BANGKOK

"One Night in Bangkok Makes a Hard Man Humble"

Bangkok was my homebase on this holiday. Ken lives here, so I stayed at his place. What an awesome town: all the great food you could ever eat for very cheap; 2-hour traditional Thai massages for $8.00 Canadian; markets galore and zillions of street vendors; and best of all, the warm friendly people. I have never in my life experienced such a nice bunch. They are constantly smiling, and always remain calm. They have what they call a "cool heart", unlike back home, where everyone is sour and frequently throwing temper tantrums. We in the west could learn something from the Thai people.

There's Ken, enjoying a coffee with some locals. He speaks Thai very well. Many times he would have an animated conversation while I stood on the sidelines with a stupid look on my face. However, being a mute and not understanding a word was sometimes quite liberating.

Many people have asked me about the "Cabbages and Condoms" restaurant. Go there and you will see it's just a restaurant. Really.

Below is a picture of Ken and his girlfriend, Neung. We often went out to an outdoor Thai barbeque. You actually bbq right at your table in a metal vessel full of coals. It was a furnace eating here though: hot weather 30-35C +, spiciest food, and live coals in front of your sweating face.

Ken, Neung, and me at the Thai BBQ place.

Bangkok is an interesting city. They will construct modern buildings up, around, over, and through existing slums. Plenty of mangy mutts roam the streets, and it's sometimes difficult to find a garbage can. Still, it's an amazingly vibrant city, with plenty to do and see. There are beautiful locales too, and Buddhist shrines, large and small, can be found everywhere.

Traffic in Bangkok is a truly intense experience. I actually was in the middle of rush-hour a few times, and could not believe my eyes. If there's an empty spot of concrete, some manner of vehicle will fill it immediately. People swerve in and out, there's no obeyed speed limit, cars drive on shoulders, motorbikes zip up and down between cars. At one point a motorbike whipped by me on a sidewalk! Ken informed me there is frequent carnage, as could be expected. And the smog . . . you can literally feel sick in the air pollution. Despite all this, I had no huge delays getting anywhere (a few times sitting at long lights however).

This airport photo plainly shows the smog.

Here's the view from Ken's apartment. It's very close to where he teaches, in the English department of a Thai community college. Nice pool!

Here's a few more shots of falangs (white foreigners).

Above, a cool indoor garden in the Regent hotel.