SIEM REAP → POIPET → BANGKOK

Because the first week of our trip was a huge public holiday in Cambodia, our two friends from V&A, Sasha and Victoria, had work off as well, so they decided to come with us up to Thailand! Having four people officially made hiring a cab to the border cheaper than taking the bus! So at around 10am we boarded the air conditioned car and were off for the two hour journey to the border.

Poipet is not a destination. We got out of the car, went immediately to border control, gave our passports and didn’t look back as we walked out of Cambodia and into Thailand. As soon as we made it past immigration, where we got a free 30 day visa, we hit up an ATM for some Thai Baht. We each took out 3,000 Baht-- the highest numerical value I have ever extracted from an ATM. It felt weird plugging in those zeros, but I knew I was really only getting $85 USD.

After receiving our new currency, we flagged down a Tuk Tuk and made our way to the train station. With about 15 minutes to spare, so we got some pad thai for 30 Baht (85 cents) and then climbed aboard the train (7 hour ride to Bangkok-- $1.50 USD).

The train had wooden benches, ceiling fans, and no glass in the windows separating you from the outside world. It was magical, but I do have a thing for trains… We rode for hours looking out into the INSANELY beautiful greenery that is Thailand countryside. Constantly having a limb or two out the window, I stayed pretty cool. Sasha, on the other hand, did not have as nice of a ride as me. She struggled to get comfortable on the wooden seats and spent a lot of time trying to sleep but failing.

We arrived in Bangkok at approximately 8:30pm after watching the gorgeous sunset from the train benches. A quick Tuk Tuk ride later and we were at our first hostel-- Arris Hostel. Just one street over from Khaosan Road, the famous backpacker destination. We quickly unloaded our stuff and set out for street food, shopping, and drinks. Khaosan Road was insaaaane. So packed. So load. So hot. We spent a while just walking once up and down (the street was like a mile long). They sold everything from clothes, jewelry, laughing gas, animals, dreadlock extensions and fried scorpion. It was madness. We finally decided to sit down for a drink. The place was packed, way overpriced, and the music was so loud that we literally wouldn’t be about to hear ourselves if we were screaming bloody murder. Not fun.

We went back to the hostel pretty early, which ended up being a blessing because there were some really cool people staying there. They were having a birthday celebration for one of the staff members so there were free drinks for everyone. The night went on through the morning as we stayed up chatting with our new German and Australian friends.

The next day we decided to be basic Americans. Don’t hate us. We went to a mall. But this mall was LIKE NO OTHER. It was a) GINORMOUS and b) a cultural exchange in itself. Each floor represented a different city. There was Tokyo, Paris, London, Istanbul, San Francisco and even some more that I am forgetting. San Francisco was so cool-- they had the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight-Ashbury St and all sorts of Sand Frany type things. The bathrooms on London’s floor were incredible-- it was set up like a subway station with a “mind the gap”sign in front of each stall. The toilets were also an experience on their own. The seats were heated, which I didn’t think was necessary for a Southeast Asian climate, but actually felt quite nice due to the excessive strength of the air conditioning. They also, with the click of a button, washed and dried your ass for you. It was awesome.

The mall was a great breath of fresh air-- a place where we could find our sizes and enjoy the strong AC. I am a little sad we didn’t do something more Bangkok-y with our one day in the city, but I did have an amazing time, so no real complaints over here!

Later that night we boarded the night train to Chiang Mai at 7:30pm. God-- I said it once and I’ll say it a million times again. I LOVE TRAINS. We paid $25 USD each spend the night in an air conditioned, private room with four beds. It was a 14 hour journey filled with snacks, storytelling and laughter.