http://blog.shadyproject.net/articles/2007/05/13/first-impressions-of-bangkok en-us 40 Stuff. And Things. <p>It's hot. Really hot. I got off the plane at 11:30 PM and walked into 94 degrees of heat plus pretty high humidity. This is going to take some getting used to.</p> <p>If you're staying or going anywhere off the beaten path, prepare to be stared at. By everyone. I know it's nothing bad or what have you, but it's quite unnerving to have whole groups of families or other people staring at you. And not the polite staring, were they look away when you look at them staring either. Oh no. The full on holy-crap-what-the-hell-is-<strong>that</strong> type of staring. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.</p> <p>Wats (temples) are everywhere here. Taking the bus from my apartment to KU university, I pass no less then 4 wats. It looks like every district and subdistrict has there own, not to mention various types all around for no particular reason. It's interesting to say the least. Even the non-touristy ones are amazing inside, with gold and decorations that are simply astounding.</p> <p>Did I mention it's hot?</p> <p>Hired transit options are abundant, far beyond simple buses (which come in two types, by the way air conditioned and non). Motorcycle taxis are available at pretty much every street corner, and those guys are absolutely insane. Weaving in and out of traffic (with passengers!) and squeezing between trucks on the streets. The infamous tuk tuk is also available, as are taxi-vans, the skytrain, water taxis, and hired vans for day trips. These are much different then any normal van you're used to. Pimp my ride has <strong>nothing</strong> on these guys. Fully reclining 9 seats, entertainment system (with karaoke... ugh) climate control, and gps. For a couple thousand baht, they take you pretty much all over Thailand. It's awesome.</p> <p> Thai bathrooms are strange. Not if you've ever used any bathrooms in the rest of asia, but if you're not used to them, it's a culture shock. And in a country where the temperature never drops belwo 80 degrees, it's tough to find a hot shower if you are not staying in a hotel. Since I'm not staying in a hotel, I've gotten used to cold showers. I still havent gotten used to the whole bathrrom being the shower, however.</p> <p>That's all for now, I'm going to try to filter through the more then 100 (yes, really) pictures I've taken so far and put them up in the gallery. I'll post some links here when I do.</p> Sun, 13 May 2007 22:38:00 -0700 urn:uuid:5ff08707-909d-4b2a-9473-56a9f5cf6787 Shady http://blog.shadyproject.net/articles/2007/05/13/first-impressions-of-bangkok Travel thailand