mike_s Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 (I had some problems with internet access in Thailand, so I am going to post these every day or so as I finish them) Hello from Bangkok, Thailand. Going through customs in Bangkok, Thailand proved very easy. I had nothing to declare, and they didn't even search my bags. The first thing that you notice is the heat, It is like a sauna even at 12am. The airport is just as crowded as Hong Kong, but somehow it seems far less organized. The first place I wanted to see was Wat Po, which is a very famous temple and school. My hotel was in Sukhumvit, one of the tourist sections of Bangkok. It is actually a fair distance to the Wat. Napha says the easiest way to get to the Wat is by Klong boat. Bangkok used to be known as the "Venice of the east" due to the large number of canals or "klongs". Some have been filled in for the real-estate, but they still play a major part in getting people to work. The Klong Boats act as busses moving through the city. One of the boats will take us very close to the Wat. The fare for the boat is very cheap. The blue tarps on the boat prevent water from passing boats from splashing inside. Images of the Reclining Buddha are all over the web, so I am going to post pictures of some of the other cool things I saw. The vendors all over the place can be kind of annoying. If you go to Thailand, be sure to learn one Thai phrase, "My oww, cup". This means "I dont want it". After the Wat, we had lunch in a small Thai cafe around the corner from the Wat. Some students from the massage school at the Wat had to practice their english on me. By 2pm it was so hot that I thought the fillings were going to melt out of my teeth, so we headed back to the hotel. Regards from the road, mike_s Pictures at www.jaggedweb.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyde Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Mike, I am enjoying your trip dialog and pictures, keep posting. Do you have an itinerary or moving as the wind blows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_s Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 I have a list of places I want to see, and Hotel reservations in the general area. I made the hotel reservations across the internet. I also have about a 100 word vocabulary and a phrasebook. I don't like the packaged tour thing, because you miss out on meeting the people and hearing their stories. That is half of why I travel. I miss out on some facts and figures a professional guide could give me, but I like to think I make up for it be getting a sense of what the people are really like. I also get lost, and get in some pretty funny situations. Like driving all over Bangkok with a taxi driver who has not one word of english, and doesnt know where my hotel is. When you travel this way, you really need a sense of humor. The Thai people I have met are very friendly, and are amazed I took the trouble to learn some of their language for just a vacation. Regards, mike_s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryanne Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Hi Mike, Great pictures. Who are those girls??? Just friends huh... Also all the animals in Thailand look just like ours. Seriously, you seem like you are having a great time. Thanks for the updates. Enjoy.. who are those girls... cute. Maryanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_s Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 Hi Mike,Great pictures. Who are those girls??? Just friends huh... Actually the two girls are Naphalai and Wan. Naphalai is the one on the left. I met Naphalai on an internet dating site. Her and I have been talking for three months so so, through an interpreter. Once I got to Hong Kong, Naphalai and I had problems communicating so she volunteered her younger sister who had the day off to come help us communicate. Her younger sister is named Wan, and has been dating a Canadian guy for a year, so her english is pretty good. They both travelled with me in Hong Kong. The two girls in the first picture in report #1 are Naphali and Mary. Mary runs a small internet cafe out of her house. Naphalai is 10 years older than Mary, and kind of acts as Mary's big sister. I did not know this until Napha got a lot more english, but Mary sets gals up with western guys through her internet cafe. This is not a "mail-order bride" scam or anything like that. She just knows some gals looking for western guys, and tries to hook them up with western guys looking for wives. Of course since she set them all up with email, they have to buy time on her computers. Napha is a little older than all of the other gals there, and kind of acts like a den mother. I think what happened is that Mary volunteered to help hook up Napha with a western guy. Napha wasnt really all that interested. The problem is that Mary acts as a translator if language skills are bad. She tried to convince me that Napha was in love with me, and I didnt buy it. Napha and I like each other very, very much. She is an absolute sweetheart, but she and I want different things out of life. Napha is kind of a little entrepreneur, and is saving money to start a business in Buriram(her home province) where she has already bought land. She wants someone to live with her there. By the time it got thru Mary to me, it sounded like she was madly in love with me, and willing to live anywhere. When she left, Naphalai gave me a rather large gold ring(that only fits on my little finger) so that I would not forget her and we agreed to be "just friends". I will see her the next time I go to Thailand(and I am definitely going back) Also all the animals in Thailand look just like ours. Seriously, you seem like you are having a great time. Thanks for the updates. Not so much... Been a long time since i saw 10 tigers rolling around Washington State. Regards, mike_s PS - Pan, who I met later is another story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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