My first impression of Bangkok was a city packed full of silent well-dressed people in a hot, sticky environment stinking of exhaust fumes. It’s a lot more than that, surely, but that was my first impression as I hopped on the skytrain to meet Lauren and Emilie (fellow Colorado traveling companions) at Phloen Chit station. From there, we headed back to Carl’s (friend of Lauren that I met in Vancouver a couple years ago) apartment, which is where we’re staying now

  
Our first day in Bangkok moved slowly but surely. It’s hard to get around a city with confusing road names written in foreign characters, ‘helpful’ citizens trying to scam us into going the ‘right’ direction, and traffic that appears to drive in whichever direction they please. But eventually, we made it to the river for a pleasant boat ride up the canal. We passed many stunning temples, old run-down houses all boarded up, and giant impresive hotels all placed right next to each other. We then walked to a market nearby where we were told that “you can get anything there, even an Oxford diploma.” Although I didn’t pick up one of those, I helped myself to some delicious pad thai and spring rolls from the food stalls. As the sun went down, it was entertaining watching the area spring to life with upbeat color and excitement. To complete our big Thai adventure day, we haggled with a tuk-tuk driver to get a 30-minute drive home for under two bucks each! Success!