Hi. I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand a few days ago. I travelled here with a German guy and a Swiss girl from Siem Reap. We took a taxi from Siem Reap to the border because the road is terrible. The Swiss girl is biking around Asia, so we had to fit her bike in the taxi (it would have been a really boring bike ride through western Cambodia). The driver tells us "impossible, will not fit." Impossible...this is Cambodia, it's 7am and I could walk down the street and get opium, pot or a prostitute in about 5 minutes....nothing is impossible here. Anyway, turns out it wasn't impossible and we made the trip with no real problems.

I have been in Bangkok for a few days now, and am heading to the islands on a night train tonight. Bangkok is not quite what I expected. It is very modern, and compared to Cambodia it is spotless clean. You have to get used to seeing old, balding, fat white guys walking around with beautiful 20 year old Thai girls, but other than that, it's a good city. I did some sightseeing with my German and Swiss friends the first day, but then they both headed elsewhere. I met some Americans who are in the Peace Corps a couple nights ago and headed out for a few drinks. Bangkok bars are fun...

Anyway, I travel to Krabi province tonight and will go to Ko Phi Phi and some other beaches. Will try to update again after that.

Here is a typical conversation outside a temple near Siem Reap:

8 year old girl: Hello, where you from?

Me: Hi. America.

8 year old girl: Oh, America, capital Washington DC.

Me: Very good.

8 year old girl: England, capital London, France, capital Paris

Me: You are very good

8 year old girl: You buy braclet from me? 5 for $1

Me: No, I don't need bracelets

8 year old girl: Ok, 15 for $1

Me: No, I don't need bracelets

8 year old girl: Ok, maybe later

Me: Ok, maybe later ("maybe later" is a promise out here, they will remember you hours later and remind you of this..."Ok, it's later, now you buy")

This probably doesn't sound too bad, but this same conversation happens every 2 minutes. The sad thing is these children don't go to school. Most speak better English than the tour guides, but because they won't go to school there is nothing else they can do.