The Weholts Take Thailand Part 1: Bangkok
Jake was graduating (5 years of him in school was enough!) and spring break was coming up, so we really needed a way to celebrate big. I had mentioned going somewhere we had never been before...we landed on Thailand, so I took it into my own hands and got this thing going!
I was laying in bed one night, opened the Kayak app and stumbled upon a deal with EVA Air, I didn't think we could it pass up! We didn't even have our passports yet!
With only 2 months to plan, it was crunch time: Jake had finals, I was working everyday (I am a freelance stylist, which means I have to take everything I can in case work slows down). I was panicking because international travel is such a big deal, especially when you have never done it... what if something goes wrong? What do you do then?!
So here is how we planned our trip (and I would suggest this to anyone planning their first trip out of the country)! I googled the crap out of Thailand. I also used Pinterest to the fullest extent that I could. I am a visual thinker, so we used our 2ftx3ft whiteboard to create a calendar mapping out everyday. I wrote down each day that we were going to be gone, which days we would be traveling, how many days we would be in each city, and the activities we wanted to do on which days.
We were dreading the 17 1/2 hours flight since it was our first big trip, but my gosh EVA air. We really lucked out. We were served dinner, breakfast, and lunch with beverages, along with snacks in between, if requested. No other airline I have ever been on does this, especially without breaking the bank. They also gave out the coziest blankest (SCORE!), since you know airplanes can get very chilly. All around, the crew was amazing, and the whole experience was one that we WILL be enjoying again in the future.
The first leg of our adventure started in Bangkok. We didn't plan on being there long, just a quick 24 hours on the way in and the way out of Thailand. We were able to get around 5 hours of sleep on the plane, but also drank way too much coffee for our own good in order to fight the jet lag. When we landed in Bangkok we were running on pure adrenaline. That's when the realization hit... OMG this is really happening, and we have no idea what to expect!
I knew that Bangkok has a huge population of 8.3 Million people, but being in the middle of it really puts it in a different perspective. After we checked into our Airbnb, and tried our hardest not to fall asleep, we pushed ourselves to get out and explore the area, so we took a walk to the "Tech Mall" to try and find Jake an amazing deal on a new mechanical keyboard. We wandered and looked but didn't see anything, and we were seriously feeling the jet-lag so we decided to call it. On the way out, we got some food and and headed straight to bed to watch something (we were in the middle of Bosch an Amazon Original) we were able to make it all the way to 8:30 pm before we conked out. (The photo above was on our walk and I wanted to show everyone the troves of motorbikes that crowd the streets.)
We started day 2 in Thailand by visiting our friends Jeff and Ply, this pic above is the view of Bangkok from their balcony :0. We went to brunch just down the way from their place, it was americanized food, but was delicious non the less. As we were eating, we kept seeing a dish being delivered to tables around us, so we had to jump on the band wagon to see what the hype was all about. It was the biggest piece of brioche that was dipped in batter then rolled in special K flakes for a crunch with berries and ice cream.... the best and most magical part of the dish was the hand made "fairy fluff" (homemade cotton candy) on top!
Tuk Tuk sensation while sight-seeing with our few hours in Bangkok! Just a heads up negotiations with the drivers are not easy, you just need to stand firm.... but it is a MUST to try!
There is so much street food in Bangkok its unreal, but please please please be careful when choosing the cart to go to, normally you will be able to tell by how they are hustling, how long the line is, and just in general trust your gut reaction. I just thought this lady was so sweet, all by herself under her umbrella in the blazing heat cooking away.
Can you see it through all those power lines? I love the little burger joint sign, just some fun street art. These wires really threw jake and I off. How can it be safe, or legal to just keep adding more and more power lines?!
Inside the hotter than hell, no seating, packed train station! It was fun to see all the travelers hustling around. The most interesting part that I noticed, but was too shy to take a picture of was the roped off teak seating for the Monks.
And.... We're out! Its under construction but the outside of the Bangkok train station is pretty. Jake is so excited to head North, you can see in his face!
To be honest, I'm glad we did Bangkok the way we did... Bangkok is way bigger than anyone will tell you, and way dirtier, it was pretty upsetting. Needless to say... Bangkok was not our jam. Click here to follow us through the rest of our Thailand adventure!