In the days before my departure, it started raining. I have nothing against rain; it brings down the temperature and it can even cancel classes. However, I’m no longer in school and rain and travel don’t really go well together.

On the morning of the 17th of May, the sun was out and it was bright and sunny. Thank God, I thought, I just hope it holds out until I reach Thailand. The weather was good, even when the plane has took off from Singapore. I looked outside the window, marvelling how much light there is still out, even though it’s already past 7:30 in the evening.

While we were over northern Malaysia though, crossing into southern Thailand, the sky darkened. There was lightning in the distance, and I heard a faint rumbling of thunder. Next, of course, was rain.

The airport bus was right outside the airport exit, so I didn’t have to worry about wandering lost in the rain. Well, not until I had to get off the bus to look for my hostel.

There I was, standing in the rain in the Silom sidewalk without an umbrella and a big and heavy pack on my back. And wondering where the hell to go. I look up and saw the skytrain. Thanks to my geekiness, the countless hours I spent reading travelouges, guides and maps finally pays off: I knew where to go. Or at least which way to walk to hopefully stumble upon the Hostel Thailand.

It was dark, it was raining, I haven’t had much sleep in the past 32 hours. I was cranky, tired and irritated. How much further to the hostel?

And so begins (or end) my first night in Bangkok.
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One day, I was sitting on the soft white sand, looking out at the turquoise water. I was basking in this beautiful Thai sun, a coconut shake in my hand. It was such a sublime moment. It was then that I realized, “I’m here!! Do something about it!!” The call of discovery was beginning to take over. Isn’t that why we all become travelers in the first place? By this time, my curiosity about what this island had to offer was driving me insane! Forget about the stares, the insecurities, the worries about getting lost; I’ll just commit to memory every step I take and then backtrack to the bungalow. Or, I figured I could always just take a taxi back.

An excerpt from Daisy’s article for BootsnAll. Read the complete article here.

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