Sticky rice with mango

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The morning I flew to Bangkok, I got up to help give food out to the monks. This occurs everyday around 6am since the monks are not allowed to cook for themselves. They walk around and many people sit out on the streets to give them rice and other goodies. It was a really cool thing to participate in, but even cooler to see just how many people do this each and every morning. I then returned to the hostel as I was supposed to be getting a ride to the airport. Apparently the driver was still drunk from the New Year's festivities the night before, so I had to venture into town to find a tuk tuk. I found one easily and headed to the airport. Flying is such a civilized way to travel when you are so used to insane buses and trains. You get on and a little while later you are there. Amazing. The flight was a bit bumpy, but nothing horrible, especially considering that Laos Airlines is not up to western standards (or Laos standards for that matter!).

I got to Bangkok, grabbed a snack at 7-11 and found the bus to go into town. I arrived on Th Khao Sahn and checked out a few hotels, including the one my friends and I stayed at last time. I decided to try somewhere different and stayed the block behind the main road which also has tons of restaurants, bars and shopping, but isn't quite as insane. The place I found was super clean, very cute and the staff was friendly. I checked in and ventured out. Now...my first day in a new city and what do I do???? I went to the dentist and got my teeth cleaned! I am such a loser!!! It was a great cleening! I then shopped, ate and drank. The next day was more of the same, although I did spend a few hours at a park I found which was located on the river. It was very nice to just chill out under a tree and read a bit.

It was strange but at night, the Songkran festivities would begin. Everywhere else I had been for the holiday, people would soak everyone during the day, but you were safe to stay dry at night. Not the case here. I left without my zip locs and had to quickly run back to get them! I had heard the holiday would be extended becuase of the earlier turmoil in Bangkok and it was.

Today I decided to check out the weekend market. This place was unbelievable!! You could buy anything you never knew you needed. They had everything from handmade tank tops made out of old American t-shirts to furniture, dried fish, candles, food, shoes, clothes, pets, clothing for pets or anything else. I took the public bus to get to the skytrain to get there which was also fun. I had forgotten how civilized and modern Bangkok is...it's hard to see from the main backpacker area which is full of bucket drinking/shopping westerners!

I also went to a super modern shopping mall which made me feel like I was in Singapore...much more fancy than home malls, but had every store you could ever want. I stopped in for a little before catching the bus back after the market, but had to forbid myself from buying anything since I had already bought the entire market.

I leave in 30 minutes to head south to the islands. I am not at all looking forward to the bus as I had once (last year) promised myself to never ever take an overnight Thai bus again. The train was booked so I decided to brave it rather than spend another day in the city where I would inevitably do more shopping. Wish me luck!!!

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Photos

police car
not even the cop cars are safe from the Songkran festivities!!

Waterfront
enjoying Bangkok

Comments

[LUKAS]

7-11
so what was the snack? you ate a hot dog didn't you? oh man thats why you didn't go into detail! you always go into detail about your food except your 7-11 snack so i am going with a meaty meat lovers hot dog with onions relish ketchup mustard cheese and bacon! i am so disapointed that you ate a hot dog and drank a slurpy and got some beef jerky for the road trip... you should be ashamed veggie queen of my world! i am somewhere in this crazy world crying for a goat... oh man umm so i am on like 20th wind right now.. i went from a crazy vegas friday night till 4 am to traveling to santa anita race track at 7 am then to alta dena then to your old stomp ground santa monica to venice to brea slep a lili then go to orange tustin then costa mesa then to newport beach then to barstow then to vegas now im at work thinking that i am crazy and want to dig a hole in the desert and sleep like a monkey but life dosen't slow and my heart keeps pumpig and you travel like the wind and i blow across the world drinking punches from disco queen fist lovers enjoy your hot dog fish and chips and a winner winner chicken dinner.... queen veggie tail.... luke makes no sense at all just wanted to say hello babes...