27th of July / 14.37

I did it. I just booked a ticket to Bangkok. There was no reason to postpone it. Curiosity dominated, interest grew, excitement is irregular because of the unknown but that is also the part that I am mostly looking forward to; the unexpected, unpredictable, spontaneous life. I know that I will be super nervous when the 5th of September comes closer, because that is the day my trip starts. But until then, I have enough things to figure out and arrange. Where to start though?

19th of August / 13.21

Somehow I’m getting more nervous. I deliberately chose not to share anything about my plan before I arrive, other than to close family and close friends. But when I will start traveling I like to share a little bit of how I am experiencing everything. I actually don’t want to plan anything more than I did until now; the flight and the first two nights. On the other hand, I want to do as much research as possible, because I don’t want to regret or miss anything. I will choose the first option though, with just a little bit of research. That just feels best to me, and I always try to listen to my intuition and feelings as much as possible, so I hope it doesn’t let me down.

4th of September / 15.30

I don’t really know how to feel. I don’t feel bad or nervous. But just, I have no idea what is going to happen in the next few months. No control at all, no expectations. It feels kind of weird but also very exciting. I am so curious of how this will be; booking a flight, and just going away without any plan really. Well, actually

I had to make one little plan. Sometimes they ask you about your return-ticket, to make sure that you will leaving the country after your visit. I was quite hesitant about which flight to book, like, where to. I didn’t want to set an ending-date for this trip at the beginning already. So today I decided to book a flight from Phuket to Hanoi, because Vietnam is also on my list. I think it’s quite a safe decision and I am pretty content with the fact that I do have at least a bit of a plan now.

5th of September / 09.43

I slept great and saying goodbye was not too difficult. It surprised me that I was almost not nervous at all. Maybe because of the thought that whatever happens, it is going to be okay. It’s okay if I don’t like it, and leave after a month and it’s also okay if I want stay longer than expected. It makes me feel calm and free.

When I arrived at the airport all the screens were full of delays and even some cancellations. My flight to Bangkok via Moscow didn’t have any notifications, yet, but I already felt like my flight would get delayed as well. And it did. The airplane was supposed to leave at 13.15 but left at 15.15, which meant that I would maybe miss my connection flight at 19.20 from Moscow. And yes, I did. As we arrived at the airport at 19.30 the airplane to Bangkok was still there, but somehow it took so long at the check-in that we were too late. Disappointment. A little scared. Nervous. But also calm. I knew the next flight would be exactly 24 hours later, but had no idea if there would be any more seats left on that plane. After waiting for 1,5 hours the woman at the desk arranged new tickets for everyone, upgraded to business class. Not that bad, right? They arranged rooms in the Novotel hotel for all of us. Oh and with us, I mean the other 25 people from The Netherlands that are stuck in the same situation.

We got into a bus with supervision from security. Drove out of the airport through a back entrance and within 10 minutes we arrived at the hotel. Here we had to get out of the bus, into the hotel per 10 persons. Again, with two people as security. Our rooms where in a separate area in the hotel, with the doors closed. We all had to share a room with someone, so with a stranger you met 4 hours ago. We were not allowed to leave the area, because we didn’t have a visa. So, we were pretty much locked up in our hotel rooms until the next day 15.00. We couldn’t open a window or go anywhere in the hotel. It almost seemed like a nice jail.

6th of September / 22.10

I slept surprisingly good and felt well rested for the further journey. This already felt like a little adventure. I was totally ready to experience business class after a entire day of waiting for this trip to continue. This was definitely the best flight I have ever had in my life. BC is craziness but I would never pay for it. It’s just too much. Too much luxury. But for this one time it was a really nice and interesting experience.

7th of September / 21.20

At 8.25 we arrived in Bangkok. The check-out went so smooth, they didn’t ask any questions and I could leave the airport without any problems. We, some people I met on the flight and I, got a bus to the center for only 60 bath. That is €1,69 for a one hour drive. Guess it will take quite long until I’ll get used to this. Arriving in a busy street in the middle of the city was overwhelming. So many different smells. Different impressions. So many people, and even more vehicles. Like, actually too many. A lot of people selling clothes, street food, massages. I wonder when I’ll get crazy from the big crowds and the chaotic traffic here. For now it is only really fascinating me.

8th - 10th of September / Bangkok

The next few days are filled with exploring. Driving in a tuktuk. There’s a lot of garbage. But even more people. Really friendly people, like, almost everyone is nice and smiles. Visited temples, there are so many pretty temples. Did a little high tea in China Town. Tried street food. Quickly figured that there are a lot of vegetarian and not-too-spicy options as well, so I’m quite content with that. Took a walk and a drink at Khao San Road, even more chaotic. Massages on the street and children selling flowers, at midnight. And after midnight. The first rain shower, with thunder and all. Had my first experience in a watertaxi and enjoyed the beautiful skyline of Bangkok at a rooftop bar. Which made me feel quite weird and powerless. All this luxury above poverty. Incomprehensible differences. It is such a weird, but beautiful world we live in.

GEDACHTEN

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A journey through Thailand - Part one