Thailand Nostalgia: My very first trip to Thailand Travel to Thailand, Travels 0 (0)I was contacted by Jeremy from the blog roadcalls as part of a call for the inter-bloggers event whose theme is "First trip". So this is the opportunity for me to immerse myself with "nostalgia" in my first trip to Thailand, which dates back to 2006! If I had echoed it in a first version of a blog that has now disappeared, I had therefore never spoken here about what was ultimately the starting point of all this! Summary hide 0 Experience But first, why Thailand? A first, a unique moment A breath of warm air and smells The exotic beaches of Thailand, a sweet dream! 0 ExperienceThat's about the level of experience I had at that time... If we consider the first time I left France, it goes back further, when I was 11 years old I had the chance to participate in a school exchange and had stayed a week in the south of Spain (in Murcia). A very good experience (especially since I was not bad in Spanish) and it did not scare me despite my young age to find myself far from home with no one I knew apart from my correspondent.To tell the truth, it even seemed normal and natural to me, as if traveling was already second nature to me... Then I don't count the student parties and outings, still in Spain (San Sebastian, Bilbao) which were not part of the "travel" as I understand it. All this to illustrate the fact that yes, my travel experience was close to nothing.And this year 2006 there was like a trigger. What had held me back until now was the same reason that comes up often. The fear of leaving alone. And yes, and even if deep down I had never really asked anyone to come with me, I couldn't see myself going on a trip alone. But this year things were shaken up when a friend suggested I go to Amsterdam for a few days... (not for what you think, I see you coming!)3 months later I took off for Bangkok!But first, why Thailand?So yes, why actually move from a city in Europe to the other side of the world like that all of a sudden? Well actually I've always had an attraction to Asia, maybe Buddhist philosophy spoke to me more than my Catholic "education". More seriously I think it's due to several factors including my geek culture, I grew up with Japanese anime (even if at the time I didn't know it obviously...), the first "modern" game consoles (yeah Nintendo!), I later discovered manga and ended up watching anime.Well, all that is very good, but why not Japan then? Yes, it's true, yet I was becoming really "Japanophile" at the time (well yes, that word exists), I even went to conventions like Japan Expo since I was in Paris. But in a certain way that I won't detail here, I found myself coming to Thailand.By the way, I’ll show you the site’s first logo (in 2013!)Let's say that I remembered evenings with friends and a friend who mentioned Thailand with a certain passion, it made me dream a little in a corner of my head, I have always been attracted by the exotic. And then there was also the film The Beach with Leonardo which also left its mark somewhere in my brain.Finally, perhaps the real reason is that the budget is clearly not the same between Japan and Thailand.So I left with an obvious source of excitement without really knowing that it was going to change my life to such an extent!A first, a unique momentAnd yes, by definition a first time marks a unique moment since once it has been done the sensation can no longer be "exactly" the same, I am talking in the context of travel, of arriving in a faraway country, my first trip to Thailand.All these moments, buying the ticket, just that was an exploit, oh my god what have I just done! that was kind of my state of mind! Then comes the moment to board. The heart beats wildly like a teenager newly in love (I didn't think I was so right because I was going to meet my future wife!), everything amazes us. When we observe the "others", those who seem used to it, we seem a little stupid, like the kid discovering great toys.Well, internally at least, but my wonder was there (oh personal screens in front of his seat!), a long journey, the admiration of seeing a new land when I arrived at the stopover in Abu Dhabi (I had taken Etihad Airways). The little tour in the airport, in the middle of all these people from different countries, cultures.The excitement is at its peak when I arrive at immigration which will officially mark my entry into the country, the land of smiles as they say.A breath of warm air and smellsThe first thing that struck me when I arrived was obviously the feeling of humid heat, I had just arrived since my French autumn (it was October), for the anecdote, it was just after the famous coup d'état of September 2006 which resulted in the political unrest shaking the country currently and for all these last years. The country had also just suffered major floods, it was the end of the rainy season, and Survanabhumi airport had just opened 15 days ago!All this to say that the conditions of my arrival had something that in the end did not mark me at all at the time and I did not even care royally. No, I was still "elsewhere", in the taxi I watched this totally new landscape unfold before my eyes and I was still asking myself "but what the hell am I doing here!".The very first photo taken in Thailand! Ordinary you might say? Maybe, but it's also maybe because that's when I really "landed". Before that I was vegetating in front of my 5 senses which were taking in the sights, nostrils, ears, in short, you know what you use for your senses.The first steps in the street made me discover smells from another world (not always good by the way…), I remember my first ride in a tuk tuk, my first visits like here at the Grand Palais, in total bliss (yes you can't see it…) and where Jitima and I were taking our first photo together!I thus chained my first temples, visiting in the process the famous Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha. The advantage of this kind of visit is that it remains timeless, because even today, it remains unchanged and still amazes as much.Finally, it's also time for the first Thai massage! (well I'm cheating a little, I had actually tried it before in Paris...but it wasn't the same price!)The exotic beaches of Thailand, a sweet dream!The long-awaited moment came to discover the famous heavenly beaches of Thailand. At the time in 2006 it was still less than 2 years after the tsunami, the excitement was not the same as today which was largely appreciable. I first went to Phuket, saw Patong because everyone goes there, drove a scooter because everyone does (or almost). Took an elephant ride, saw monkeys, exploded my palate discovering Thai dishes, deliciously delicious!All these images parade through my head and remind me of those first steps, nostalgia when you hold us.It was also during these moments in the south that I was able to appreciate the Thai welcome.An immersion that quickly made me catch the bug, the travel bug that is now stuck to my skin, so much so that I ended up staying in Thailand… well not at the time but I came back to settle there 2 years later. And here I am today in “my element”, in Asia.Did you like this article? Share it! I remind you that this one is a competition as part of the inter-bloggers event under the initiative of Jérémy from roadcalls, you can vote for me simply by going to the following page http://www.roadcalls.fr/mon-premier-voyage-evenement/ Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 0 / 5. Number of votes: 0 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Heart-stopper Mind 0 5 Roman 21/02/2014
