Part V Meet & Greet in Bangkok and Going back home

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One of my friends from back home was arriving on sunday and so I booked a hotel close to his for my final 3 nights. Checked in but the room wasn't ready yet so left my bag there and left for the airport to pick up my friend! It's always fun to do so and it felt like I'd been there forever, picking somebody else up. Had to wait for a bit but there he was! We went back together, he wanted to take a taxi and so we did. Dropped him off at his hotel and then walked back to mine. Got into the room, gorgeous with bathtub :-)! 

On my way to the airport link, 20 min walk.

Short video of me picking him up,

I made him a Welcome sign :-)

Room for my final 3 nights in Bangkok 🤩

We met up a bit after to go to a canal market. There wasn't one haha but it was still a nice walk. And so we went to the labyrinth one I had been to before because he needed swimshorts and I was pretty sure we'd find some there. We took a tuktuk there and walked around the market, a lot of stalls inside were closed during the evening but on the outside ring everything was open and full of foodstalls that weren't there during the day. We found swimshorts, had some food and a massage! That was too funny, first we followed the lady into an alley and then another where everything else was closed haha, but anything for the cheapest massage on the market and then the two ladies kept laughing during the massage and we learned new words haha. Lo mak mak, handsome man and suay mak mak for women. Massage was great though! Oh and my friend bought baby octopus and so I tried a bite as well. Not my thing, but eh when in Thailand.. It was fun walking around together. It was his first time and so he was excited and took a bunch of pictures and videos and everything was new. It's all so familiar to me that I don't feel that anymore in a lot of places I go to and so I quite enjoyed his enthousiasm! It brought back a lot of memories and stories that I shared with him and made me relive some of my previous travels :-)! We went back to the hotel and said our goodbyes for that day and I took a bath, looooved it. The bed felt like I was sleeping on and under clouds and it was super quiet and so I had a great night!

Compilation video of the tuk tuk, market, massage, baby octopus

Radio active water haha (lemongrass bathball)

My friend had to work the next day, he is staying here for a few months working remote, and so I went for late breakfast at my hotel (it's included again) and to the pool to read for a bit and then started walking around the area. Also found supermarket and bought a few drinks and snacks for my baths :-)! Oh and I saw this guy get run over by a tuk tuk!! Haha, well not as bad as it sounds, the wheel hit his foot but mostly the side of his shoe and he fell over. It was when the tuk tuk turned and so it wasn't going fast. The guy got up and was okay and they started talking and I continued my walk. I saw a lot of working girls in between homeless guys. Also saw a few girls with signs for massages and the way they looked, I was pretty sure it was a happy ending massage place. Got back to the hotel and chilled in the room for a bit.

Street art

There was construction so I had to take a turn (or turn around but just followed one of the locals) and ended up here. An inside peak in how life is. Loved seeing this side of Bangkok.

One of the locals told me to take another turn to eventually get back to the main road. And that was here, walking on traintracks.

Shopping. 

Drinks and bath powder for my baths and a few local snacks.

Once my friend finished working, I picked him up and we went to another market. And after that, another tuk tuk (we did a bit of karaoke as we connected the phone via bluetooth to the speakers haha) to Khaosan road for dinner and a massage, that was the plan anyway haha. We did have dinner, then went to a stand up comedy show (this guy passed out flyers so we decided to check it out) and it was pretty funny. We then walked around again and it was super busy, music and people everywhere. And so we told eachother to walk to the end of the street and back and then have a massage (and I would then take another bath). We then said, okay let's have one drink first and then a massage. The drink was a 3liter beertower and the massage was cancelled from our agenda haha, we stayed until 3ish. When on Khaosan road... We danced, talked, laughed, drank. I even helped the staff a few times and got about 8 people in as well haha. Save to say, I didn't take a bath after that. Rolled right into bed.

Tuk tuk karaoke compilation I

Tuk tuk karaoke compilation II

He bought it....

Lady and the vagebound eating Scorpion 

Waaaa funny video of me trying the scorpion!

I slept like a baby that night and stayed in bed most of the day and watched tv. It was my last full day and didn't have to do anything and my friend was working again. We did go out to dinner again that night and had another massage. I also took my final bath of this trip! 

I woke up pretty early and finished typing most of this. Took a shower, finished my packing (noticed that my new glass earrings broke, but broken glass brings good luck) and went down for breakfast. My friend came in to say goodbye and I left. The taxi driver asked me where I was from and when I said the Netherlands, he started naming old soccer players haha. Nothing has changed from all those years ago.

I took this with me for the days I was away.

Ready to gooo

10kg total of which 5kg is presents haha

Bye bye!!!

It was fun to be back in Thailand again where life's on the street, people are friendly and everything is cheap! And this time around was also great because of all these memories of previous trips that came back to me. I also loved showing somebody else around again for a bit and teach him some of the ins and outs of Thailand and backpacking. And just to hang out together there for a few days. 

Got to the airport and I was so excited, not because I was going home but because I treated myself to Business Class. And most of you know that it's hard and unusual for me to treat myself to something like this but with the right price and mindset of 'just do it', I did.

Compilation of my trip home

Landed at 7pm, was the second person of the plane. It was super quiet so I was at the trains about 10minutes after. Took the first direct train at 733pm, bus was waiting when I got to Arnhem and so I ran. And it had just started snowing but didn't expect anything of it. Until I woke up the next morning and saw the winter wonderland outside. What a difference. Home sweet home.

Train Schiphol to Arnhem

Home!

Thanks for kind of traveling with me through these posts! 

Until next time!

Cheers,

T.