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Undercover foreigner – week 4

  • Post category:Travel Log

I was so ready to get out of Manila. This would be the true launch of my Asia backpacking experience. Siargao was awesome but the confused feelings of dread and excitement from international travel — long-term solo international travel — was overwhelming at times. I couldn’t sleep the night before my early-morning flight. I must’ve unpacked and packed three times. Jeff and Kat were nice enough to stay up with me.

I flew to Hong Kong early Saturday morning for an 11-hour layover before my flight to Bangkok. I was debating whether to just stay inside the airport or have a quick stroll in the city. I’ve never been to Hong Kong but I was also very tired. Hey! Seek discomfort, right?

I booked Hong Kong Airport Express Train tickets to the city via Klook. It was so convenient. You only needed to buy from the app and receive a QR code you can use for the train. At the Hong Kong station, airlines have check-in counters where you could drop your bags for your flight so you don’t have to bring your bags around. You could also leave your bags for a fee at the station. I wish I saw this before wandering out. I lugged my backpack around the city and I was soaking in sweat. To add to the difficulty of this peculiar layover, I decided to do it without cash. Any physical cash I had I already converted to Thai Baht in the Philippines. I could have withdrawn some money from ATMs but I didn’t want to have extra HKD around with me after I leave. I still have Nepalese Rupees from my trip in December, which is annoying. So, I only went anywhere that took my credit card. I wandered around the streets and took in the feel of the city. I took a break in coffee shops when I got too tired or too sweaty. I soon found myself at the harbour, which was what I’ve always wanted to see in Hong Kong. I sat there for a good moment watching the skyline, the boats and the people. I shortly made my way back to the airport to grab lunch and chill. I discovered that the airport had an IMAX theater! I, of course, had to watch the new Spider-Man movie. I then made my way through immigration after the movie. There you have it. Hong Kong without taking out Hong Kong dollars. Not much of a day really, but hey, do whatever you want.

The long flight to Bangkok wasn’t as comfortable as I’d hoped, but I still managed to sleep through most of it. The Spanish girl beside me changed seats, which really hurt my feelings (not really), so I had the row to myself. I braved public transport to my hostel near Khao San road because I couldn’t get wifi at the airport to book a Grab ride. I could’ve bought a sim at the airport but I wasn’t too keen on doing that just yet.

I stayed in Khao San road for two nights in the sketchiest hostel I’ve ever been in. I didn’t get drinks there because I wanted to be more responsible and get my bearings in this country first. I walked around the area and had a lot of Thai food. I have not yet eaten anything here that I didn’t like. I moved out of Khao San and stayed somewhere quieter and saner. I mostly just walked around the city because that’s my favorite thing to do. I had the benefit of looking Thai so I didn’t have any problems with people selling me stuff. I did visit some touristy spots like the two Michelin star restuarants, where I had the best orange juice ever. I also saw Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. It was wonderful but there I discovered I didn’t really come to Thailand to see views. I went to a small climbing gym for my first bouldering experience. I shared the gym with two kids who were probably laughing at me. I met really cool strangers from the internet, heard really good stories and made some connections.

I spent five days in Bangkok but I’ll surely be back again. I wasn’t sure where I’d be going for the next couple of weeks and my plans changed a number of times. But I bought a bus ticket to Chiang Mai where I’ll be spending the next week… or two.

 

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