Arriving at the steamy pavement, concrete jungle, Bangkok

So I did not post. I considered it, but knowing how long the writing and posting process takes me, it felt like burning my precious time of making more memories there. Besides, the processing is also important to me. The raw feed is not my style or I did not want to experiment with it this time after all. Sorry, not sorry.

Traveling far is very exhausting. I took that into account when I planned my trip and set out to Thailand a few days early so I could deal with jet lag and adjust to the climate there. It was the best decision that allowed me to ease in the environment slowly before jumping straight into Steemfest madness which is all about socializing with humans I normally don’t do much in person.

The hardest part of the trip was the long haul flight. Sitting for four hours already is challenging. Ten and more hours feel like complete torture. Sitting still is something I simply don’t do well, I need to move a lot. There was no way I could sleep that bit either. Yet here I am to tell the tale. Why don’t we have some sort of teleportation already or at least rocket traffic from one side of the world to another in less time?



_{The biggest torture device I have ever flown in my life. I mean it wasn’t that bad just not very comfortable either for the duration}
A friend of mine asked me if I smelled the orchid once I landed in Bangkok. I can’t say whether I did or didn’t as I was too focused on getting through immigration there and then somehow figure out the transportation from the airport to the hotel. Also, wearing a thick sweater (yea, I suck at planning my wardrobe) might have affected how quickly I wanted to get to a place where I could change into something more breathable as the humid air and heat was the first thing that hit me stepping outside while looking for a taxi.

The language barrier became visible quickly when communicating with people at the airport and the taxi driver. I ended up paying 700 baht, as a fixed price. No meters from the airport, I guess. At first, it seemed a bit like a ripoff, but later getting familiar with the crazy traffic in Bangkok it made more sense to have fixed price as you could end up sitting in traffic for a good while which also was my case due to a traffic accident.

That, however, gave me some time for observations of streets full of bustling life. People rushing from point a to point b, sitting right there on the sidewalks, selling things and fresh fruits, people cooking food, animals hugging pavement in whatever shade they could find, silly tourists doing silly tourist things, traffic controllers whistling nonstop while trying to solve the never-ending traffic puzzle craziness, and of course passing some temples, shrines for the king, and beautiful decorations in shapes of dragons.

After checking in the Prince Palace hotel, I needed a nap. Jet lag won. A couple of hours later… I woke up to darkness at just around six in the evening, but that did not keep me from wanting to go out there for a little walk and maybe grabbing a bite. Despite people reminding me to be careful in Bangkok, it seemed very peaceful and quiet at night. The streets were mostly empty as all the people making street food and selling goods had taken their booths and things away for the day.





_{The Democracy Monument, Bangkok, Thailand}
The walk took me to the Democracy Monument, right in the center of Bangkok, which I did not know what it was at the time due to my poor research beforehand and the walking was pretty random too. There was no visible access to it to read any signs either as it stands in a circle right in the middle of what seemed like the main street with cars passing by all the time. At one point, not just cars, a huge crowd of runners in yellow T-shirts as well. One of the locals said that those people are training for a marathon. It seemed odd at first. At night? Yes. Just think about it. Less traffic and less heat. Perfect time to train and not die.



_{Buddhist temple, Wat Ratchanatdaram}
In the same randomness, Wat Ratchanatdaram was found. The gate to the main temple was closed at this hour, but I managed to capture some photos of the building outside the gate, the fully lit temple in the darkness and the garden area. It was a little spooky to be there with almost no one around. The exception being a guy attempting a scam of giving an exclusive tour and access to the temple of course for all the baht I had with me. It did not work. Ha ha ha! Other than some scammy people that can be easily avoided, I can recommend night walks together with friends (don’t go alone) for all the lights and a more peaceful vibe of the city.