One night in Bangkok...

Wow, what a town.  First off, the new airport is beautiful, and quite organised.  The only holdup being getting through immigration.  The wait was broken up when some unfortunate bloke dropped  his bag and broke a 40z of gin, better luck next time.  From the airport its a good idea to take a taxi with a meter, there are lots ( I mean LOTS) of people trying desperatly to get you to take their car, so they can take your money.  Ask around and NEVER take the first price unless you're sure that its a fair deal.  Some destinations will require a toll, which should be paid for by the driver, and added on top of the fare beforehand.  I found out the hard way, paying 600baht to get to the guesthouse,  which was a nervewracking trip for this westerner used to stop signs and redlights that MEAN something.  On the return to the airport I chartered a cab through the guesthouse and it cost only 445baht, including the 65bht tolls.

Once I settled in to my 3.5' x10 '  "room"  (for only 120bht I'm not complaining!)  I went to have a look around Koh San Road,  the hub of backpackers, tourists, and everything in between.  Practice saying 'no' on the way there, unless you want to get dragged into pointless converstions with people offering "massages" and other shady deals.  since I was only going to here for a single day and flying out the next I didn't feel like buying anything other than food and water, besides I'll be back in a month and I really didn't care to carry any more weight than I needed to.   About carrying weight... I cannot stress this enough,  PACK LIGHT!!  I saw too many people carrying these monster 80L backpacks, PLUS another 40L backpack carried backwards on their chests... which I'm guessing was their carry-on luggage.  I guarantee they will be miserable within a week of hauling those beasts around.  A tip: unless you're planning on hitting up the classiest clubs often, take half the clothes you think you'll need.  Most guesthouses offer some kind of laundry facilities.  A word on guesthouses, there are LOTS!  Don't feel pressured to book the first one you see, its definitly worth the time to look around and pick one that balances price with cleanliness and facilities.