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Published: February 9th 2007
Golden Budha 1
This a close up of a solid gold statue of Budha...It is February 9th as I write this. We are presently in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and I will try to get you caught up to the present. Here goes:
... When we last saw our heroes they were travelling back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai, where they'd enjoyed great food, beautiful weather, and magnificent Flora. And then...
The last meal we had in Chiang Mai was in what turned out to be a dodgy restaurant. It was conveniently located next to our guesthouse, and it had been recommended by British backpackers (...and if anyone knows good food...). In any case, the next morning's train ride turned out for the worse for Jen: Traveler's Discomfort is what we'll call it, if that's alright, and we won't go into any further details.
Twelve hours on the train, and a quick commute by Bangkok public transit, which is lovely (no, really, it is quite marvelous), and we were settled in to our guesthouse near the National Stadium.
Twenty-four hours later I was struck with the debilitating bug, and Jen and I could go no further than a few hundred metres in any direction during any outing for the
Golden Budha 2
... and it's only 3 metres tall next four days. Luckily, we were housed very near one of the great shopping districts of Bangkok, and a few other attractions, including Jim Thompson's house.
Jim Thompson was a New Englander who did some work the OSS (which was later to become the CIA), and was stationed in Bangkok during World War II. He took a shining to Thailand, and moved there permanently after he'd returned to New York City and found too tame. He started promoting Thai silk the world over, and became quite wealthy in the process. His home, which was built on the bank of a canal, is now a museum. You can't take any pictures inside the house, so you will have to google his name if you want to see it.
Once we were mostly recovered, Jen and I checked ourselves in to the Hilton for a two night stay using her Hilton Honors Club points. All rooms have a river view, and there is a complimentary river shuttle which gets you from the Skytrain station to the hotel, and back. Quite nice. We pampered ourselves by taking multiple hot showers and baths over a 60 hour period. Much needed.
We
I love these guys!
I wish I could say more about these statues from the Royal Palace in Bangkok, but we mailed our guidebook home. met with our Man in Bangkok, Chandler, and had dinner with him and his friend, who's name I won't attempt to spell in order to avoid displaying my ignorance (oops. I guess I wrote that out loud.). We had a wonderful time discussing peaches (which she has never had) and cheese (which she doesn't like), and ladyboys (which she claimed to be). Chandler was a student in Bangkok, and writes for the International Freelance Press Association. Chandler is presently working on a documentary featuring the political environment of Thailand. A good fellow to know when you want the low-down on Bangkok.
From Bangkok we were off to Cambodia...
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craig
non-member comment
nice blog
hey I am in Ho Chi Minh City at an internet cafe and when I went to go log into my travel blog the autofill took me to your site. I was curious so I checked out your blog. pretty cool and great commentary. keep up the good work and enjoy your travels.