9 Things I Learned from My Trip to Bangkok

1. People are naturally kind and helpful if you're good-looking.
- Okay, so take out the good-looking part. People are naturally kind. If you're friendly and smile when you ask for help or directions, chances are they're gonna help you no matter the language barrier. When I got lost going back from the Ancient City, the bus lady helped me get to the train station even with broken English (in fact, just through keywords in English). I'd like to think it was my smile that encouraged her to help. Or maybe she just pitied the sunburned tourist in the bus. Either way, she helped.

2. When the opportunity presents itself, take it.
- Just like my experience of waiting for the right bus to come again (which took forever), you never know when an opportunity will come your way again. So when you see an opportunity, take it. Apply to all fields in life and you're golden.

3. Go with the flow.
- Things don't always go as planned. That's life. So roll with the punches and enjoy the moment. When it suddenly rained on my last day there, I had to delay my trip to Khao San Road. I wasn't even sure if I would still be able to go back if it continued to rain. So I took a break while it rained. I had coffee and read a book, and it was honestly just as fun as whatever else I did there.* By the time I finished my coffee, the rain had stopped.
*A good book and good coffee helps a lot.

4. Unwritten traveler guidelines
- When you're traveling (and especially if you're staying in a hostel), you'll come across a lot of fellow travelers. There's an unwritten rule about respecting each other's stuff and private space that's more emphasized in hostels than anywhere else I've been to. It's a cool vibe where you know everyone is on the same page and enjoying traveling. I feel like every time someone violates those unwritten rules, a cute puppy dies.

5. Wet wipes are your bestfriend.


6. It pays to look around a little more.
- The essence of exploring. Just look around a little more and find out what you can discover. In this trip alone, I was able to find two books I've been looking for a long time, find a better place to eat lunch than advertised, and find the places I've been looking for all just by looking around a little more.

7. There are many amazing, different people around the world.
- One of the perks of staying in a hostel and a dormitory-type room is that you end up meeting different people. There were 8 of us in the room. Four were were European, one Canadian, and three of us Asians. It's cool meeting people with different backgrounds and stories. I met Ted, the Canadian, who's been traveling the world since January last year. Then there's Taneki, a Japanese who quit his job last year and started traveling the world this January. There are plenty of inspiring people around the world.

On a side note, out of all the people in the room, including the big European guys, the one who snored the loudest was the small Asian woman. Interesting. (It could've been me though, but I wouldn't know.)

8. It's a big world out there!
- Literally millions of people to meet and places to see.

9. You quickly become a master of taking your own picture when traveling alone.

Exhibit A. The delicate art of arm's-length photos.

Exhibit B. The complete mastery of your camera's timer function.

Exhibit C. The well-earned skill of finding reflective surfaces.

             Mirrors, doorknobs, window panes, shiny building walls, car windows, etc. You see yourself in it, you can take a picture of it.