Do You Remember .. Your Very First Day In Thailand ?

[IanForbes]

The OP was asking what was your IMPRESSION of your first day in Thailand. Not whether you enjoyed it or not. There were many good replies and no need to judge other's first impressions.

Many of the things I dislike about Thailand are also the things that I love. It is a country that fills your senses... like the sense of smell. What an awesome experience! Within walking 100 feet your sense of smell can be overcome with the fragrance of flowers, the stench of sewers, the odour of cooking, and the acrid smell of vehicle exhaust. Sounds of all sorts, both foreign and familiar, fill your ears. Depending on WHERE you walk there will be bar after bar filled with women calling your name... "Hello, Welcome". I didn't know my name was "Welcome" but everyone seems to know me... Who cares if they are beautiful or ugly, or only for sale, it's a great experience. Even the crazy traffic is a unique experience where you have to always be nimble and totally aware at all times. It's like being in a real live video game... and I love it for just that reason. It's the difference between being just alive and actually living.

If I could bottle some aspects of Thailand to market back to Canada I'd be a multi-millionare in a year, but it's just part of the unique Thai scene.

[SurfRider]

It was way back in the mid '80s in Pattaya -- I accidentally stumbled upon something that looked like a luxurious country club with a huge swimming pool and even had elephants roaming the sprawling perfectly manicured grounds.

They showed me an elegant room that had two huge beds -- looked like it would cost around $500 per night in the US.

I had just arrived from Manila and my mind was thinking in Pesos -- I asked "how much" and he quoted a price in Baht that sounded like around US $250 -- I asked him how much his Baht quote would be in US dollars and he said "around US $25, Sir"! -- Needless to say I took the deal!

Met a beautiful lady at a location near what is now known as Walking Street and we retreated to my hideaway.

Somehow, during some strenuous overnight activity, two of the legs on the bed broke and we had to press the second bed into service.

Before we left in the morning for breakfast, I called the front desk and reported that there was a problem with one of the beds and asked if they could take a look at it. When we opened the door, three perfectly uniformed guys with epaulets, gold braids, and the works were standing there with all the parts of a completely dis-assembled bed.

When I showed them the broken bed, one of them snickered a bit, but when we returned from breakfast, the bed was fixed and the room completely cleaned and ready for action.

I thought I'd better check on the cost of repairing the bed and went to front desk and inquired -- "NO CHARGE SIR!"

That was back in the days when "Amazing Thailand" still meant what it was intended to mean . . .

.

[Datsun240Z]

What stands OUT for you .. on that FIRST day ??

...more than 30 years ago, sitting in a taxi, coming from the old...old Don Muang airport I spotted a guy on the side of the road, walking with....

an ELEPHANT......

Never seen before.

Although this photo is taken in India, it was a bit similar like the one I saw:

In the evening a Bangkok Farang expert took my friend and myself to a ''no-hands" restaurant and we were fed by elegant and beautiful young Ladies...

also: never experienced before.

Next day: traveled to Patong Beach - Phuket when it was still PARADISE...

LaoPo

Shit, that's not fair LaPo ! Thailand seemed so much nicer in the 70's.

[IMA_FARANG]

Oh do I.

Came here in July 1976, on a flight from Athens via Bombay. Plane broke down in Bombay, due to cut-fare ticket had to spend extra week in Bonbay. Finally got to Bangkok. Got a taxi to a hotel on Suriwongse Road. Two Aussies I met at the airport were stranded overnight due to their Quantas flight having problems. They shared a taxi with me to the hotel. Offered to "buy me a beer, mate" at the bar.

About midnight I was falling asleep from the travel and the beer. I went upstairs to bed. About 2 a.m. (i guess0 I was roused by someone banging on my door. I thought it was just one of the Aussies, and yelled at them to go away.

In the morning I woke up and had breakfast and went on a couple of tours. Came back, and sat at the snack bar to get a snack.

A Thai girl, who I had seen sitting around the bar last night, came over to ny table. Without a word she grabbed my beer, and emptied it into my lap. I had no idea what was going on.

She started swearing at me, said that her friend had been grabbed by the police for being out after curfew (had a 1 a.m. curfew then). It was my fault, because I threw the girl out of my room the night before. I told her she was wrong.

Seems she had seen me drinking with the two Aussies, and assumed I was one of them. It was one of the Aussies that had thrown the girl out of his room. The Thai girl made a mistake, and thought I was the Aussie. That is why she spilled the beer in my lap.

Once we got it sorted out, it worked out well. Spent that night with this Thai girl as sort of a "compensation" for the beer bath.

Welcome to Thailand.

[YouYouYou]

November 30th 1987, arrival 2.30 AM. Flying back from Australia to UK with 8 days in BKK (one of those old Garuda deals and oh sdo slow, 33 hrs Sydney to BKK via every airport in between LOL).

Yes, late to arrive ....tuk tuk journey, no idea where I was going .."Take me to a cheap hotel" I asked the man. Fun ride from Don Muang to the hotel which was the Rose hotel (think its no more) at the end of the Patpongs (little did I know lol), but I remember how muggy if felt too. Once there, Mmm beer ...ended up in a small Soi opposite (the north end?) of Patpong 2 (I think) in a tiny bar and got accosted by ladies/boys/and lady boys. Oh mann I just got so drunk and went to bed in the daylight. I felt like I was in disney land or something like that.

It was a surreal introduction to Thailand, but in reflection just damned good backpacker timing LOL.

Sum of that 8 days .... Hot, polluted (BKK), lots of nice smiling people, lovely food, and a great Kings 60th Birthday celebration.

dam_n, I wanna start all over again LOL.

Edited June 29, 2009 by YouYouYou

[cpofc]

Whilst not my first visit (1970), but my 21st Birthday at Utapao USAF Base NCOs Club in July 1974. The US Air Force provided buses for us from Sattahip to Utapao so as to enjoy their hospitality.

Those Yanks sure knew how to look after themselves. It was a huge place and the club was excellent. They even had a complete facsimile of the famous Playboy Bunny Bar within the club itself. Complete with Thai Girls in Playboy Bunny Outfits! Little stunners, that they were! Talk about feeling like a 'poor relation'.

Girls in the white dresses served the drinks to the table and the girls wearing yellow would give massges, for free of course, whilst you sat at your table drinking piss.

Being Australian Farangs, we were a bit of a novelty to the large numbers of female staff and we were quickly 'making dates', with them for secret rendezvous in various locations around the base, after they knocked off.

My first Thai word? Babababo

Thailand (Bangkok) was THE most popular destination for R&R out of Vietnam during the war. My, haven't things changed from the 'dust bowl' it once was.

below is a list of them, I was to spend the best part of my life travelling to these and other destinations.

Australia (Sydney) 10 months in country

Bangkok 03 months in country

Tokyo 06 1/2 months in country

Hong Kong 03 months in country

Manila 03 months in country

Hawaii 06 months in country

Singapore 03 months in country

Taipei 03 months in country

Penang - From 1 July 1969 onwards.

Kuala Lampur 06 months in country - Closed 1 July 1969

Edited June 29, 2009 by cpofc

[Lopburi99]

Oh yeah, I definitely remember. After I passed through immigration at the airport, I saw this gorgeous Thai woman awaiting my arrival, excitedly jumping up and down and waving at me. We had three incredible weeks together before I returned to the States. Unfortunately, two years later this woman, proved to be my "Thai_wife_from_He!!", had taken me for everything, and I mean everything. Good riddance to her. Now I have a great, honest and sincere woman, the exact opposite. Life is good now, but I sure wish my assets hadn't ended up with a scammer.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Lopburi99

[thesunset75]

Dont remember, when was that...hhhmmm

[Datsun240Z]

Dont remember, when was that...hhhmmm

Hey, how are you doing in The Netherlands recently?

Hoe gaat het in Nederland?

[thesunset75]

Dont remember, when was that...hhhmmm

Hey, how are you doing in The Netherlands recently?

Hoe gaat het in Nederland?

OFF TOPIC sorry OP

Kinda warm these day gggrrr i hate the heat !!!

Gaat goed, bedankt beetje druk met NL te leren hahaha.

[spud1]

My first day in LOS was strange to say the least.I,d arrived with a few mates who had been before.Obviously they had been telling me stories of how good it was in the months leading up to the flight.Has most posters probably know,no amount of words can discribe anyones first time experience on arrival in thailand.The plane landed at Don Muang about midday.The heat was overwhelming,which

did'nt help matters was the fact I was half jet lagged and half pissed.The next thing I remember

was sitting in a taxi heading for a place I now know has Nana.We eventually arrived at a class

hotel named the Die-nasty!After checking in and still being in a state of confusion,it was a quick shower

and change and straight back out.Eventually we settled in a bar,wherehas my mates began to disappear

one by one.Not to miss out on the fun,I ended up with what must have been the fattest bargirl in LOS,and being green it cost me 3000 baht to boot.Enough said of that.Later that evening,after consuming enough shandy's to sink a battleship we ended up in Bigdogs,whereby I was lucky to pull

another girl "or was it the other way round?".Having already spent a small fortune,I'd ran out of money and all the bureau's were closed.This nice girl persuaded me that I could borrow some from her sister till

the next day.So of I went staggering through the streets and not having a <deleted> clue where I were.We meet with her sister and after a short conversation in very broken English,she tells me she has a visa to

go to the UK,she then produces a piece of paper with an address on ,I live in a small town in Derbyshire,what I could'nt believe was that having travelled half way across the world,this girl was coming to stay in my place of residence.Amazing Thailand!

[dixonbm]

I'll never forget the initial moments of my first trip to LOS in December 2000. The midnight landing at Don Muang, seeing airplanes lined up parallel to each other on the tarmac freestanding without attached jetways. It was like going back in time 40 years. The moment after stepping through the jetway I was met by the shock of a thick blanket of humidity oddly coating my lungs and body even though I was inside the airport. I quickly moved through customs, down the escalator, and grabbed my bags. Emerging from the baggage area my heart leapt as I saw my girl, now my wife, waiving at me from behind the security barrier. We excitedly exchanged hugs and kisses. Quickly moving outside I discovered the distinct smell of tiger baum and incense mingling in the air with the thick pollution of the city. Ahh...the smell of Bangkok. I'll never forget it.

Edited June 29, 2009 by dixonbm

[Lancashirelad]

Was travelling the world for 6 months as a well earned break after losing both parents within 2 years.

I had not booked a round-the-world flight ticket as originally hoped to do some legs by sea either as volunteer amateur crew on private yatchs or as paying passenger on freight ships. In the end stayed much longer everywhere than planned & so never had time to travel by sea.

Was in Cairo December 2002. Almost got stuck there for Xmas. No available flights to Bangkok. Wandered off the tourist track and found a back street travel agent. Nice girl spent most of the day on the phone. When i went back at 5 as requested she'd got me a flight. (She got a box of chocolates when i went for the ticket the next day). Ethiopian airlines! I was scared! They turned out to be excellent, on time, nice crew, clean plane, etc. etc. More than could later be said for some of the bigger names.

Got into Bkk just a day or so before xmas. What a beautiful sight it is at xmas time. I hope many of you have seen it. If you have'nt, try to. Was booked in at the Windsor Suites Hotel soi 20. (I no longer stay in expensive gaffs like that!) Thing i remember most about the taxi ride from the aiport was all the massive steel stucture advertising boards by the roadside.

Went for a walk on Sukhumvit & got literally pulled into the now long gone soi 10 the bar complex. Had some great nights there. As it was Xmas, there was an outdoor bar & a band in the evening at Times Square, that was nice..... apart from the traffic fumes.

Also met a lovely 22 yr old girl, name Pia, a budding actress at college, in the little bar complex just into soi 22 on the right.

Braved the sky train. (could get a pass for 10 rides then for 2 or 300 bht ( i forget) & went up the Bayoike tower. Moved to the Boyoike Skye hotel. (cheaper).

Went to Pattaya on the bus from Ekamia to look up an old friend from England i hadn't seen or spoken to for 13 yrs. (Mickey from the Elephant & Castle, 2nd rd corner of soi 8) and found him. I was very suprised when i quickly learnt what goes on in Pattaya

Stayed at Eastiny place soi 8. Have spent an aggregate total of over a year in LOS since then

I say again, if you get the opportunity to see Bangkok from toward the end of November, until just after Christmas, it really is a lovely sight.