As someone who is used to being able to at least pick up the basics of languages, including being able to deduce whether what is written on a vehicle means 'I am a bus/taxi going to this place, please flag me down' or 'I am an emergency service/army/staff vehicle, don't look so hopeful', travelling in a country like Thailand is something of a new experience. Although I can say hello, thank you and count to ten, I can't read the alphabet, so no rough deciphering can be done. And that leaves me completely at the mercy of the locals and what the Lonely Planet says.
If all Thais are like the ones in Bangkok - I sincerely hope not - I shall be high-tailing it out of here fairly soon. It doesn't matter how beautiful a country is, if the locals just lie, fleece you and generally take the piss, I really can't be doing with it. Here's to the non-Bangkokkers proving me wrong.
As a result, I'm not warming a huge amount to the solo travelling thing yet, and the idea of figuring out getting to Cambodia isn't one I'm relishing just now. Having said that, I've been out of Bangkok for over 24 hours now and I'm already feeling a bit better. Visiting Khanchanaburi (Bridge over the River Kwai and a 7-tiered waterfall for a good swim) with Irish traveller Joe is helping with the Bangkok city blues! I'm off to Cambodia and Angkor Wat on Monday, but for now, I think another 2 GBP massage and a good night's sleep will do. Wish me luck with the anti-malarials!
Sorry to hear things aren't ideal - at least no-one's tried to sell you a stolen elephant! (I hope)
ReplyDelete