• beautiful beaches the likes of Krabi, where I dream to go with Sam and swim in the clear water with no fear of drowning,
• this couchsurfer I hosted in Milan and took along with me for my 25th birthday celebration, who had medium long, super soft hair (like in a TV shampoo ad) and made way too much noise when he ate (and I ended up regretting taking him along).

And here I am, two flights and a seven hour stop in Amman later, on the train that connects Bangkok airport to the city.
The adrenaline rush and the curiosity that keep my body running when I land in a new country never get satisfaction from any airport shuttle. The landscape is that of the outskirts, nothing you see is really representative of the county or the city, and so these dreamy eyes can rest and look elsewhere.
There is a girl next to me who gives me an introduction to the social media landscape of the country. She is mastering multiple channels, chats and emojis of every color and I have no idea what all of these are – and I call myself a digital expert.

Meeting Carletto after three years is pretty awesome, I must admit, and makes it a nice reward after so many hours of traveling. Dinner at the White Flower Factory is delicious, I had my first Pad Thai in its original land!

Travelers note: Withdrawing local currency at the ATM is very expensive, circa 200 baht or 5 euros – I need to be smart about this.

Bangkok is also not cheap. Besides tuktuks and taxis, the rest (food mainly) is quite pricey. I know Berlin spoiled me.

I glanced at the street food by the main road we walked past yesterday but Carletto said I should keep my distance, he had gotten sick from it a few times, so better eat street food when a local friend is around.

I saw two mice on the sidewalk within 2 hours after arriving, which to me is a sign that yes, the city might be a little dirty. But I have decided anyway that fruits don’t count and that I can have as many papaya juices or papayas as I want. They remind me of Taiwan and make me happy.