Just like many Cebu Pacific promo flights to Bangkok, my flight schedule was way too early in the morning.
Since I’m from Cavite, I had to make sure public transportation was still available, so I prepared and left really early. And like many Filipinos when it comes to flights, I arrived at the airport around three hours before departure.
Honestly, I think that was just enough, considering the slow processing at the airport and immigration. So there I was, with plenty of time to kill. Good thing there was still an open restaurant at the airport, so I decided to eat tapsilog.
This was still that time in my life when I was eating anything and everything. Haha! Now, I’m on a low-carb diet. I don’t eat rice anymore, and I also do fasting. Looking back, that moment made me realize how unhealthy my lifestyle was, but that’s going to be another post or story.
During that trip, the fear of being offloaded was also rampant among travelers. I prepared everything I needed, including documents, photocopies of my flights, hotel bookings, and other travel details. Honestly, I was a little worried because I didn’t have a regular job at that time. I had nothing to present when it came to employment.
I know what you’re also thinking. No job but traveling abroad? Definitely prone to more scrutiny at immigration.
Luckily, when it was my turn, the immigration officer just looked at me and stamped my passport. Haha! I don’t know what happened there, but the officer didn’t ask much aside from confirming that I was bound for Bangkok. Just like that, no more questions. Passport stamped.
You don’t have any idea how relieved I was after finally passing through immigration. But because I arrived way too early, I still had a lot of time before boarding.
Eventually, boarding time came, and everything went smoothly.
While I was on the flight, I couldn’t help but think about my life decisions. Wow. I was really doing solo travel outside the Philippines. It was my first time, and the trip was for two weeks. Haha!
I had done some solo trips before, but usually just within the Philippines. This was my first time doing a solo backpacking trip overseas, and it wasn’t just a quick getaway for a few days. It was two full weeks.
Finally, I arrived at Bangkok Airport. Immigration in Bangkok was fast and hassle-free. It was still very early, probably around 4 AM. I planned to take the bus going to my hostel, but I found out that the first trip from the airport was at 6 AM.
Again, I had more time to wait. But still, I was thankful that there were buses and public transport options from the airport going to central Bangkok. I hope our airports in the Philippines will have something like that in the future. Sana all. Haha!
So there I was, hungry again, and I decided to eat something. Haha!
I checked out some restaurants and found one with very generic branding: Thai Restaurant and Bakery. I don’t know why they decided to name the restaurant like that. It’s either they couldn’t think of another name, or the owner wanted to game the SEO world. Probably an SEO enthusiast. Haha!
I checked the menu and ordered soup. I’m sorry, I was so sleepy at that time that I forgot to take note of the name of the food. All I remember was that it was creamy and very spicy.
After eating, I exchanged some pesos to baht. I researched beforehand and learned that one of the good places to exchange money was Happy Rich, which luckily was already open that early in the morning. After that, I was ready to hop on the bus.
I noticed that most of the passengers were foreigners. This is one good thing about Thailand. Their public transportation is not only local-friendly, but also easy for tourists to use. At that time, all I knew was that I had to get off at Wat Ratchanatdaram, which was near Khao San Road. From there, I would just walk to my hostel, Once Again Hostel.
It was a nice bus ride through the quiet Bangkok morning. When I arrived at the bus stop, it was already around 7 AM. I enjoyed seeing Thais going to work and preparing for the day. I walked while using Google Maps, until I realized that the bus stop was still quite far from my hostel, about one kilometer away.
But well, I enjoy walking, so it wasn’t a problem for me. Walking around Bangkok early in the morning was already an experience in itself.
Finally, I arrived at my hostel. They were accommodating enough to let me check in early since there were available beds. I’ll have a separate post about my experience at the hostel.
After checking in, I decided to explore the area. My hostel was in Soi Samran Rat, near the famous restaurant of the one and only Jay Fai, the Michelin-starred street food legend known for her crab omelette.
Jay Fai is one of Bangkok’s most iconic food personalities. She is known for her wok-cooked seafood dishes, especially her crispy crab omelette filled with generous chunks of crab meat. She also cooks while wearing her signature goggles, which makes the whole experience even more interesting to watch. Imagine seeing a Michelin-starred cook preparing street food right in front of you, with fire, smoke, and all that energy. It felt very Bangkok. CHECK THE BEST HOTELS IN BANGKOK
I was lucky enough to see Jay Fai in action. I was tempted to try it, but the line was already long and packed with foreigners. It would probably take at least an hour or two before I could be accommodated. Plus, the crab omelette was kind of expensive, more than 1,000 Baht, or around $40.
So I decided not to try it anymore. You know, my time is precious. Haha! I could explore more of Bangkok by simply walking around the area.
I then discovered that there were many government offices nearby. Later on, I found out that the main building there was actually Bangkok City Hall. I was surprised to learn about that. It also explained why there were so many stalls and food options around.
I saw one nice eatery and ordered tom yum, plus pad kra pao, or stir-fried basil with meat and rice topped with egg.
Thai food is really something different. It was spicy but delicious. I could taste the herbs and spices that Thailand uses in its dishes, flavors that we don’t usually have in the Philippines. Everything tasted new and exciting.
So that’s how I spent my first morning and first day in Bangkok. After all the food I ate, I was already too sleepy and badly needed some rest. Remember, I didn’t have any sleep the night before because my flight was too early.
I went back to my hostel and had a good sleep.
Keep an eye on my new posts in the coming days as I continue sharing stories from my Thailand Series, the solo backpacking trip in Thailand.
*A new Daily Blog story is published every day at 7:00 AM Philippine time.
