the flu...

So, the hotel room is basic but good, the location seems to be a bit odd but I am sure I will like it as it reminds me of a Beijing Hutong. The metropolitan line is nearby, not even 5 minutes walk and I think that I will spend 4 pleasant days here, before taking the night train to Chiang Mai.

The gym is excellent and costs 100 baht per visit while the internet service is a mere 250 baht per week. Yes, I have been to the gym... This blog is becoming a soap opera...

So far at 8 Am I have spent 600 taxi, 250 internet and going to spend soon 100 for the gym. that is 950 baht.

Been out for a quick walk in the neighbourhood and have come to my mind the sceptical or even disgusted faces of those who hear me saying that I love China. The first thing they say is "how about poverty?"...

Well when I was telling that I would have come to Thailand, the very same people were not so disgusted and they showed quite some envy...

Folks, if you have been to Thailand (Bangkok) and not been to China (Beijing), just stop thinking that Beijing can only be poorer than Bangkok. You are completely wrong!

From the first pictures I have taken you can see that poverty impregnates the whole area but I think that once and for all we should define poverty. An Italian that earns 1000 Euro a month is poor because he cannot afford to live. I am sure that here in Bangkok the situation is different. So, it's just that our society and our lavishing way of life makes us think that they are starving. they are not. Same in China...

I haven't seen all these smiles around here and despite the fact of being the only Westerner around, they seem pretty indifferent to my presence. If you read back the Beijing blogs you will see how different it was over there.

They seem to be very religious. I have come across a few tabernacles and there were always people praying or burning incenses to the buddhist statues. Restaurant seem to be something non existent over here. there are just people with some desks in the street cooking whatever they can.

Open air "rivers" carrying all sort of shit can be seen and smelled... A black flow passing between buildings with all sort of waste floating... and on this tiny little river there was this guy on a little boat rowing... I didn't feel like taking any pictures about this.

I feel quit uncomfortable in filming people's misery or people praying or even those cooking in the street. I feel as if I invade their world and violate them. However they remain well printed in my memory and they are hard to abandon me so quickly. I still got memories of Sao Paulo... The misery in Sao Paulo...

After a hour sleep I had some luch at my hotel. for 330 baht I ate a Salmon Green Curry with boiled rice, a bottle of water, carrot juice and a mushroom and tofu broth.

Today I will take it easy and tomorrow after gym and breakfast I will start walking around Bangkok trying to discover some interesting places.

My travel plans might change an I might stay longer in Chiang Mai if something I am hoping for will happen... I will keep you posted.

This afternoon the monsoons have done their part... Plenty of hot water came, and it is still coming down, while I write...

I had dinner in the hotel and I ate some pepper beef with onions and rice, of course and a nice Tofu... I don't know which of the two is giving me a tummy ache but they both tasted lovely! Baht 156 to add to the list.

stay tuned!


Expenses summary:

balance Eur 464
taxi and tip Euro 12
gym eur 2
internet Eur 5
lunch 7
dinner 5

Total 495 Euro


The blog time is CET, add 5 hours to know the time it was posted.