Part 1
We made it to Bangkok after a 6 ish hour bus ride from Ongole to Hyderabad and an hour or so long flight from Hyderabad to Delhi and finally a 4 hour flight to our destination. Our first 2 nights in Thailand were spent at YWAM Bangkok.
Upon arrival at the YWAM base we split into rooms and some went exploring for food and stuff. I stayed at the base and made friends with some girls who were in the kitchen. Shocking, I know. I am not the one most people would think to just 'jump out there' and sit with people I don't know, but I did and it was awesome. I was able to try some Thai fruit and talk a little. I found out the girls live at the base, work around there (there's a YWAM coffee shop and others clean) and attend university about an hour away. Gift is the girl I connected most with, she spoke the most English and was very sweet. She introduced me to her friends and encouraged me to try the fruits on the table. I don't think I tried a lot that night but I do remember sweet'n'sour mango. It was actually pretty good. We chatted for a little while and then we all went to bed since it was pretty late. I was very glad to have air conditioning in our rooms!
The next day G squad had 'thai orientation.' I met my team downstairs to go find breakfast. There were several street vendors and at least three 7-11s (they are literally on EVERY corner) close by. We found Thai iced coffee (delicious and includes condensed milk) and fresh pineapple from street vendors. Then we went back to base to meet Gift (different girl ) who introduced us to her country. She had handouts!!!
The handouts had simple language lessons, some history on Buddhism, Thai culture and history, and a scavenger hunt to help us find our way around. They fed us awesome Thai food for lunch and we were on our own to explore for the rest of the day.
My team started the scavenger hunt but once we found out we were leaving Bangkok at 7:30 am, that quickly diminished. There was shopping and hanging out to do. Most of the squad wound up at a mall close by that had an H&M store. However, I climbed into a cab with four others to drive an hour into the city to Khao San Road. (Granddad and those who don't like tattoos should skip the next paragraph or two.)
When I started the Race I wasn't planning on getting a tattoo. Yes, I had thought about it but I wasn't dead set. Some guys were dead set and a few were maybes, so we set out on a mission to find a tattoo place. The only way I was going to get a tattoo was if I could get one in the traditional bamboo style.
THIS IS NOT MY TATTOO, just a picture to maybe show better how a bamboo tattoo is done.
After much research, I discovered most of those are given by monks, you have to give an offering to Buddha, and then the monk blows on the tattoo to give it 'powers.' Well, I'm definitely NOT all about that so I knew it would be more difficult to find a place to get a tattoo. We arrived on Khao San Road and immediately purchased 150 baht Ray Ban sunglasses, cause all the cool kids wear them or something. Then the search began. We found one place that was a little too expensive for our taste because it was so close to prices for most American shops. After speaking to a few people and looking around (VERY touristy) we knew we wouldn't be find cheap tattoo shops. I think the 3rd or 4th one we found (that wasn't too sketch) was the place we stopped, mainly because Joe saw it said 'bamboo tattoo.' We talked with the owner about designs, prices and how long they would take. The ONLY way I was getting one is if I could get it in the traditional manner, remember. So we agreed on a price (more than I wanted but this guy did some legit work and bamboo tattooing is harder than using a gun I think), made sure everyone had a buddy to explore or stay with them and I met Keng. Keng didn't speak much English but upon discovering I was from the US, told me he had lived in Toronto for 3 years and visited Buffalo. That's about all I know about him. It was difficult to talk during the tattoo because my back was to him. So for the next hour and a half, Keng tattooed a skeleton key with a compass head (?) on my left side. While I was getting mine, 2 of the guys I was with also got tattoos (with tattoo guns and not bamboo.)
Most people will want to know at some point why I got this new tattoo. I hope to figure out some of who I truly am this year, or the 'key' to kelsey if you will. I choose the compass because, well I love to travel and I am on the World Race.
BEST souvenir- Keng gave me the bamboo stick he tattooed me with!!! I think I'm more proud of that than my tattoo.
Ok, Granddad and others can join back now.
So if you read about my time in India or know anything about Indian culture; they don't eat beef and I wasn't able to eat much there due to a good allergy. After a month of that I was craving beef pretty bad. Lucky for me on Khao San Road, I had my choice of Burger King, McDonalds or many other places. I don't know if I have ever enjoyed a whopper jr so much in my life!!! This Road is the place to be for all tourists, tons of souvenirs (same same but different tanks), other shirts, Thai fish pedicures, massages, and knick knacks. It is also a great place to dive into traditional Thai food and try a scorpion or beetle from a food cart. I did NOT take part in this, but the 3 guys I was with tried them. Apparently there is not much taste and they are very crunchy- I think they would recommend water or any drink handy to wash it down.
After that we all climbed back into a can to head back to YWAM base. It was an awesome way to start Month 3 in Thailand. Check back or subscribe to my blog for Part 2.
