Bangkok or bust

Well, we made it to the last stop on our trip- so sad.  We stayed at the Asia Hotel which is a nice place near Siam Square.  It also had access to the Skytrain- a must in a city that seems constantly gridlocked.

We spent the first day going to see the reclining buddha at Wat Pho near the Grand Palace.  The reclining buddha is ENORMOUS and sports mother of pearl accents on his giant feet and face.  After we walked around Wat Pho for a while we were all dying from the heat so what better to do then walk some more?  We walked over to the Khao San Road area- a famous backpacker district with all the Starbucks, internet cafes, and Burger Kings a homesick backpacker could want.  This is kind of a cool place to check out and people watch (all types here) but not so good for authentic food or shopping.  The vendors refused to haggle much on prices and the food was a bit too Westernized but it was still a good time.

In the area Geoff stumbled (quite accidently I'm sure) upon Raja's, a tailor shop famous for making suits for people like George Clooney and John Kerry.  I must have been dazed from the heat because I encouraged him to have a suit made which turned into two pants, one jacket, an overcoat, and three ties.  There are tons of tailoring shops in Bangkok and the key is to find ones with good reputations and leave time for at least 3-4 fittings.  These guys are amazing, one minute he was getting measured and 5 minutes later a guy comes flying up the street on a motorcycle with the jacket template for the first fitting.

That night we went to check out the Sala Daeng area, the red light district encompassing Papong 1 and Patpong 2- but don't worry it is more a big tourist trap and market these days than anything seedy.  Of course about a hundred touts will jump on you and to promote the infamous ping pong shows, but it's pretty easy to ignore them.

Our last day in Bangkok we spent at the giant Chatuchak Weekend Market which is popular with both Thai's and farang.  This place is huge, hot, and crowded.  They sell everything; including puppies, antiques, art, and tourist trinkets, to food and clothes.  The best part about the market is the bargaining.  Usually you could get the sellers down to about half of their starting price.

After picking up various gifts and souvenirs, and emptying our wallets (it doesn't feel like real money when you use baht for some reason)  Geoff and I headed back to Khao San Rd. for his final fittings and them headed back to the hotel to meet Jessica and Adam for our last massages and a lady boy cabaret show at or hotel.  It is amazing how gorgeous some of the lady boys are, Geoff says he wasn't fooled but I'm not so sure- I was definitely fooled by some of them.

After the show it was quick goodbyes to our friend and we headed off to catch our flight home.  Goodbye Thailand!  We'll definitely be back!