Trusting Travelers

Have you ever really stopped to think about how much trust we put into complete strangers? We've all heard before that trust is the foundation to any strong relationship and it takes time to build, but not many of us (or at least I haven't much) think about how much we really trust complete strangers.

Today Haley and I headed to Thailand for our Easter break. The first "real" Hattie and Haley adventure abroad where it truly was just the two of us. From getting on the bus to the airport at City U all the way to our Bangkok hotel, Tara Place, I trusted more people than I think I can list: bus drivers, baggage handlers, pilots, taxi drivers...Travelers put so much faith in random people all day everyday, and for some reason it is only now that I have grasped this concept. This probably comes as a little bit of a surprise because for those of you who know me know I like control of situations and trusting others is not something I am very good at. I'm a little stubborn to say the least. Just a random travel thought for the day but if you really think about all the people you put that "sacred" trust into everyday I think you'll be quite surprised at how easily you give someone else your trust.

We arrived safely in "the land of smiles-Thailand" after a short (3hr) but very turbulent flight. While it was nice to see the sun for the first time in a few weeks (HK has been very cloudy and rainy lately), it was not so great to feel the humidity. We jumped in a taxi and headed to downtown Bangkok which is about 1 hour away from the airport.

Initial impressions of Thailand:

1. It's very hot and humid: Midwest summers sort of prepared me
2. There aren't many tall buildings, nothing notable at least
3. Traffic laws don't exist- we drove in the hard shoulder most of the way to our hotel (the lack of traffic law
    enforcement seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout Asia)
4. Haley noticed how obnoxiously large the billboards are
5. Old stick-shift cars are not pleasant to ride in after turbulence for 3 hours and when its 100 degrees out.
6. Tuk-tuks are everywhere
7. There are street vendors/ markets stalls everywhere (surprise, welcome to Asia)
8. Thai's really do love their elephants
9. There are lots of glittering golden temple looking buildings

It felt great to get out of the car and finally check in to a real hotel! It was a little bit of a struggle finding the place and the taxi driver was not all that understanding/willing to help. We spoiled ourselves a little and spent a whopping $25 USD a night a very cute hotel just a 10 minute walk to Khao San Road. After a cool down in the air-conditioned room we headed out to explore all that Khao San Road had to offer.

Khao San Road at night

 

Hot pink taxis!

The road is a famous backpackers spot so there was a lot of offerings for younger people. Yay for us! The entire street is lined with bars, pad thai carts, 24hr fast food chains, and best of all market stalls selling every possible Thai souvenir. It was actually fun to browse (and buy) at all the different clothes, bangles, rings, fake sunglasses, scorpions, bug carts, etc.

After walking the entire stretch of road we turned around to look for a place to sit and eat. The noodle carts did look delicious and cheap which is always a bonus, but the carts don't offer any seating with your food purchase. If you're lucky and the cart owner is nice they will whip out plastic stools for you to sit on in the middle of the street.

We found a nice restaurant right in the middle of all the action and we both tried our first authentic Thai dish. I chose a yellow chicken curry and Haley opted for a vegetable pad thai. Tired from traveling and the heat we headed back to Tara for a good nights rest!