So day two of my trip and I’m now loving life but all hasn’t been smooth sailing so far. My cousin rang me whilst at the airport and said she had absolutely no worries at all about me as I am “worldly wise” Hmmm. So worldly wise that in the space of an hour of landing in Bangkok airport I couldn’t get my currency card to work (as I put the wrong one in the machine) and then proceeded to leave it in there when I eventually found the right one and got money out. I blame the two six hour flights and the illness I seem to have picked up literally days before leaving (highly incovenient).

Travel tip Alert: Don’t leave your bank card in the cash machine. 😉

 Having waited for a security guard to open the back of the machine and retrieve my bank card I proceeded on my merry way to my luxurious 4.4 star hotel and slept for several hours.

Walking down the streets of Bangkok alone for the first time and I was struck by an overwhelming, nervous feeling – what am I doing here all alone? However my fears were soon averted when out of nowhere like an angel in the night a sign came to soothe me.   It was dominos. The sight of my old love instantly brought me peace and I was able to continue on and eat in a small outdoor warehouse type restaurant where I ordered enough to feed a small army. 

Back at the hotel (having got lost and been unable to find my room)  I settled in for a nice cup of tea,  and a fancy, foreign, alternate version of a Kit Kat whilst watching Top Gun. Think I can do this traveller thing after all. Nothing to it.

Day Two- I came down for breakfast this morning grumpy as hell, having had a terrible nights sleep due to the time difference. I must be the only person in Bangkok feeling freezing. Go fucking figure. To top it all off my already curly hair has done a Monica. And then she glides past. This girl with the longest legs I have ever seen and perfectly blow dried hair literally bounces on her tip toes across the room with the biggest smile on her face. Bitch. You won’t be smiling in your old age when your feet are deformed from walking on your tip toes will you sunshine?

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy, a black man. Eating breakfast with friends. I could eat him for breakfast very easily but I ordered Eggs Benedict as he’s not currently on the menu. There’s still time. My blackdar (raydar) is always on no matter how tired I am. Well whoever tried to put me off Asia by telling me there was no black men here was telling me porkies as later on I saw an extremely attractive black guy when eating Korean Bonsoo (think that’s how it spelt) in what seemed to be a rip off of Starbucks. I might have talked to said handsome man had it not been for the lovely yet long winded Thai girl who befriended me and told me her life story. I love this city.

In leui of visiting every temple in Bangkok that all look the same, (sorry but they do) I decided to hit the mall and marvelled at all the food stalls and the thai man with his top off that reminded me there are charvers in all countries not just in Clifton,York where I’m from. Made me smile that did. Though the man at the fried chicken bite stand told me a massive lie when he said the spicy chicken wasn’t too spicy – don’t listen to them it’s a trick! He totally had the last laugh.

If it needs gloves let’s assume this shit will blow your head off- or at least get real messy.

I ended up my day with a trip to Cabbages and Condoms. It’s a restaurant where they give you free condoms with your meal – how thoughtful. I jest but the restaurant gives money to charity in aid of encouraging sex workers to have safe sex. Or at least that’s what I think it is – don’t quote me on that. I highly reccomend this restaurant if you are visiting Bangkok it’s beautiful, and also has some interesting artwork – made of condoms of course. 

As I was finishing dinner an old school friend rang and said he was jumping on a bike to meet me in Soi 11 to take me clubbing. It was my second visit to Levels and it’s far better when you are smashed out of your mind. It does however have a lovely rooftop terrace (tick) and an interesting mixed crowd. My school friend left me to it after a while and whilst I was eyeing up this extremely tasty man whose nationality I couldn’t tell you but he looked Arabic (I feel he was Australian for some reason) a tall black guy walked past me and smiled. I smiled back at him and once I had finished sexily dancing to “Pony” I reeled him in real quick. Turns out he’s from Walthamstow. Great. You try and meet and exotic man and you meet a Londoner. Well he was nice enough but I wasn’t drunk enough or feeling it so I came home alone after I felt was a very successful first day alone. You really notice and take in so much more when you are by yourself – it feels incredibly liberating. 

One of the things I hope to achieve is to be able to feel happy by myself and a trip like this should achieve just that. Having said that after a certain amount of time I envisage I will probably need company before I get to the stage where I sit in a corner of a room, rocking myself back and forth, singing lullabies. Nobody wants that do they?