Crazy Tuk-tuks & Bangkok…

Latest book excerpt from my travel memoir ‘Backpacker to Nomad’

I’m delighted to present an exclusive sneak peek book excerpt for my new travel memoir ‘Backpacker to Nomad’

What’s Backpacker to Nomad? It’s my new travel memoir, chronicling the evolution from naive newbie to full-time traveller through my adventure & misadventures.

What readers are saying about ‘Backpacker to Nomad’

★★★★★ “The writing is excellent, and the author’s descriptions are so vivid” — Amazon Review

★★★★★ “You’ll get lost in Amit’s adventures and laugh along the way (mostly AT him)” — Amazon review

★★★★★ “I thought the way the book weaved between adventure and mental self-discovery was very smart. — Amazon Review

if you love travel adventures, discovery, and escaping reality to drift off to lands far and wide this is the book you need to pick up.

Book Launched: July 27th 2022

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Sit back, grab a snack and enjoy …..

Crazy Tuk-Tuks & Bangkok scams

Utter chaos. There were no other words for it. Relentless, never-ending chaos and it was coming from all directions. And it wasn’t even the heart of the city — just the outskirts! The constant ear-bursting horns papping from mopeds, all other vehicles, other unrecognizable noises, and the traffic was never-ending.

It hadn’t since we arrived in the early hours. We had stepped out of the hotel straight into a dysfunctional orchestra of noise. In an instant, the humidity wrapped tight, squeezing the life out of me while caking me in the same dust that covered the broken path and roads. ‘Welcome to Bangkok, enjoy your stay,’ said the sign at the airport last night — how could anybody enjoy this madness?

A knife was needed to cut through the thick orange glinted air. That giant ball of fire pulsated down but was barely visible. The side street covered in wooden broken-down shacks and crumbled concrete buildings didn’t provide any reprieve either.

How the fuck are we going to survive this? I’m dying, melting away. And the noise — when will it stop?

My skin felt like it was melting, and my insides were on fire; Australian heat felt like a walk in the park compared to this. It wasn’t even a case of getting in the shade, it was all shade, but the humidity was so suffocating.

Heaven & hell

“There it is, this is the one she said about,” Alex pointed to an orange pastel-colored building, her bare arms glistened from sweat.

It was hard to tell if that was the actual color or just the glint from the visible smog. This was a new experience, and I had no idea how I would get used to it. A new culture awaited to be experienced — one I didn’t have much knowledge about. All I knew was this was going to be a completely different experience than Australia and New Zealand.

We were both leaving a trail of sweat behind, this oven was unbearable, so much so, that I couldn’t even smoke. A wrinkled face popped up out of nowhere trying to sell us a paper, saying something in Thai, but we just apologized for not understanding her words, shook our heads, and sidestepped her. Our pace quickened towards the café as we kicked up more dust — all the buildings, even the overgrown tropical plants, were caked in it.

It was like walking into heaven after spending time in hell as a blast of Arctic air wrapped around us as if somebody had put the fire out. My lungs welcomed it and sucked in the crisp cool air I had become accustomed to in Queenstown. My sweat was even jumping for joy at being frozen as I moaned in relief. It was hell out there.

“Ahhh, that feels so good, I can breathe, I think I’ll stay in here all day.” I basked in the cool café with my arms spread.

Like a fly on…

No sooner had we cracked the door open, it all came flooding through like opening a furnace door — the noise, the papping, the dust, and the unforgiving heat. It swept through, and in less than a second, my cooled body was on fire once more while being choked from the humidity. The noise made everything overwhelming, especially when the tuk-tuk driver pounced like a cheetah on a gazelle.

“Where you go? You need tuk-tuk? I take you anywhere. Cheap, cheap.”

It was too much; my brain couldn’t compute properly. It was stimulation overload. Instinct took over and my legs started to walk away, but the humidity sapped my energy, my body was like a pierced water hose. He didn’t give up easily, jumping in his tuk-tuk and stalking us like we were his prey!

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