Bangkok, Thailand

There is so much to tell about the city of Bangkok, so I will break it into sections and I'm sure I still won't be able to do it justice (some of these things apply to other areas in Thailand, not just Bangkok).

*Slurpee Anyone*
When we were in Rome, Kinsey and I came up with a slogan for the city "Rome, brought to you by McDonald's" as everywhere you looked there were the golden arches. On the ride from the airport to the city center I came up with the slogan "Bangkok, brought to you by 7-Eleven" as they are everywhere, and yes you can get a Slurpee. This is not just a Bangkok thing either, everywhere I went there were tons of 7-Eleven's.

*Traffic & Patience*
It's estimate that there are 11 million people in the city of Bangkok and so you can imagine the traffic issues. One would expect that with a lot of traffic comes a lot of honking, but that is not the case. The drivers seemed to be very calm and patience about things, maybe their used to it. Even at times when it seems like they should honk, say when another car is coming straight at you, they don't. They'll slow down or stop, but almost never honk, or even say anything or give the other driver a second look.

*Transportation*
There are a lot of choices on how to get around in Bangkok, more so for locals than tourist. There are regular taxis, tuk tuks, scooters, cars, bikes, buses, subway. Unfortunately I quickly learn that the taxis and tuk tuk drivers are not at all shy about overcharging tourist. Many of metered taxis do not want to turn the meter on and instead offer you a flat rate that will be much more that what a metered ride would cost. At times I felt ba haggling over what would be $1 in the US. Also depending on the time of day (too much traffic) some drivers will not go where you want to go. With the tuk tuk drivers you negotiate a rate with them and they seem to be a little more reasonable. It's funny when the tuk tuk drivers are trying to get me to take a ride, apparently there is something about me that lets them know I'm American and they yell out "Obama, Obama, tuk tuk, tuk tuk", when I do get a ride they almost always ask where I'm from and when I say CA, they say "Schwarzenegger'', which I find it odd that they know the governors name. I bet there are people in CA that don't know.

*King Rama IX*
The Thai people love their king (and their queen). When they talk about the royal family it's always "my king" or "my queen". Their love for the royal family is evident in the photos of the 2 you see everywhere you go. From small framed photos in almost every shop, to large build-boards all over the city. If you think it's bad when your parents pull out your baby photos to show guest try having photos of you at various stages of your life plastered all over the city.

*Temples/Alters*
There are temples/alters all over the place, and they can vary greatly in size. You see larger ones outdoors and smaller ones indoors. They are on homes, in front of businesses, agricultural fields, any place you can think of. People stop by for a quick prayer on the way to work, sometimes leaving an offering. The offerings are anything from flowers, to cans of soda (including a straw), I've even seen an entirely cooked duck. I've also seen people on buses do a quick prayer as they pass by.

*Rain*
It's officially the rainy season here, but it's also still quite warm. I have never experienced rain like I have here. Usually it starts with a couple of drops, which are basically a warning. Within a matter of minutes it will start pouring and if you are not prepared you be so wet that you'll look like you feel in a swimming pool. The rain comes so hard and so fast. The streets and sidewalks quickly fill up with water. Sometimes it's just a quick downpour and then it clears right up again, and other times it continues for a while. So you always have to be prepared.

*Shopping*
If you are a shopaholic stay clear of Bangkok, otherwise you're going to have to call your sponsor often. Especially given the affordable prices for most things. There is no limit to the type of shopping you can do. There are the outdoor touristy souvenir places, small boutiques, street/sidewalk vendors, and then there are the shopping centers. The area I was staying in (Siam Square) had it all. While I'm not a big souvenir person (I like to save coins and paper money and then there are my photos), but even I had a hard time not going a little crazy.

There is a shopping center called MBK, which attracts a lot of tourist. I think the best way to explain it is that it's like a7 story flea market. Nearby there is one called Siam Center which is very trendy. Right next to this one is one of the greatest shopping centers I've ever been to called Siam Paragon. This is a place where you can buy any type of brand name clothes, go to a movie (I'll cover this later), do your grocery shopping, go to one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia or if your in the mood buy a Ferrari or a BMW. Even if you don't buy a thing you could spend an entire day in this mall. The grocery store/food hall alone could take half a day.

*Movie Time*
My last day in Bangkok I ran some errands and decided to treat myself to a movie. I had done some shopping for the next's day road trip at the Gourmet Market on the ground floor in my new favorite shopping center Siam Paragon. On the 5th floor is a 15 screen theater. When I exited the elevator I walked into one of the most confusing theaters I've ever been to. There appeared to be at least 4 different ticket counters. I was directed to one of the counters with the shortest lines and the most non-Thai people which made me a bit suspicious. The movie I wanted to see was Salt, there was one showing at 6:00, but it was 10 till and the line was a little slow, so I figured I wait for the next showing. When I got up to the line I asked for one ticket for the 7:00 showing, and the attendant asked if I wanted to go to the 6:00, which is the time I had on my watch. She said the show wouldn't actually start for another 20 minutes. She then had me choose a seat on a computer screen from those that were left. My best option appeared to be an aisle seat which looked liked it was 2 rows back from the screen. Not ideal, but I was tired and still had to do laundry when I got back to the hostel. So I paid 700 Baht (~$22USD) which I thought was a little pricey for Thailand. It's wasn't until I was escorted into the theater to my seat that I understood why. I walked into the nicest, most intimate theater that I've ever been to (yes, Kimberly better than anything I've been to in Los Angeles). There were less than 30 seats and each one was a nice big recliner. A couple of the seats near the back had curtains so that you could close yourself in a bit. It appears that having freezing cold theaters is some kind of international law, but no worries as on each seat there was a nice big blanket and pillow. Given the low number of seats, mine was actually a good distance from the screen. Having read my Lonely Planet section on Thailand prior to my arrival I was aware that they play the national anthem and everyone is expected to stand with their hands by their side. All in all a great experience, and the movie wasn't too bad either.

In planning for this trip last year I knew an important detail was keeping my feet happy and healthy. I did well on both fronts until I reached Brazil. It wasn't until the end of my stay there that I realized the cute cobblestone streets had done a number on my feet. I had purchased a pair of well known sandals and trail hiking shoes for the trip, so I was a bit surprised by how painful my feet were. Throughout my time in Europe they did not get much better. The lack of flat walking surfaces was not good for my feet. I had this little green massage ball I bought at REI for like $5 and I (and Kinsey) would use this ball every chance we got. I was really surprised by the lack of foot massage places at all the touristy places given the amount of walking we were all doing.

By the time I reached Thailand my feet were not happy with me at all. I was really in need of a good foot massage. As I like to tell it I've been walking since March. So I went for a foot massage at the cost of 150 Baht (almost $5 USD) for half and hour. I'm very ticklish so I had to suppress laughing at times . The masseuse had very strong hands and at times it was a bit painful, but in the end it was worth it all. My feet felt so much better afterward.

The heels of my feet tend to get a little rough if I don't take care of them (I know, too much information). So this was another issue I had with my feet. In various places I had seen what are called fish spas, which basically is a place where you put your feet in a tub full of little fish and they help clear off the dead skin. I had heard of these, but had never seen one. So I paid the 120 Baht (almost $5 USD) to sit in one for 20 minutes. It feels really weird as all the fish just swarm my feet, and of course they really tickle as they work. I'm pretty sure a couple of times I actually giggled (not laughed, but giggled like a school girl) out loud. Again my feet where in much better shape at the end of the session.

So basically I keep paying to have my feet tickled, that's not weird is it?

The floating market is about an hour from Bangkok. The market is really something to see. There is both the market in the water and then plenty of shops along it's banks. One of the first things I noticed was that women occupied almost every boat. When I inquired about this I was informed that the work was manual labor, which is of course done by women. The business transactions occur boat to boat as well as land to boat. A lot of the items being sold in the boats are food products, which are made right there in the boat. You can get anything from soup, to noodles, to fruits and vegetables, to meats (some of which I did not recognize), to spring rolls. I sat and watched one women as she filled orders, it was like she was working in a regular kitchen and not a wooden boat. She would take each of the ingredients and place them in an instrument that reminded me of sampling dippers that are often used in food plants. It had a long handle with a cup shaped item attached at the end. Everything went into the cup and then this was placed into a large container of boiling water. If the order was to-go everything was poured into a plastic baggie, if not it was placed in a glass bowl. I'll admit I was a bit horrified when I observed the glass bowls being washed in the river water, they were rinsed in what I hope was sterile water.

For the tourist the market is a place to buy souvenirs and try different foods, for the locals it's part of their daily lives.

After visiting the floating market and a quick stop for lunch we were off to visit the tiger temple.

On the way there was some discussion as to whether the tigers were being sedated. Even the pamphlet for the place address this topic as it is a question they are often asked. They of course denied any such activity. The place is run by monks, so I'd like to think they are telling the truth.

Between the monks and the tigers there was a very specific dress code for the visit. In the presence of monks women must have their shoulders and knees covered and in the presence of tigers they recommend not wearing orange or red (which I thought was only for bulls).

We had to sign our ticket before entering which basically meant that if anything happen they would not be responsible. The tiger temple started as a sanctuary for tigers but came to be a safe place for many other animals, but obviously the tigers are the draw for us tourist.

First stop was the tiger cubs. There were 2 of them just sitting on a tree stump playing with each other, and then there was another one on a some rocks. They didn't seem to really notice us and were not bothered by us petting them. They were chained up which I didn't like, but I don't if was so they wouldn't run off or if this was for our safety. At one point one of the cubs got up to walk and stumbled and another tourist took this as proof that they were being drugged. To me it look like a cat that hadn't quite adjusted to it's large paws.

After watching the cubs it was time to go see the really big cats. I was expecting a single tiger and that we would all wait in line to take a single photos. I was really surprised when I rounded the corner to the area where they were to see about 20 medium to large size cats. For the price of our ticket we could give a guide our camera and another guide would lead us around to take photos with the individual tigers, or for an additional fee we could take photos with multiple tigers at once. I went with the first option. My guides were both female and about 15-16 years old. They had me remove my sunglasses and a bracelet I was wearing since it was kind of loose and we didn't want the tigers to think my arm was a toy. The one guide took me by the hand and led me to almost every tiger there and the other would take photos. Most of these tiger were also chained up, although I did pet one or two that were not. Again the tigers didn't really pay any attention to me. It was both exciting and a little scary all at the same time. Just the littlest flinch by one of them and I probably would have wet myself.

As you see in the photos most of the tigers aren't doing much of anything and so of course the sedation issue is again raised. There were one or two of the tigers that my guide took me towards but the tigers were acting up a bit so we skipped those ones. To be honest these tigers didn't seem to act any different then my parents cats do on a really hot day (which it was). On the one hand I did not like to see them chained up, but I also know if they were set free they would be hunted by poachers and possibly one day they would be extinct. Of course this could just be me trying to justify my visit.