Strolling around Bangkok

Today, Keith and I set off to wander around the city. Our goal was to leave early since it gets so impossibly hot here during the middle of the day, but that didn't happen. Too many cocktails last night. Just as in all major cities, there's a street here called Thanon Khao San that caters to young, western tourists, and it's located where the nightlife of Bangkok thrives. Last night, we felt we had to see it. We knew we were there when we heard Willie Nelson songs playing loudly from the "Cadallac Bar." After one quick drink here, we took off to a quieter area.

Today, as advised by our guide in the jungle, we did a river "cruise" along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya, which is the man river here in Bangkok. They used to call Bangkok the "Venice of the East," since this waterway is a means of transportation (water taxis), housing (water bungalows), and economy (both tourism and locals selling goods via water markets). We felt we got totally duped. It was expensive (as far as Thailand standards), costing about $45 for the both of us for only one hour. There was no tour guide, so we had no idea what we were looking at. Not that there was much to see - shabby-looking homes along a really muddy river. Yuk. Since it was so steaming hot, we then sought out some AC in the National Museum and the art gallery. Lastly, I was on a mission to buy some authentic Thai silk scarves.

And what a mission it was. We have vowed to never take tuk-tuks again. These drivers of these little dangerous vehicles try to scam tourists for all you've got. They're not metered, so you basically haggle with them on the price of the ride. Additionally, once you've settled on a price, they want to take you to shops to buy their buddy's products, whether it be custom-made suits, curios, or whatever. We ended up all over the place today, just trying to get to one store, until I nearly started screaming at him. All this, when you can just pay for an air-conditioned, comfortable, metered taxi - no haggling, a direct drive, and it's still super cheap. Oh, but we are learning as we go. I ended up getting 2 great silk scarves for much less than I would've in the states. We had pizza and beer for lunch; the first non-oriental meal we've had in a week.

Now, we're back at our B&B, waiting until 6:30 when we're going to see a Thai boxing match. It's supposed to be pretty wild, so we're excited about that. Talk to you soon!! - Kate