SEA2014: Prequel

SEA stands for South-East Asia. 

After a long semester at Coventry University, and finishing my thesis back in Belgium, I finally found the time and possibility to travel again. This year's big trip is going to South-East Asia, hence the name SEA2014. More specifically, I will be visiting Bangkok, capital of Thailand, and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma and a new destination as it used to be a closed country. 

What I packed for SEA2014

Getting to Myanmar is easier said than done. It's almost impossible for 'foreigners' to cross the border by land and no direct transcontinental flights exist either. Therefore, to get to Myanmar I had to travel via Bangkok, Thailand. I quickly decided that I might as well take a couple of days in this sparkling capital, enjoy its beauty and atmosphere. 

With Turkish Airlines I managed to find a 500euro flight to Bangkok, with a two-hour lay-over in Istanbul. The first leg: Brussels Airport - Istanbul was rather bad but the service was impeccable. In Istanbul, I was confronted with one of the most annoying issues travellers encounter. Airport WiFi. I found it impossible to find free WiFi in the airport, even when I requested a username etc. How hard can it be to just make a website where travellers fill in their flight number and name in order to receive unlimited acces to internet? It's possible in Bangkok, Buenos Aires, etc. It's not that hard! Another issue was the lack of knowledge of English among airport employees, which I find inacceptable in any european airport. The Istanbul-Bangkok flight was weird too. We received dinner at 1AM, Turkish time (having left at 00.30AM) and breakfast at 8AM Turkish time, 12noon Thai time. This was weird because it meant that by 5PM Thai time, when I got to the hostel, I was ready for lunch. Luckily I was not really suffering from jetlag the first days after my arrival. 

Ready for departure +BrusselsAirport1 

Getting from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport  to the city centre is rather easy. You can take a bus or taxi, but I'd recommend the train which, for about €1,2 brings you straight and fast to the city centre. Moreover the train is built like a rail above the city, which enables you to catch some glimpses of the outskirts of Bangkok before setting foot in the city centre. Once in the city, try finding a taxi or TukTuk to get basically anywhere you want. When doing so, be sure to find a taxi with a working meter (I was ripped off the first time I took one. His meter was 'broken'.) or decide upon the price with a TukTuk driver before getting in. I've experienced that anything above 100Bath (approx. €2,5) is already insanely expensive, even if you cross half the city so be sure to make a deal before hand or just walk away and find another driver whom will drive you for a reasonable price. 

When looking for accomodation in Bangkok, there are about a million possibilities in all price categories. I, being a recent graduate, am still opting for the cheaper hostels. Via a friend who lived her AFS-experience in Bangkok, and actually lived with a host familiy who owns a hostel, I ended up at RM Guesthouse just two blocks away from the famous Khao San Road. I am happy to say that I am not disappointed at all. 

Let the Bangkok-experience begin!

Classic Airport Chair Picture (BrusselsAirport)

Bangkok from +Ferryboat Tha Tien - Wat Arun