Bangkok 23/02/2011 to 1/02/2011

Tut Tut for the win

Scorpion taste like rotten fish.
Locust is like a bar snack.

First full day of Bangkok and the mission was to get the Chinese visa underway. There were lots of visa tourist places so I checked out a few in an effort to find the cheapest. None of them seemed to be able to give me the visa I wanted and suggested going to the Chinese embassy to speak to an official. Loony came along as he wanted to inquire about Tibet, so we shared a taxi for 100 baht each. Getting to the embassy there were a couple of dodgy blokes on the street offering to do it all for 500baht, telling them no thanks we went inside but disaster, the visa application office closes at 11:30am, it was now 11:35! The dodgy blokes appeared again saying they had a ticket so they could go inside and lodge an application, they handed me the forms and I said I would return tomorrow. There was no way I was about to hand over my passport to these blokes I just wanted to study the forms and come back early tomorrow. We got the train back to the city and looking at the forms it was going to be a pain to do this myself, I needed a written invitation, addresses etc, which would take some sorting where as the agency will do all this for me, all I need do is fill in the basic details and they do the rest, it’s the reason they are so popular because the Chinese visa is a pain otherwise.

Getting off the train navigating through Bangkok on foot was just as hard as by bike, it took forever to get back to where we were staying and once back I went to one of these agencies, paid 1300baht and I was told to collect my passport on Tuesday at 6pm, too easy.

We checked out of the guesthouse as I was going to spend the night at the airport firstly to meet Russell who was arriving at 1am and secondly to save money. Loon didn’t seem too happy that he was going to have to change but I really didn’t care. Travelling round Asia has brought out a more selfish side of me, I see the street beggars and I don’t have the urge to give them a cent. There is no more that what there was in Sydney and they were there because they wouldn’t help themselves and I took it that in Bangkok it’s the same. Thailand to me doesn’t seem like a third world country, more second world, it isn’t a place that is struggling from what I have seen.

Back to the airport, I took my time getting to the airport and by the time I reached it, it was almost dark, I ended up on a short stretch of motorway which in the dark was a bit scary. At the airport had 6 hours to kill before Russell was due and I had a great time. Walking around with my fully loaded bike I got a few funny looks, some people stopped me so they could get their photo taken with me and I spoke to Fernando Alonso, Oslo’s finest bike mechanic and ex downhill mountain bike not the Formula 1 driver sadly. Before I knew it Russell showed up and it was great to see him, we cracked open the beers built his fixed gear bike and got drunk inside the airport then around 4am found a place to sleep.

Waking up the airport to the hustle of people we grabbed breakfast, I had brought some cornflakes so got hold of some milk and I was sorted. Riding into Bangkok proved a bit tricky after repeatedly asking if this was the way and getting a positive answer from people we eventually realized we cycled 15km in the wrong direction. Finding a truck a taxi which I basically a ute which drives up and down the same stretch of road picks people up just like a bus but it stops anywhere. It cost us 6 baht each to undo the 15km mistake and then we were back on our way and made it into the city and to the guesthouse with no problems.

It was great having Russell around, he has been my best mate since travelling, we have been through a bit, we were both mechanics for bike taxis in Auckland, we lived together for 6 months while there then set up a Pedicabbing business together in Sydney. We bounce off each other’s humor so I was looking forward to this leg of the trip.

We also bumped into Liz (who I’d bumped into in Krabi) who we both lived with in Sydney and knew, I couldn’t believe I had just bumped into her for the second time in Thailand. Basically the time in Bangkok was expensive, I drank lots of beer which is over my budget, rode around in tut tuts, my camera gave up the ghost so I bought a new one and getting sick of noodles and rice we went out for some good western food to which after I had a plate of spaghetti Bolognaise I had a steak. I spent way to much in Bangkok but expected it to be this way, one thing I didn’t tick off was a ping pong show that is a spectacle I miss out on.

Riding north is going to be so different to what I have been use to. Since I started cycle touring in New Zealand I have always been alone and I rather like it that way but now there is Russell, Loon and possible a Swiss Cyclists who we met at a bike shop might be joining us it feels a little crowded but the company will do me good. Being alone for so much time can do strange things to a person, I have noticed in me I don’t try a force conversations with people, if its an effort I’m happier being awkward in my own company. I’m blabbing too much now, bring on China!