You know how the song goes: "One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble . . . " I have been amazed that a seasoned traveler like myself got hit so hard with jet lag. I must be getting older . . . .
We (Clay, Trista, and I) arrived at about 1:00 in the morning and the taxi driver couldn't find the hotel we wanted to stay at so we ended up just staying on Khao San Road (the headquarters of budget hippie backpacker-ville). We took the first place we could find to crash for a few hours before the time difference woke us all up at 5:00 am. Eventually (after some delicious banana pancakes) we went and found the Bamboo Guest House which was much nicer and quieter.
The first day we did nothing but relax, explore the wonders of Asian street food (probably not the best thing for Trista's first proper day outside the U.S.), and go to a place where they fold you up like a pretzel and step on you (also known as a Thai massage).
It was wonderful. The next day I had set up an interview with IH Bangkok - the school where I will be doing a certificate course in January.
I'll be getting the CELTA in Chiang Mai (a town in the north) which is a Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults and will help me be a better English teacher. I passed the interview and was accepted into the program. Yipee!
After that it was time for some actual sightseeing so we went to Wat Phra Kaew - the temple (wat) next to the main government building. It was just as amazing as I remember in 2004.
The next day (Saturday) we took a short train ride to Ayutthaya - the ancient kingdom's capitol - and saw some cool ruins.
We rented bicycles and had fun riding around the town. There was a big park with ponds and bridges that was perfect for riding around. We also saw a Gila monster under one of the bridges.
A nearby building houses a giant (I mean GIANT) Buddha. I couldn't find pictures of the inside but the statue fills the building.
We meandered back to where we had rented the bicycles and then found a restaurant that had recognizable food. Thai food is great but sometimes you just appreciate a nice cheeseburger and fries. The restaurant was owned by a British expat who worked at the nearby elephant kraal. All of the artwork in the restaurant was painted by elephants. His next plan was to bring in a baby elephant to paint the walls.
Tomorrow we are off to Chiang Mai in the north. I'm anxious to visit the school I'll be attending in January, and we are all anxious to do a trek into the hilltribe areas and ride elephants and bamboo rafts. Until then we are stuck with riding tuk-tuks in the city.
6 comments:
I hope you get your kicks above the waistline, sunshines.
How fun! I want one of those pretzel massages. The food sounds fabulous, too. I hear it's a cheap place to buy really nice clothes. Have a great trip!
I'm glad to hear you made it safe. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see you again before you left, so I'm now saying my good-bye until next time you're "home".
That brought back lots of fun memories! We loved Thailand and especially the elephants. Sounds like you are bound for many adventures beyond what we ever got to do traveling with a big group. Have fun and thanks for sharing.
Loved Nate's comment! Glad that you, Trista, and Clay are doing well. Can't wait to read about all of your adventures. We will miss you Friday at the cousins party :O
Sounds fun! Karyn and I took your dad with us out to Tooele tonight to Jed and Lisa's for dinner and thought of you guys. I think riding bikes around there would be fun.
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