The eagle has landed

When you read about “muggy heat” in a book, it is a concept associated with exotic destinations, but one doesn’t think much about it.

I think that I can say now that I understand the concept. When one debarks from an air-conditioned sky train (in Bangkok, the local subway runs above, way above ground), the muggy heat fogs one glasses.

All that to say that I have safely landed.

Day One – Bangkok, Thailand

View from the river shuttle

The plane flight was as (un)comfortable as such things go, I couldn’t sleep when when it was supposed to be time and of course I couldn’t keep my eyes open when arriving.

I had my backpack with me and so didn’t have to wait for any checked luggages, the passport controls were quick (very quick! A few minutes’ wait at most.), and I found myself looking for the subway for downtown.

One should know that your token for the Airport City Link isn’t valid on the Sky Train, and the ticket you bought for the Sky Train won’t enable you to take the Express River Boat. That said, the 3 tickets combined amount to about 4€, so still pretty cheap by Western standards.

Speaking of Western standards, having landed at 7pm, it was rush hour when I took the subways. Here, you queue to board the carriages, and if you can’t fit inside, you wait the next one instead of pushing your way aboard. Pretty neat.

My hostel is in the onion market, and indeed the shops around sell big bags of onions and garlic. It is nearby the flower market, itself on the river, which is why I took the river shuttle to arrive. I have a comfortable bunk bed, with a window, overlooking the street. I was lucky enough to have a bed ready at my arrival, because that meant that I could shower the travel away. And in this “muggy heat”, one doesn’t bother looking for the “hot” setting, tepid to cool water is more than appreciated!

The sky is overcast, it is the humid season, so my pictures won’t feature blue skies for a while I fear…!