We left England on the 26th of January when it was bitterly cold. The flight is now no more than a long, sleep deprived and restless blur. Where I had to stand up constantly, walking up and down a none too interesting path and waggle my feet around - having been regaled by my aunt with a horror story involving DVT at the leaving party my mum threw but feeling like an idiot nonetheless. On the plus side there was Tetris and that strange, slightly stale air food served in plastic bowls.
I remember the initial sensation when we finally made it through customs and stepped out onto to Thai soil
pavement; a moment of having a complete inability to breathe. This was not due to the excitement of finally having made it out of England to start a
brief life in a foreign country, but simply brought on the but the unexpected heat. The air felt heavy and stale in my lungs. A little stagnant as there was no breeze. It made the act of lighting a cigarette feel ironic in an idiotic kind of way and halfway down Terry and I threw in the towel and stubbed out the two half smoke gestures in helpfully provided plant pot of sand. Then we made our into Bangkok.
The BTS we caught was blissfully empty for couple of stops and I managed to stumble (backpack, rucksack and all) into a small, plastic seat. Then we hit Siam and the rest of my journey was spent with my face pressed close to another persons crotch whilst we avoided eye contact with each other and wondering vaguely if I would be able to find Terry in this mass of people before he got off at our designated stop whilst I was whisked further off into the heart of Bangkok. Forever doomed to an awkward situation. A few stops later Terry shouldered his was through confined space and the delicate press of too many bodies, grabbed me by the labels and hoisted me onto the platform below.
Our first two days consisted of: eating, sleeping and finding somewhere to live.
We found an apartment close to the hotel where we were staying and that we suspect are probably being overcharged for. But it came already furnished with pillows and duvet with not only a great view of Bangkok but of Tesco Lotus as well. And on that basis we were sold.
The following couple of months have involved: monkey towns, cat cafes, walks, Night Markets, Pattaya, Kho Phangan, Breaking Bad, Waterfalls, Bridge Over the Rive Kwai, lazy days, drinks, Socram, discovering HunterxHunter, a visit from a friend and hangovers.....also one night in prison but that's another story.
