Night One
My first night in Bangkok. I'll admit it...I was tired and maybe just a little bit homesick. But that's okay, because I know me. And I know what to do when times get tough. I knew the cure. I took a taxi to MBK - one of the biggest shopping malls in Bangkok. I ate at Burger King. I went to the movies and saw Breaking Dawn (I know, I know). I'm not ashamed of it...it was exactly what I needed. The Thais stand for the national anthem to pay tribute to the royal family before all movies, so that was a bit of fun for me. To get home, I decided to take a tuk tuk. Mostly because they quoted me a better price (okay, so it was only $0.30 cheaper, but still), but also because it seemed like one of those quintessential Bangkok experiences. It was an experience all right. Now, you have to realize that a tuk tuk is, more or less, a souped up golf cart. Not meant for top speeds. But, I swear to you, we hit at least 50 mph. It was intense.

Day and Night Two
In the morning I went to the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), one of the most sacred places for the Thai people. Of course, it was beautiful. It is one of the top tourist attractions in Bangkok, so, you guessed it, literal swarms of Chinese and Japanese tourists. I did my best to stay out of their way. On the way home (ie. hostel), I had the most amazing fried noodles from a street vendor. I ordered a coke zero (diet coke is a bit tough to find here) to go with them. The lady looked at me and asked, completely serious, bag or bottle? I was a bit taken back as I honestly expected a can...so...ummm...I pointed to a bottle. She opened in, stuck a straw in, and handed it to me. It was very warm. Turns out, if you want it cold, they open it, pour it in a baggie, and top it with ice. Good to know.

That evening, I went on a night biking tour of the city. I know what you’re thinking. Bike riding. At night. In Bangkok. How is this a good idea? I was thinking the exact same thing. But two guys I met at the hostel talked me into going, so okay, I can do this. So I haven’t ridden a bike much in the past 20 years. So I don’t see well at night. I can totally do this. I was absolutely and completely petrified for probably the first ten minutes of the ride. But it’s just like they say….

We rode on mostly deserted side streets and tiny alleys, past people’s homes where they were cooking dinner or watching TV. They waved at us. We waved back. A little boy ran out and pretended to shoot at us using his fingers. Oh two can play at this game, I thought, and shot right back at him. He grinned and ran back inside. We pedaled to two temples, Wat Arun and Wat Pho, both completely deserted and beautifully lit up against the night sky. We stopped at the flower market and then rode back home. To finish off the night, the three of us headed to Khao San Road to partake in some post-ride refreshments. I was a bit too refreshed by the time I finally crawled into bed, but it was great fun.

Day and Night Three
I woke up this morning feeling….not great. Head hurt and a bit nauseous. Possibly due to too many refreshments last evening? Anyway, I had to check out of the hostel by noon and wasn’t scheduled to be at the train station until 6pm. Six hours…what to do? It was blazing hot outside. An air conditioned locale seemed to be the best bet. So I caught a taxi to the train station, put my bag in a locker, and took the metro and sky train back to MBK. Shopped. Ate. People watched. Manicure and pedicure. Excellent. All ready to go to the beach. I am taking the overnight train to Koh Pha Ngan, an island on the east coast of Thailand. After my experience with the entire Vietnamese train system, my expectations are low. But, with a bit of luck, by this time tomorrow, I will be in a hammock, staring at the ocean, drink in hand.