Bangkok

View of the river from the hotel ferry
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May 18

LOTS OF WATSI'm not sure how to sum up Bangkok. We've been here for about 3 days now, primarily sightseeing wats (temples), shopping, and enjoying the hotel - all of which are fabulous. I've never seen buildings so shiny and colorful as the temples here... and there are so many of them! It's very hard to capture in a photo, but I've been trying pretty diligently. The markets here aren't as crazy as the ones in Hong Kong. Less unidentifyable animal innards, more designer knock-offs. Very fun. And as for the hotel... the Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa is definitely the place to stay (except maybe the Peninsula :). As an example of its wonderful-ness... the hotel runs a free ferry boat to take guests down the river to the nearest public transportation station. On return trips to the hotel, the ferry attendant guy hands out cold lemon scented towels and bottles of water. Cold towels! Maybe it's easier to envision if you superimpose the hot humid weather with a heat index of 107. Anyway, this stop has been wonderful and tomorrow we leave for Cairo. The news we've been hearing about Muslim-American sentiments has been really disturbing. I'm not sure if it would be less so from home, but as it is I really hope the next few days go smoothly.