Bangkok.
Wow....what a city. So, Ethan and I are in the Peace Corps office in Bangkok chilling in their lounge while we wait for our 6PM train to Chiang Mai. We have had an excellent, fun-filled and exciting past few days and hadve decided that we should spend a few more days here on the way back through. So, Ill tell you all about those days.



Ronald welcoming us to Thailand with the traditional Thai greeting.

Well, after a horrible late night arrival and the grossest dirtiest smallest hostel room in Bangkok, we were not feeling the Bangkok vibe right off. After a good night of sleep (well as good as the bad mattress and neighbours could afford us), we packed up our stuff, headed out for a American style breakfast with bacon and eggs and COFFEE. The coffee was instant, did the trick andt he breakfast was cheap but now that we have been here a few days, cheap keeps getting smaller. When you convert everything to US dollars, everything here is cheap, but if we are now trying to set a Baht budget for our time here to keep my shopping in check! When I say cheap, we were living on a pricey island. Even the beer here is less than $1US for a big one. I bought myself a cute skirt for $4US and a new t-shirt will put you back $0.50US. Bottled water runs between $0.25 - $1US. In the markets, they tend to start about 4x higher than the real price but 711 and the other street stores keeps the prices pretty set. Anyway, enough price comparision...I have realized that I have lost a lot of my bargaining skills and that speaking Samoan with Ethan while bargaining is a very handy tool to have. Back onto the events...anyway, we found a great hostel for $450Baht (or $11.25US) a night with an A/C unit and a balcony that we really liked. It was off the famed Ko San Rd and we liked the view.
Pad Thai Vendor on Ko San Road...

Next, we wanted to go see the city and thought a trip to the weekend market would be a good experience. We still weren't even here for 24 hours mind you and it was a Sunday, reminiscent t of Samoa since it was a 3-day holiday weekend. Overwhelmed with the crowds, we only lasted an hour or so and were about to head back to our little comfortable niche (the hostel) and a nap. We wound up sharing a taxi with these two Aussie blokes, who also invited us out that night to a less touristy section of town to hear some good music. We told them how we'd been living on an island and were game for some more big city/cultural stuff more than your average tourist/Ko San Rd gig. We danced at this great strip of clubs (I couldn't tell you where it was for the life of me) and heard some great house music. By the end of the night, Ethan, the two Aussies, and this other British dude (whom they met in Vietnam) and myself were invited back with these Thai girls to their condo. The one doing the inviting, who owned the condo, was keen on the British dude and her sister and other friend were along as well. Turns out this girls condo was beautiful and gorgeous and her father worked for the police. Her English was good, the sister's was weak, and the friend spoke none. Another Thai boy showed up later (I think to keep an eye on them) and his English was at least conversable. We danced and tried to feed us, bought some more alcohol and they didn't seem the type to always invite farang up to their condo for an afterparty, so it was really interesting. I may note, that I was not drinking (although I did imbide on a few RedBulls to keep me going). We lasted a while and then left the boys to their own thing and Ethan and I taxied back to the hostel. Of course, we tried to sleep in the next day but I can't sleep in...so instead we went out and took naps in the afternoon.

View from the Skytrain bridge crossing over to the Weekend Market.

Day 2 in Bangkok. We tried to follow the Lonely Planet walking tour and got lost. But it was fun to get lost and wind up in communities where we were off the beaten path and just wandering the streets. Our lunch was fantastic, on the river and REAL Pad Thai and some noodle soup, next to a vendor selling snakes and snails (live in bowls). Way better and unlike the plain street variety Pad Thai on Ko San Rd. We enjoyed our four hour walk through the Amulet market, University, and Chinatown, and past many temples. We couldn't go in because we didn't have covered shoes and pants (or long skirt for me) on. After a good long nap, we headed out to the Patpong Night Market for some real bargaining and cultural experience. We had dinner at a place packed with locals and a menu with pictures under the expressway at a metal table on the street. It was so good, I still can't stop talking about the prawns in lime and coriander. We picked up some good deals at the market and stopped at a local joint in the area for one beer before heading back to the hostel and calling it a night.




Dinner on the street in Pat Pong, across from the night market, mmmm was it good.

Today, we head to Chiang Mai on a 12-hour train ride so stay tuned for more adventures.