The Steamy and Exciting "Hub" of SE Asia

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We've arrived in Bangkok! The flight was comfy, the new airport here is massive, clean and modern. Getting through customs was a breeze, probably the shortest line up for immigration we've ever waited in.

We decided to only stay in the big capital for a few days, and head out to explore the other areas almost immediately. Bangkok is the unofficial hub of SE Asia, so we'll be back here again and will spend more time here then exploring the city.

It's HOT here in Thailand. Very hot. I heard some rather sorry news (haha) that Calgary is colder than Siberia right now, something near -38 with the wind chill?! Goodness! I really do feel for all of you stuck in that weather (unless for some sick reason you are enjoying it) because here it's a balmy 32 degrees. WeatherNetwork.com also has a handy feature that tells you what it FEELS like, in addition to the actual temperature. Guess how hot it FEELS...45 DEGREES!! Hopefully thoughts of that will help keep you warm while your eyelids freeze together. HAH.

Yesterday we escaped the heat in the refridgeratorness of the movie theater. Feeling out of the loop in terms of Western entertainment we took the opportunity to catch up on some big screen action. The theater was very comfy, the seats much softer than at home, and the cost was only ~$2-3 for each of us! We saw Saw 3 (I love the bloodiest goriest slash em movies I can find) and Casino Royale (James Bond for Devlin). Both were fantastic. An interesting tidbit of culture, before the movie and after the string of previews everyone stands up and the national anthem is played while images of the King are shown on the screen. It was a little strange, but we stood with the rest of them not wanting to show disrespect.

Our plans have changed yet again. The original itinerary was to head North to do the loop up there for a month, then head back to Bangkok and catch a train straight into Malaysia for New Years. On the plane here we both decided we were ready for a change of pace from Buddhas and temples and aching for some beaches. So South we go! We'll think of you all while relaxing in the sand drinking beer. We'll spend roughly a month on the Andaman Coast and then hop over into Malaysia and onto Singapore for New Years Eve. We'll come back and hit the cultural heavy Northern section a bit later, probably sometime in January.

Tomorrow ends our short stay in the urban tangle, we're booking train tickets as we speak to Phuket.

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas preparations. It seems strange that it's nearly December yet we're sweating our buns off. In true budget style (or perhaps a little foolishly) we booked the cheapest hostel we could find, which means no air con in the room. There is a small rotating fan though, which we perch at the end of the bed and aim directly on our clammy selves each night. The lack of hot water is a godsend, and the coolness of the shower is still not quite icy enough. The hostel is quite out of the way, requiring a ride in the back of a pick up to reach the nearest "downtown". Again, this is all ok as Bangkok is only a brief stop off point right now.

Missing you all terribly (though certainly not the weather!),

Erin and Devlin

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Comments

[Andrea]

thats interesting! when linds and i were in uruguay we caught many a movie for about $3 each...we could even drink beer in the theatre! one night when we went to see TROY (Troya in Spanish) it happened to be their nation's birthday...it was a long song...very dramatic and classical...everyone was really into it...we stood...but it was really uncomfortable...we didnt know the words...and giggled a bit...great memory though!