A brief story about landing in a new country as a solo backpacker.
To me there is no sense of freedom greater than setting out on the road on your own for a spell of protracted global wandering. For me this involved a flight to Bangkok to begin a round the world adventure that would occupy me for the next 18 months or so.
Ok so Bangkok isn’t as alien to the average western backpacker as Timbuktu, but it’s still a culture shock to be embraced. This is where the sense of freedom and enjoyment comes in.
On arrival in Bangkok’s airport I shunned the numerous pestering approaches of the taxi driving fraternity and headed for the bus stop; after all I was a backpacker and this would be cheaper. It would also be rather less direct.
I explained to the ticket seller where I wanted to go to reach the hotel I’d booked for my first night, and he gave the impression of understanding and shunted me in the direction of a soon to be departing bus filled with Thais and one other foreigner.
My ticket selling acquaintance muttered something to the driver and pointed at me, which I assumed was an instruction of where I was to de booted off, and then gave me the thumbs up. All going swimmingly so far. More to follow soon…