First Entry Abroad

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Well I finally have some quite time to sit down and type. It has been pretty hectic since I got to Asia and I havent been at an internet connection for more than a few minutes. Hopefully over the course of the next couple months I will be able to get fairly consistent schedule with posting. I also found today that one entry I tried to publish while in Denver International Airport didn't go through and magically disappeared.

Either way, I am now here. Bangkok was a pretty astonishing city. I saw the extremely advanced and impressive Bangkok and I also saw the poor region. I stayed in a small guest house directly across from the train station. It was nice in that I only had to carry my bike box across the street, but it was a pretty run down place with only the most basic ammenities. My only full day in Bangkok I spent aimlessly wandering around town. It was quite enjoyable and I enjoyed some good Thai food. I also saw one of the most impressive shopping centers of my life. Siam Square was incredible. It is the what I would define as the future of shopping centers. Several floors separated by what type of goods you are looking for. The design was also incredible and impressive to take in. I then went to the MBK center which houses literally thousands of specialty shops. The first floor I saw was blanketed in cellphones, cellphones, and more cell phones. You can find any type of ripped off item you want. Fake ipods, Rolexes, Perfumes, designer clothes, sunglasses, you name it. Julie, if you are reading this, you could spend days here.

After the wandering I went back and crashed pretty early. My train left at 6 Am the next morning and took 6.5 hours to get to the boarder. It then took another hour and a half to get across the boarder. Then I found a taxi to share with 2 Australians I met. We roped my bike box into the trunk of the car. Poipet, Cambodia was not an enjoyable experience. All the guide books I read said that the best thing about Poipet is leaving Poipet and I couldn't agree more. The Cambodian roads were one of the worse things I have ever expeinced. THey ranged from bad to horrible with endless amounts of dust. I have never experienced anything like it. I am still amazed that our taxi driver didn't kill a dog, a child, or our Taxi after that trip. I was extremely relieved once we finally arrived in Siem Reap at about 6:30.

It was fun to see my friend Bethany again (a good friend from high school and church). She flew over from Ho Chi Minh city and her roomate Lia flew in from Hanoi where they both live. The first night we all went and got a Cambodian oil massage. After the 12+ hours of traveling on a slow and uncomfortable train plus a taxi ride from hell, it was incredible! We then all crashed hard in preparation for an early morning of going to the temple of Angkor Wat for the sunrise. I will talk about the temples and my half marathon race later today, as I need to go recharge my laptop. Check out the pictures!

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Comments

[Karen Crook]

Excited for you!
I'm excited about you adventure and will have you in my prayers! Hope your race went well and I'm looking forward to keeping up with you trip. Love-Aunt Karen

[Laurie Williams-Hayes]

Yeah! You made it!
Good for you John. Good Journeying...keep the blogs coming...Fare Thee Well, Lamplighter.