Day 1 - Sunday, February 13 - Bangkok

I finally got to bed a little after 3AM. I wasn't very tired being that I slept most of the plane rides for the previous 20 hours.

I woke up at 6:15AM thanks to my handy travel alarm clock that the nice man at Magellan's talked me into buying. I showered and went downstairs for breakfast. There were some strange things on the buffet so I played it safe on my first day. I just had some toast and jelly, Pad Thai Chicken and some egg and noodle stuff. It was all really good.

The lady from the tour picked me up at 7:30AM for the boat ride. It seemed touristy and cheesy at first but it was GREAT. I'm so thankful I did it cause I would never have seen that side of Bangkok and the surrounding areas on my own. Along the way, we stopped at the Zoo and a local market. My pictures will really have to explain the sights. Those will come at a later date as will some more postings. My session is about to expire and not sure I want to pay another 10 baht (.35-.40 cents, haven't mastered the money yet) for another 30 minutes of internet time. Remember, this is a budget trip!

I just checked out of the Trang Hotel and headed over to the Shanti Lodge. I'll stay here for the next 2 nights until I head up to Chiang Mai. Like my friend Dylan, who stayed here in November, I splurged for a room with Air Con (as the Thai say) and it's a whopping 450 Baht. Do the math - it's about $12 a night. The A/C added $2.50 a night so I decided to splurge and go for the whole $12. This place doesnt encourage the use of toilet paper.....rather the use of a spray hose that sits beside the toilet. They say, "try it and you'll want one when you go back home" but I'll head over to 7-11 to get some Thai Charmin as soon as I'm done typing. I believe that's all for now. Tomorrow, I wake up early again and go to see some temples with some giant golden buddah's.

P.S. It's great to get an early start as it gets pretty toasty around noonish. They talk celcius here so I have no idea what the temp is......HOWEVER, one doesn't have to be a brain surgeon to tell that there's about 10000% humidity. My guess is that it's about 90 degrees and my pits will attest that it's HUMID as HUMID can be.

Hung close to the SHANTI tonight. Was still suffering from a bit of Jet Lag and was pretty tired. Walked around the local markets and took in the sights. One can't believe the amounts and the kinds of food that the street vendors are selling. I am very tempted to try it all but I need to take it slowly. For now, I will stay away from the rotting fish and raw meats that are swarming with flies. Have no fear though, I will be eating it all by trips end. After a beer at about 5PM, I crashed hard. I slept pretty well (on and off - I think I may have heard Arlo crying throughout the night).