Bangkok

Bangkok is crazy.
My introduction was going to an all thai neighbourhood to couchsurf. When I reached the neighbourhood I found an internet cafe to find the girls address. I had a message from her that she was caring for her sick sister and couldnt have me over. Too bad, but I got to see an interesting part of town. I got back on the metro and had to get to where the airport bus could have taken me if I had stayed on it.

Side note:On the bus we were going on 6 lane wide roads, 4 going the opposite direction and 2 in ours. But this would change form time to time when our bus or other people woudl head into the oncoming traffic lane and then cut back into the proper one at the last second! Sometimes we would take over 2 lanes on the other side! It was quite scary. Then we would sit without moving for at least 5 minutes, then move very fast for 150 meters, then sit again for 5 minutes. No exaggerating.
End of side note.

So I took the metro close to a tourist area and needed a taxi or something the rest of the way. A taxi driver asked me where I wanted to go and I told him, we made a price and headed to the cab. Except the cab was a scooter! I had my bag on my back, hanging off the back of the scooter, trying to pull me to the asphalt, and we were swerving through traffic, going up and down and sideways, and each time we accelerated I was sure I would fall off! Some times we accelerated going uphill and I saw my body boucing down the road! (I was pryaing my bag would protect me like a turtle shell) Somehow I managed to hang on... and made it alive. Since then I have scooted without a giant bag and its lots of fun dodging traffic. Its just that when your bag is wider than the sccoter the driver mightnot thnk about this as he goes between cars.... Atleast I got a droky helmet that woul keep my pulvarized brains from scattering too much should I have fallen.

I tried to spend time away form the crazy parts and in the quiet parts. It is funny how you can cross an insane street, go through a gate and be in the serenity of a temple. There are many Buddhist Wats (temples) all over... You can sit down and enjoy a meditation or the great detail in design.










Even Ronald is a closet Buddhist. I wonder what the cows think?

Here is a view of Bangkok from the top of the golden temple... On the way down you get to ring bells of all sizes

More temple...

Night time Temple

Standing Buddha.... Here I have yet to see the jolly fat Buddha, maybe that is another sect

When he gets tired he reclones just like the rest of us

Outside a temple, there were many of these

One wayto get around is by boat bus....

Here is a Wat I have yet to visit but want to, seen form theboat

There is an area of Bangkok called Pat Pong, and like the name suggests it is the Ping Pong capital of the whle country. It is a very popular sport and they even have special athletes who perform shows... all the tuk tuk (little three wheel taxis) want to take you to see a ping pong show as they get commission if you go in... far more than the 20 cents they charge for the ride... Once you get to the district you are harrassed constantly to go see a show! It is a little to intense and out merry group declined all the offers.

As Bangkok is a capital of sex tourism there are organizations trying to help make it clean and safe. One is a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. They provide pills and condoms to sex trade workers. Here is their mascot captain condom... Look closely...

We had a delicious veggie meal...

There are also many thai massage parlors that turn you into a pretzel and then force your body into other positions and in the end you feel great although you are unsure if all your limbs are still attached. A 2 hour massage is 10 dollars and you can get a half hour foot massge super cheap. The food is cheap and yummy but there are springroll standds all over. I say but as this is not a good thing due to the high level of addictiveness. It is somewhere between cocaine and morphine, bordering on the morphine side. Just typing this makes me long for a return to Bangkok, although not much else does!

I was staying in a party neighbourhood and didnt get to see much more of Bangkok than the temples and that area, maybe I will return and see more, but the mountains are calling so north I go!