Bangkok, Thailand

(August 27-31, 2006) We arrived in Bangkok in the middle of the night having lost a complete day traveling. We left in the afternoon on Friday and landed Sunday morning with Saturday lost somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. The twelve and a half hour flight wasn't nearly as tedious as I imagined. I hunkered down with some of my favorite smut mags and read about useless information until it was time to kill more brain cells by watching all three movies China Air was showing. Our 2 hour stop over in Taipei was more painful than anything else. The fluorescent lighting gave me a headache and I just couldn't keep from bobbling my head around trying to find a comfy place to nod off. Another 4 hours before we touched down in Thailand. Both flights were nearly empty so Matt and I marked our territory early and were able to stretch out like two lazy dogs on a cold tile floor.

We shared a cab with a fellow traveler and veteran of Bangkok thinking that would improve our chances of getting to our hotel without getting completely jipped and in one piece. Thailand has a good reputation for being a safe place but at 1 am after traveling for nearly 19 hours it's hard to have good judgement on anything. Our cabbie was a nice young fellow who had no clue where he was going despite the directions Matt printed out in Thai. He giggled and giggled at his directional dysfunction finally stopping and asking directions. 45 minutes later we finally made it to our "guest house" at the Shanti Lodge.

The Shanti lodge is designed for hearty travellers like ourselves. At rates of 15 bucks a night for our own room with A/C and shower it was definitely right up our ally. The setting was also prime to get you into the tropical vibe with cool lighting ala paper lanterns, burl tables, lush plants, koi pond and images of Buddha woven through colorful mosaics climbing around the walls. Their menu was impressive catering to the organic vegetarian but allowing those of us meat lovers to fill our carnivorous cravings. Most mornings we had fresh fruity shakes and in the evenings they would pour alittle booze in the shake and call it a cocktail, we couldn't get enough regardless of what they called it.

Once the jetlag wore off we pounded the muggy streets breathing in the sights and sounds of Thailand. Our first detour took us down through the belly of the a market just beyond the Shanti. If it wasn't bolted down or extinct chances are it was sold at this market. We saw fish, eels, frogs, mussels, eggs, veggies, dry goods, spices, flowers, etc. all magnificently stacked and presented with flair. The Thais take great pride in their presentation of produce and I couldn't help but marvel at it all. Equally as impressive were the various food vendors with their pushcarts and hot woks. For about 20 baht or 50 cents you could walk up to a cart and get a nice piping hot plate of Pad Thai and sit at a little fold up table at a plastic stool and feast away. Matt and I don't speak a lick of Thai so we would approach a stand that looked appetizing and would just sit and motion 2 with our fingers. Having no idea what we were going to be served was an exciting game of chance and it paid off almost every occasion. One night when we were playing the mystery food game we stumbled into a place filled with drunk Thais singing karoke. We dined on a whole deep fried fish smothered in a spicey sweet sauce while savouring the lyrical genius of the inebriated Thais.

Boat taxi became our favorite mode of transportation. A pier was just around the corner from our guest house and we could jump on and float down to the center of town avoiding the hectic streets. The Bangkok streets are bustling with tuk tuks (3 wheeled carts), motorbikes, cars and trucks. They spew an inordinant amount of exhaust and many people walk, ride and drive with make shift masks. Despite what I say about the traffic the streets are well paved and well marked. The lights have timers that count down for drivers letting you know exactly how long you're planted at a light. Since we need to work on our haggling skills we found that boat travel eliminated bargaining and was in fact quite cheap not to mention fun.

Our days were filled visiting many of the hundreds of Wats, or Buddhist Temples, that dot the Bangkok landscape. We saw Buddha sitting, standing, reclining, golden, jade and all manners in between. Thai Wats are a masterpiece in architecture, form, order, color and reverence. They are carefully decorated in bright mosaics of tile, china and glass. Even at night you can see the roof tops and buildings glistening in the light. You don't have to be a buddhist to appreciate their houses of worship. Outside most of the Wats men and women delicately arrange yellow, red and purple flowers as offerings to Buddha. Candles and incense burn in effigy to parents, teachers and loved ones.