Back to Bangkok...

Greetings from Phuket - more on the glorious Thai beaches in a bit!!

So what did I think of Bangkok? I suppose I'd give it a mixed review. I loved the lights and energy and colors of Khao San Road (the main drag for tourists), but at the same time, it's a bit like Vegas: after a night or two, I began to feel dirty & gross about all the maddness around me. Some stand out moments on Khao San:

Spending hours at a spa one day getting a mani/pedi, hour-long massage and leg & bikini waxing all for about $12!

There is a Shell gas station that closes around sunset when a restaurant sets up in & around the pumps. I took this photo of the bar they set up at pump #2 every night because why not serve alcohol and have people smoking in & around active gas pumps!!

There are street vendors selling EVERYTHING under the sun. I could have picked up pirated copies of CDs that probably don't get released till next Tuesday, and movies that were just released last Friday! (Blood Diamond, the complete 3rd season of LOST, you name it, it was there!) I refrained from supporting the pirates!

The food vendors on the street were especially exceptional -- my favorite was a woman we found one night who'd take a small ball of dough, toss it like a pizza guy would to make a very thin circle shape, put it in a hot pan, and then slice a banana on it, fold it up like a pocket, flip it a few times to fully cook it through, then put it on a plate, slice it up and drizzle condensed milk and chocolate sauce over it. What an unbelievable treat!!!

Sadly, Thai prostitutes are everywhere looking for white men, and many find them, as it was very common to see gross older (40s/50s) white men walking around with very young pretty Thai girls. There are also a lot of Thai "Girly Men" who enjoy showing off their post-surgery goods (the guy who ran our Guest House told us the hospital in Bangkok is the world leader in sex change operations - who knew?!).

One night I was standing at a restaurant reading the menu out front when I heard crunching at my feet. I looked down to see a dog eating a large rat - no joke! And the dog wasn't a stray. It had a collar. I was horrified and immediately pulled out my camera to document this moment. the restaurant owner noticed this, and said some stuff in Thai, and then went over to pat the dog, giving it praise. I took this to mean the dog was his, and he was pleased it'd caught a rat (something it probably does often...). I didn't stay to eat there, nor did I eat anywhere near there!

Some highlights off Khao San Rd:

The Royal Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha -- stunning temples, and a great audio tour so I actually had an explanation of what all I was looking at. I must say, however, I was a tad bit disappointed when the Emerald Buddha turned out to be carved out of Jasper...

My first night, I stayed in the business district, and to get down to the Khao San area, I took the locals' canal ferry boat along with two other adventurous spirits from my hostel. It was crazy fun -- the long wooden boats pull up next to each dock and only stop for a split second during which tons of people are jumping on & off. There are no ropes or railings to hold on to, and the boat never fully stops, so it's quite a thrill and a bit of a challenge (we had two transfers, plus our initial boarding and final departure stops to navigate). And the three of us were the only tourists we saw on the boats -- everyone else was local, and they loved it that we were giving it a go. We actually received applause each time successfully got on or off a boat!

I return to Bangkok tomorrow night, just for a quick sleep, and then in the morning I take off on a 2-day tour to some attractions just outside the city, including the Bridge Over River Kwai, and the Tiger Temple where I'll get to pet the only big cats that don't live in Africa!!

xoxo,
Mere