Bangkok to Chang Mai
This is just a very brief update. I’ll expand it later. I’m in Chang Mai in the north of Thailand. It’s the second largest city in the country. I got here at 6 am yesterday on an overnight bus. The trains were full. It is more relaxed than Bangkok and small enough to walk around, but the pollution is getting to me. I saw a couple of unusual Wats yesterday–Wat Umong and Wat Chet Yot. Last night I went to a Thai Kickboxing event. It was clearly a tourist affair, but interesting nonetheless. As usual the small guys kick the…
Last Day in Bangkok
I’m leaving Bangkok tonight. The second class train tickets were sold out so I’m taking a VIP bus. Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep. I think I’m on Thailand time now even though last night I fell asleep at 8pm and woke up at 1 am. Today I went to the National Museum. An Englishwoman gave a three-hour tour. She was very knowledgeable about the various poses and periods of the Buddha. I didn’t realize before how heavily influenced Thailand is by Hinduism. It precedes Buddhism here and they kept a lot of the stories and symbolism. Toward the end…
Bangkok: Part One
Well I made it. That was a long series of flights. The flight from Atlanta to Tokyo was not so much a journey as a temporary lifestyle. I watched four complete movies and some TV, ate three and a half meals, read and slept. I’m staying at a place called the Sawasdee Bangkok Inn. It’s alright. Sawasdee means hello, so when you say “Sawasdee” to a taxi driver he says, “Sawasdee” and you look at each other until he realizes your an idiot. There are at least half a million Sawasdee guest houses around Khao San Road, which is where…
SE Asia Trip Intro
I’m traveling solo headed to Southeast Asia on the 19th of December, flying into Bangkok. I’m planning on traveling to Chang Mai and Krabi in Thailand, as well as Luang Prabang in Laos, Hanoi in Vietnam, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I may be going to Phnom Penh, Cambodia as well. About the only things I’m set on is getting to Angkor and doing some sea-kayaking somewhere pretty, probably Krabi. I’m also curious about staying at a Buddhist monestary for a few days, but I draw the line at cooking lettuce for breakfast. I don’t yet have a feel for…