Thailand day 1

Pablo and Grace met me at the arrivals hall in Bangkok airport. They were with two friends who I hadn't met before; Alonzo and Andres. Even though I was hopelessly sleep deprived I found enough energy to maintain a rudimentary form of communication. Our first stop was Mochit; a bus stop which featured great Thai food and an ATM which I could withdraw cash from. We booked a bus to Grace's house in Mueng Phitsanulok which is midway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The bus was great; they gave you free food, free water and a blanket. I was sitting at the front of the double decker bus which was perfect because I had more leg room and had a perfect view of Bangkok. My first impression of Thailand is that its like a cleaner and more spread out version of Jakarta.

About 1 hour in I placed my feet on the rail in front of me so I could go to sleep. Shortly afterwards I was awoken by an attendant who was slapping my leg. I couldnt understand what she was saying but she looked furious and signalled for me to take my feet down. Later I asked Grace why it was so offensive for me to place my feet on the railing above considering so many other people were doing it. Apparently in Thai culture its extremely rude to place your feet above your head. Well done, Matt - you've only been in Thailand for 1 hour and you've already done something cultrally insensitive.

When we got back to Grace's place we put our bags down and immediately headed to a small bar in Maimueng. It was great. There was live Thai music and nothing but Thai food on the menu - not a cheesebeger to be found. We ordered the food which was hardest to pronounce and 3 Leo beers. My expectations for Thai food was very high, and I'm sad to say that they were not met. The food had a punch to it, but it was not tasty. The beer was interesting though. They gave us 3 small glasses and two large ice cubes in each. The beer was nice, but quite watered down - I'm sure the ice didn't help. None the less, the atmosphere of the place and the great Thai service made the whole experience really enjoyable.

Afterwards we went to a supermarket to buy beers so that we could party on when we got back to Grace's place. Sadly though, staying awake for close to 48 hours straight had taken its toll on me and I had to go to bed early.