I was contacted by Jérémy from the blog roadcalls as part of a call for submissions to an inter-blogger event whose theme is " First Trip ." This gives me the opportunity to revisit, with a touch of nostalgia, my first trip to Thailand, which dates back to 2006! While I mentioned it in an earlier version of a now-defunct blog, I've never actually talked about what ultimately sparked it all here!
0 Experience
That's roughly the level of experience I had at that time… The first time I left France, when I was 11, I was lucky enough to participate in a school exchange and spent a week in southern Spain (in Murcia). It was a very good experience (especially since I wasn't bad at Spanish) and despite my young age, I wasn't scared of being far from home, without anyone I knew, except for my exchange partner.
To be honest, it even seemed normal and natural to me, as if travel was already second nature… Then again, I'm not counting the student nights out and outings, again in Spain (San Sebastian, Bilbao), which weren't exactly "travel" as I understand it. All this to illustrate that, yes, my experience of travel was practically nonexistent.
And in 2006, something clicked. What had held me back until then was the same reason that often comes up: the fear of going alone . Because yes, even though deep down I had never really asked anyone to accompany me anywhere, I couldn't imagine going off on a solo trip to the other side of the world.
But this year, things changed when a friend suggested I go spend a few days in Amsterdam… (no, not for what you think, I know what you're thinking!)
3 months later I took off for Bangkok!
But first, why Thailand?
So yes, why would I suddenly go from a European city, quite close to Paris, to the other side of the world? Well, actually, I've always been drawn to Asia; perhaps Buddhist philosophy resonated with me more than my Catholic upbringing. But more seriously, I think it's due to several factors, one of which is my geeky background.
Like many in my age group, I grew up with Japanese anime (although at the time I obviously didn't know it particularly well…), the first “modern” game consoles (yeah Nintendo!), and I later discovered manga and ended up watching anime other than those imposed on TV.
Okay, but all that is very good, but why not Japan then? Yes, it's true, yet at the time I was becoming really "Japanophile" (well yes, that word exists), I even went to conventions like Japan Expo, since I lived in Paris.
Let's just say I remembered evenings spent with friends, and one friend in particular who spoke with a certain passion about Thailand, which he'd visited as a teenager with his parents (the irony is that his parents have never come to see me, due to his complicated life). It made me dream a little, because I've always been drawn to exotic places. And then there was also the film The Beach, with Leonardo DiCaprio, which also left its mark somewhere in my mind.
Finally, perhaps another reason was the budget; clearly not the same between Japan and Thailand. In any case, the trigger was THE encounter, with a Thai woman, which ultimately sealed the fate of the destination.
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 moment
And yes, by definition, a first time is a unique moment, because once experienced, the feeling can never be "exactly" the same. I'm talking here in the context of travel, of arriving in a faraway country: my first trip to Thailand.
All those moments, buying the ticket alone, it was a special moment, oh my god, what have I just done! That was pretty much my state of mind! Then came the moment to board. My heart was pounding like a teenager newly in love (I didn't know how right I was, because I was about to meet my future wife!), everything amazed us. When we watched the "others," those who seemed used to it, we felt a bit dazed, like a kid discovering amazing toys.
Finally, at least internally, but my sense of wonder was definitely there (oh, personal screens in front of my seat!), a long journey (still food to eat!), the awe of seeing a new land when I arrived at my stopover in Abu Dhabi (I had flown Etihad Airways ). The little stroll through the airport (which has changed so much since then!), amidst all those people from different countries and different cultures!
The excitement is at its peak when I arrive at Thai immigration, which will officially mark my entry, my very first entry into the land of smiles, as they always say.
A breath of warm air and smells
The first thing that struck me upon arrival, and it's the same for many people I know, was obviously the feeling of humid heat. I had just arrived from my autumn in France (it was October), it was the end of the rainy season, and as an aside, the brand new Survanabhumi airport had only just opened 15 days earlier!
It's also important to know that I arrived just after the infamous coup d'état of September 2006, which resulted in the political turmoil that was still shaking the country when I initially wrote this article (and which continues to this day). The country had also just suffered major flooding (which I would witness a few years later, only worse).
All this to say that the circumstances of my arrival had something special about them, which in the end didn't affect me at all at the time, and I couldn't have cared less. No, I was still "elsewhere," in the taxi, watching this completely new landscape unfold before my eyes and still wondering to myself, " What am I doing here! "
My first steps in the street revealed smells from another world (not always pleasant, by the way...). I have this memory of my first tuk-tuk ride, my first visits like here to the Grand Palace, in total bliss (yes, it doesn't show...) and where Jitima and I took our very first photo together!
I thus continued my tour of the temples, visiting the famous Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha in quick succession . The advantage of this kind of visit is that it remains timeless, because even today it remains unchanged and still amazes.
Finally, it's also time for my first Thai massage! Well, I'm cheating a little here, I actually wanted to try it before in Paris… but it wasn't the same price or even the same experience as having a "real" one there!
The exotic beaches of Thailand, a sweet dream!
The long-awaited moment arrived to discover the famous paradise 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 appreciated even if I did not realize it at the time.
I first went to Phuket, saw Patong because everyone goes there, rode a scooter because everyone does (or almost everyone, but knowing that I already rode them in France). Took an elephant ride (bareback, but at the time we didn't know all the ins and outs of this industry!), saw monkeys, and had my taste buds blown away by Thai food, which was surprisingly delicious!
All these images flash through my mind, reminding me of those first steps—oh, the nostalgia! It was also during those times in the south that I truly appreciated Thai hospitality, a paradox considering that today it's the north that holds a special place in my heart.
This immersive experience quickly infected me with the travel bug, a bug that's now firmly in my blood, so much so that I ended up staying in Thailand… well, not at the time, but I returned to settle there two years later. And here I am today, in my element, in Asia.
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