After one week in Bangkok I’m still not sure how I feel about this place.

It’s too much of everything: noise, people, tourists, shops, tuk-tuks, annoying sales people trying to sell you anything from tailored made clothes to extra strong cocktails, car fumes, cockroaches (OK, I only saw 4 until now but every single one is one too many, plus they’re big).

After almost 2 months on the road we realised we were slowly getting into the standard tourist mode again, i.e. trying to see all in the city you’re in and walking around the whole day sweating. He, that was not the idea here, we’re supposed to take it easy. So we relaxed the pace a bit and spent a day or two vegging around. In any case, on the day we decided to visit only one site, the Grand Palace, we arrived there and were told they were closing early on that day….because the king was visiting. Actually in like half an hour or so. So we sat down in the park across the road and waited for the king. On a street the traffic is roaring and behind us in the park the normal daily life of street vendors and people passing by is also loud and hectic. And then they closed the road, and suddenly all was quiet. There was a lady cleaning up the street quickly, like when someone rings the doorbell and you rush around picking up your socks in the house before they make it to the door, then the policeman guarding the street told the people sitting on the side of the road in the park to line up on the street, and for the next 10 minutes or so before the line up of cars arrived it was silence. In such a big and hectic and noisy city it was suddendly all quiet. All nicely lined up waiting for the king. And then the motorcycles rolled by, followed by the king’s limousine, and when he drove by all the people put their hands together and bowed their heads to him. This type of gesture is common here either to show gratitude, say welcome or goodbye or thank you, but still it was a bit surreal. So now we can say we’ve seen the king of Thailand. Wow. My first encounter with a king. Hum.