thailand, 18 Aug 2006 --
Actually, it’s been four days since we left. The flight wasn’t bad at all - they fed us enough and I didn’t get deep vein thrombosis. I only got kicked out of business class once for trying to use their bathrooms, and I managed to sleep quite a bit.
So Bangkok is crazy. Andris and I mostly wandered around and tried to hit a few landmarks on the way. We visited this park in the morning (can’t remember what it is called) and people were everywhere jogging, doing Tai Chi, ballroom dancing, and play sword fighting. We also saw some giant lizards swimming in the river that runs through the park, which was a highlight for me. At 8:00 everyone stopped what they were doing, stood perfectly still, and listened to the national anthem to honor the king.
We did a million other things today including taking the sky train and a boat to the Wat Pho temple, going to another temple to inquire about meditation classes (we’re going next week), getting Thai massages, wandering through crazy back alley markets in China town, spending more time in another park watching some fighter practice by hitting a tree for a while, seeing this giant swing that has been decommissioned due to too many deaths, and went into a small village under a bridge to see where monk’s devotional bowls are made. Then for dinner we looked in vain for a duck/goose soup place in the Lonely Planet, but failed, and ended up at a bizarre make-your-own cooked meat and soup restaurant. You go to the buffet to get the ingredients and cook it at your own personal charcoal steam grill which ends up making soup. It was delicious, though extremely hot. There was no AC, and squat toilets (new to me), but at 89 Baht a person ($2.25) it can’t be beat.
Multiple times today Andris and I found ourselves the only non-Thai folks we had seen in blocks and blocks. The markets are completely out of control with dogs and cats running around, motorcycles always trying to run you over, and food carts everwhere selling who-knows-what. It’s pure craziness, and completely exceeds my expectations. Good night!
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August 18th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
What fun to hear about your adventures so far. Do you have a recipe for duck/goose soup? If you collect something on your travels, recipes would be easy to carry, especially if you include pictures of the ingredients so you will be able to recognize them when you look for them back home.
Are you still in the hotel you stayed in the first night? How long will you be in Bangkok and how many meditation classes will you be taking? Love, Grandma
August 18th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Great fun hearing about your adventures. Are you still staying in The Atlanta hotel? How do you make duck/goose soup? You must collect something on the trip, so recipes would be easy - and take pictures of the ingredients so you will be able to find them when you get home. How long are you staying in Bangkok? Sounds like you covered a lot of territory in the first couple of days, but I’m sure it will take a long time to get to know the city.
Keep the info coming! Love, Grandma W.