When Bangkok Shook Me Out of My Comfort Zone

My first trip out of the country was my ultimate dream trip. During the formative years of my life, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, crepes, and croissants were where my “places I want to go” list began and ended. After London and Paris, it was difficult for me to even think up where I wanted to go next. My travel dreams had already been fulfilled. But being the experience junkie that I am, I quickly built a list of about 20 places and slowly started to check them off 1 x 1.

After a few years of living and saving up for my next adventure, the opportunity to visit Italy was presented. I still look at pictures today and can’t believe all of the culture and history my hands and feet touched during that trip. From the Colosseum, to St. Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, and the resting places of some of the world’s most renowned people, it still seems so surreal. And that was just Rome.

Tuscany, Vienna, Salzburg and Bavaria were so much more than I could have hoped for. That trip was magical, to say the least.

As I began to think about my next trip, while also trying to remember the places on my goal list, there was a thought that continued to resurface. While I loved my trip to London and Paris, they just felt “safe” and too familiar. I remember saying to myself, a bit disappointingly that London just wasn’t “foreign enough.” Riding the Tube and traveling around the city, I felt like I was on one of my annual trips to New York City. I had similar feelings about my time in Italy.

With those thoughts in mind, I knew that for my next adventure, I had to be more intentional about selecting a place that wasn’t just international, but one that stretched me. I wanted to visit a place whose culture was so different from my own, that I would feel a bit of discomfort at first but with time and a mind open to learning, I would soon come to be fascinated by it.

After a 12+ hour flight and a week-long adventure, Bangkok ended up being just that.

Although Thailand had been on my list for some time, there were other places that, in my mind, took precedence. But, for the most part, they all seemed to venture into the “safe zone.” With a bit of hesitation, I made my plans and reservations for my birthday trip to Bangkok.

We arrived in Bangkok at about 12 am in the morning. After making it through the long customs line and the hour-long drive to what would be our home during our stay, it had to be about 2 am. We were greeted at our Chinatown bed and breakfast in the loveliest of ways. With our shoes removed and our luggage given a once over with a steaming machine, our hosts gave us hugs and cold, sweet tea. Making our way to our rooms, we would come to find that our small home had its very own welcome mat: it’s amazing views. From my room and the adjoining balcony, I was surrounded by the Chao Phraya River. Sitting on the balcony that early morning of my first hours of my Bangkok adventure, I was confident in the decision I had made. This was going to be a good trip.

Then, the morning came.

Being the planner that I am and not really enjoying down time during a trip, I had scheduled a food tour the morning of our first day in the city. I barely slept but didn’t seem to be tired, so I was up and excited to take on our first day. The river looked much different than it had when I had seen it under the moon’s glow. It had been still and serene and quite lovely with barely any traffic. As I watched while having breakfast from our balcony, things were quite different. The waves crashed beneath and in front of us as large barges sailed slowly across the river. Tour boats sailed from here to there with loud speakers informing its patrons about the history that surrounded them. And the water was now a murky brown where small fish would leap out every so often.

Outside as we walked to find our way to our tour group, the prickly feeling that I had made a mistake slowly started to surface. The stray, malnourished dogs, the poverty that seemed to spare no one, the streets and sidewalks with very little beauty to see, it became clear very quickly that I was no longer in Kansas. Or London. Or Paris. Or anywhere that I had been before. Bangkok had given me exactly what I had asked for: a shake out of my comfort zone.

Everything seemed to be just so different. Where I found similarities in food, the places and ways that the people of the city ate came and erased away any fondness that I felt. Jumping into a taxi was an ordeal because heaven forbid you and the driver didn’t agree on a price before starting on your journey. While we were led to a part of the city where the more affluent population lived, I couldn’t tell it apart from the neighborhoods we would pass as we made our way to our B & B in the evening. Day 1 ended with me just wanting to “get through the week.” Bangkok had knocked me down and out with all of its newness.

Then, day two, day three, day four, came, and I began to see Bangkok with new eyes.

The water was still murky and brown. The dogs and cats still wandered through the streets. The poverty remained. The traditional beauty that I had grown accustomed to in other places and countries was still absent. But somehow all of that seemed different even in its sameness.

I started to notice something. No matter where we went or who we came across, spoke with, or met, we were greeted with a warm and welcoming smile. It’s not the expected aha moment, but it’s much deeper than it appears. Even in its foreignness and my discomfort, I don’t recall a moment feeling or being made to feel like an outsider, that I didn’t belong, or that I wasn’t welcomed. Being a woman of color, it’s not unheard of to experience the awkward stares or rude looks even at one’s local supermarket.

So, to be in Bangkok, where it was obvious that I was a visitor, where I didn’t know the language, and had serious issues with using the currency, I didn’t feel like an outsider. I still remember the uneasy stares as my family and I made our way through the train station in Munich. But in Bangkok, where “hello” in Thai was too much for my mind and mouth to comprehend, a simple wave or “good morning” from me was greeted with a smile, a wave, and sometimes a “good morning” back.

As we made our way to the airport seven days after arriving, I was a bit sad that our stay was ending. Even more, I made a promise to myself that I would return, next time delving even deeper into the Thai culture.

Nicole says, ” I am a self-proclaimed experience junkie. Not jump out of a plane kind of experience junkie. I simply enjoy experiencing new things. Most of all, I have a passion for experiencing different cultures, places, and things to eat. You can follow all of my experiences on my food and travel blog nicoleeatsandtravels.com.”

Thank you Nicole for sharing your travel adventures with us!

Check back next time for Part 2 of Nicole’s Adventures