The Land of 1000 Smiles

Ah, Thailand...

It is exactly how I imagined it. Bangkok is a bustling Asian metropolis nestled on the bank of the Chao Praya river, and absolutely crawling with adventure tourists like J and I. We're staying at a clean and spartan hostel (US $9 per night) on the main tourist drag. The landscape is neon lights, sidewalk bars boasting "very strong coktale--no ID card check," and thousands of twenty-something backpackin' hippies. It's a non-stop party. Asian Mardi Gras.

Last night we dressed up and went out in search of a happening dance floor in our part of town. It was surprisingly difficult, as most bars in our neighborhood are of the "stand up at your table and self consciously bob your head to the music" variety. We started our own dance party at a hip club late in the night that was packed with young Thais. Today we took a water taxi (small river ferry) down town to do some poking around the central part of Bangkok. I got a bit seasick, but the views of the city were amazing--temples, churches, pagodas, and sky scrapers galore.

The food here is stellar, much as I had expected. You can get a delicately spiced thai curry with tofu and vegetables for about $1.50. We had lunch at a sidewalk cafe (chicken curry, rotis, noodles, tofu salad) today for about 4 dollars. I got a bag of the sweetest pineapple chunks I've ever tasted for 5 Baht (about ten cents US) and ate it as we walked around town. It's culinary heaven and the price is right, baby.

Well, we're off to do some shopping and looking around Chulalongkorn University. Say that three times fast.

Chulalongkorn-Chulagollk-Chul...aw, forget it :)

TKP