bangkok

from the roof of the d & d inn at sunset with bob dylan playing somewhere in the background ...

bangkok. good time city. our minibus from kanchanaburi was uneventful, so i will skip it. in bangkok we are staying on the khao san road. the khao sand road is famous to travellers. it is to backpackers what the waters of lourdes is to humpbacks and cripples*. it is the centre of the backpacking world, where baht translates into cheap watches, massages, beer and internet access. we pass on getting fake press id's and settle with renting a room with a warm shower for a change. but the hunter s. thompson in me was really tempted to become a dr. of journalism. we slept a little and ate dinner. i celebrated our finding of the nexus of the traveller universe by drinking a tiger beer. lydia shopped. we both had hot showers. the beach was on tv so we watched it. it seemed significant as richard began his trip on the khao san road.

up early the first full day and we went to the grand palace for when it opens to try and avoid the crowds. we're still really tired (it seems it is hard to sleep in the places we stay), but we head there anyways and avoid the tuk-tuk driver who tries to scam us by telling us it is closed. that is a common trick. people from the king and i lived at the palace. it is sacred ground, and an entrance fee to match. i am getting a little tired of all of these monuments, temples, etc. being free for thais but us foreigners have to pay. it is beautiful though, and shows signs of indian, khmer, chinese, european and thai history and architecture. tourists swarm all over but lydia managed to get some really good pictures. most of the buildings are closed for us, but you can't come to bangkok and miss the grand palace. it is too large, too majestic, too famous. even clinton stayed here once ...

attached to the palace is wat phra kaew (known as the temple of the emerald buddha). this is the royal chapel and most revered shine in all of thailand. the buddha sits atop a gold alter. however, he is only 2 feet tall and lydia and i are a little disappointed in his stature. the walls are covered in murals depicting the life of buddha, the steps to enlightenment, and cosmology. mother of pearl and elephant art is everywhere.

nest we hit up wat po (the temple of the reclining buddha). it is the oldest and largest buddhist temple in bangkok. the emerald buddha has nothing on this guy. the reclining buddha is 140 ft long and 50 ft high, covered in gold leafing and mother of pearl. lyds and i both each purchased a cup of coins and dropped them into a long row of begging bowls adjacent to the buddha for luck and good karma. back to the hotel for a nap, dinner, some shopping along khao san, and a night swim on the rooftop with the night lights of the city around us.

up early - fittingly - to visit wat arun (temple of the dawn) the next morning. we walked around the city and found the tha tien pier, from which we took a ferry accross the chao praya. the temple is a majestic tower in the khmer style, 260 feet tall. it is entirely constructed out of flower ceramics, incredibly detailed and intricate. at the base are chinese statues that used to be ballast in chinese shipping boats. i am so disappointed to learn that you can no longer climb the center prang. apparently this is a new development, and i would like to take this moment to thank the jack who ruined it for everyone else. grrr .... i have never been good at walking away from barriers or velvet ropes when i want to get on the other side. i sulk a bit. conor and i would have made a run for it.

after crossing the river again and a lunch break we visit the national museum. actually, we skipped paying the entry fee and went right into the orientation screening of the museum. it was very detailed and highlighted the exhibits and history of thailand. a small victory but we were tired of paying when thais do not. the pollution, heat and sun drove us back to the hotel. we are both tired. it is hard to get a good night's sleep in this place with doors being slammed, phones constantly ringing and the nightly entertainment of other guests. the walls, in everywhere we have stayed, are paper thin (think japanese). everything echoes in the hallway. i think lyds is so excited for hong kong to get a chance to sleep.

final notes on thailand:

traffic - beware! there are no traffic regulations or proper street crossings. instead you run across the road like frogger, scanning left and right like a marysville railway crossing. cars run reds, and everyone honks. don't drive. walk alert.
restaurants - best cheap restaurant in bangkok is ranee's. pad thai can be eaten at every meal.
sayings you hear/pick up - oh my buddha; no money, no honey; same, same ... but different.
weather - hot days (30c) and cool nights in the north.
time - there is no malaysian time zone. there is only thai time which is like jamaican time on a muscle relaxant.
money - baht can buy you anything from a trip to a monkey school to a visit to the democratic people's republic of laos.
accommodations - "hot" showers is a relative term, so lather first. there may be 50 channels but how many are in english? ants bite, period. black mould is a common adornment, and toilets sometimes need a bucket of water to flush.

tomorrow we fly to hong kong. next time we fly in it will be directly into koh samui in the south. goodbye nothern thailand. goodbye watch. i had a great time.

ps. i miss my nfl. go bears in the superbowl. finished high fidelity so i am moving on to the butcher boy.

*Scorcese