I’ve noticed I have a weird way of packing. As the days go by I’ll lay things on top of my travel bag that I’ve left in the middle of the room. Things start to pile up and just before I’m about to leave I’ll organize it. Is this a common thing with other people too? I just find it way easier to manage packing this way as opposed to one fell swoop the night before flying. It’s like the act of working on something big; you start small and progress bit-by-bit until it’s complete.
For the past three days I’ve made trips to the mall to purchase new clothing to replace most of my worn out ones. I especially made it a point to replace a basic black T-shirt that was stolen from me when I was staying in a hostel. I really like black for some reason. One of my most exciting purchases is a blue jogger pants with zippered pockets to keep money safe and secure for when I’m out and about! It was one of the pain points I wanted to fix since the last time I travelled pre-pandemic.
Other things I’ve bought for this trip is quality running shoes (since I plan on doing A LOT of walking), socks, quick drying underwear, and new shorts. Oh — speaking of shorts. I learned that shorts are not the best way to stay cool in the burning hot Southeast Asian sun, but instead it’s better to cover up with long breathable pants and shirts. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been sunburnt because of it, so now I’ve learned my lesson to just endure the sweatiness in longer clothing.
Can I also share how cool it feels to exchange dollars for Thai Bahts again? It used to be a weekly ritual for me in Bangkok to go to the SuperRich currency exchange kiosk in Gateway Ekkamai Mall and exchange my dollars away. To be able to hold the familiar currency again gave me all sorts of warm feelings. I can already taste all the Thai food I’m going to buy with it. Exciting.
This should last me for my initial days in Thailand until I can visit a local currency exchange place in Bangkok, the rates there are way better. The exchange rate today in Canada is $200 CAD = 4900 THB (1 CAD = 24.5 THB) as of Apr 15, 2022.
