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Published: March 31st 2006
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Part two of Bangkok.. as you can see I was there way too long!!
Wednesday the 22nd… My old boss warned me that I might come across some stinky smells traveling in Thailand. Besides the occasional food stall though, I’ve been able to keep my food down, until this day!! Apparently the foul smell that he warned me about was seeping right out of my own bathroom drain in my new room at my new guesthouse in Bangkok!!! Oh it was nasty and there was nothing the staff said they could do about it except pour some water down the drain!! Sick of moving my crap around from guesthouse to guesthouse, I was determined to fix it. A pack of the strongest insets I could find on the streets seemed to do the trick! But.. later that night when I returned to my room the smell had returned and more incents were bought.. By the time I went to sleep my nose was so stuffed from either the incents or BK smog that I couldn’t smell the stench any longer and passed out on my cushy mattress!
Also did some major sight seeing this day at the Grand Palace and
The Grand Palace2
The hermit doctor Wat Po. Woke up and got to the palace at 8am and there already was a line to get in! Standing in front of these vast monuments took my breath away and none of these pictures can do justice. The detail and intricate stonework and architectural thought that was put into these buildings is inconceivable..and to think that these landmarks were built in the 1700’s, before modern tools, made me appreciate these monuments that much more. Also visiting the Museum beforehand gave the visit a more education-spin as I was now able to see what I read about as well as know the history behind each memorial.
Next was Wat Po, which houses the largest reclining Buddha in SEA. It was amazing to see how large this thing was but I was quite turned off from all the tourists. I have to remind myself that I too am a tourist, invading these Monk’s homes and sanctuaries. And because of this frustration, I am finding it difficult to really feel and experience these religious sites while dodging cameras and tripping on the heels of the person in front of me.
In the afternoon I met up with Nancy, my Aunt Catherine’s
friend who is originally from NYC. We met at Siam Paragon, which would put the Short Hills Mall to shame! We ended up chatting with a few of her friends at a posh bookstore sipping on cappuccinos that cost more than a day’s budget for me! We also made plans to meet up the following day to do some volunteer work with some children! I took a motorbike taxi home for another 70b and it was worth every Baht in thrills! This guy had no fear driving up one way streets in the wrong direction and running red lights! And this is normal I tell you!! Nothing out of the ordinary for men in the transportation industry!! I spent the entire ride praying to God, Ganesha, Buddha and the road Gods to get me back home alive! From the near death experience, I just had to treat myself to my first massage in Thailand.. a whopping $6 usd for one hour!!
On Thursday I got to see the other half of BK that I haven’t already walked through as I made my way across town to one of the Mercy Centers/Aids Hospice of the Human Development Foundation—it took 2
busses and 1 train ride to travel less than 10 miles though Bangkok! HDF works with children and communities of the poorer areas of Bangkok—they build and operate schools and shelters to accommodate orphans and children/adults with AIDS. Nancy has been making puppets with these children in the previous weeks and today we were making Paper Mache puppets! Kirsten (one of Nancy’s friends) and I were helpers for the morning and we all had loads of fun getting our fingers dirty and full of goo while sculpting elephants, pigs and other crazy animal puppets!
Amanda arrived in Bangkok by the time I got back from volunteering and we were able to catch up on what the both of us had been doing for the past week. We checked emails and ate some good Indian food (no Windex this time)!! There must be something in the BK air here b/c later on that night Amanda ended up getting an ear piercing at the tattoo parlor as well!!
Friday the 24th was my last full day in BK—I would have my passport back in my hands with my India visa in it by 5pm!! I basically spent the entire day uploading
pictures from Malaysia on that MSN website..here’s the link: http://spaces.msn.com/jerseysteph/ and mailed out all the goodies I have picked up for everyone throughout the week!
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Moooooo
non-member comment
You Bitch
i cant believe you put those photos of me up....what a crack up. i reckon i will have to pay you back with some shockers of you on my site....