It must have been 20 years or more, but I finally got the opportunity to take the Eurostar from Brussels to London again. The two hours were over quick. The seats were comfortable, and the ride was smooth. I couldn’t think of a better way of traveling to London. The Wi-Fi was spotty at best. Even parked in Gare du Midi.
Anyway, I would love to see a train from the south of Germany to London without a change in Paris. The prices could be better too. Most of the time, flying in Europe is cheaper than taking a bullet train. If you have direct connection, the train beats airplane in terms of travel time and comfort by a lot. I can’t wait to see how the European rail system evolves.
I decided to go to Brussels next. I have a personal connection to this city. I am glad to see the city center pedestrianized. It’s august, and it is absolutely filled with tourists. The sun shines. It is warm but not hot. The beer is refreshing, and the Kip Curry is delicious as always. I’m having the time of my life exploring the city of my youth.
The journey back to Germany was smooth. In two 6 hours flights I downloaded and watched bike farmer
videos and finished The Armour of Light
. I seem to read a lot more on planes and trains than I do when I am stationary.
The weather is a nice 20 degree here. I went to Europe without knowing when I actually can move into the apartment. I have plenty to do here including signing the contract with the coop for the apartment. Then I will be off again (somewhere!?) until it is time to get the keys!
I have had a great time here in Bangkok. And in Asia for that matter. Only a couple of days are left now before I return to Europe. Lots of open questions for the near future: when is my new apartment going to be ready? What kind of job will I find? Whatever will happen, will happen. I already got the ball rolling on most issues. I try not to obsess too much and enjoy my last days in Siam.
Thailand has been one of the friendliest and easiest countries to travel. The people are amazing and the infrastructure pretty good. It is easy to get around. I arrived with my usual anxieties, but was comfortable here. I understand that Thailand is praised for being a good ‘first travel’ country, and now I know why. Did I stay a little too long here in Bangkok? Yes, probably. But it was soothing for the soul, and there was a lot to see and do. I tend to fall into ruts even when traveling, and I had to shake myself out of them a couple of times here because I got a little too comfortable. But most of the pleasure of travel in Southeast Asia is just being here. Call it immersion, experience or whatever you like, but taking your time and not rushing from tourist destination to tourist destination was interesting to me. Just being somewhere is sometimes enough.
On most days I catch myself thinking about Japan. Japan has changed me and has become somewhat of a standard for comparisons. Seeing all the Japanese influence here in Bangkok amplifies my longing to go back to Japan. We will see when that could be possible again.
Between elephant pants, gashapon and other souvenirs, my luggage grew to quite a respectable size. I had to buy an additional bag (decathlon to the rescue) in order to transport it all. Let’s hope everything fits.
Today was a tourist day! After enjoying the masked dance in the royal theatre I made my way up the Golden Mountain Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan. It is 344 small steps (probably not DIN 18065) to the top where a golden Pagoda crowns the artificial mountain.
Along the way there are lots of interesting corners and tidbits of information sprinkled throughout. Many many buddha statues but also interesting information about the vultures that lived here in the 19th century during cholera times. The view from the top is worth the 100THB entrance fee alone.
