Saturday, February 7, 2009

Bangkok Dangerous?

Hey everyone!


Ok, so the laptop doesn't do so well with this whole "internet" thing unless it has "access". I don't follow, personally, but there is a lovely internet cafe here in Kanchanaburi, Thailand so the blogging will not be interrupted.

Our flight here was uneventful. I didn't mention the six hours we spent in the Beijing airport. That sucked. A lot. I mean, huge Oh-My-God-Are-We-Still-Here amounts. So, you get to look at a picture of it.


Somehow, it doesn't quite capture the experience, but it'll have to do. After that ridiculously long layover we finally hopped on 5 and a half hour flight to Bangkok.

Ok, I'm just going to put this out there. Microsoft owes the Thai people a lot of money. Here's why.





















Tell me those aren't wingdings. Microsoft totally ripped off Thailand. Not cool, Bill Gates. Not cool.


We started out at the Soi1 Guesthouse in Bangkok. The place was, overall, great. The first night we simply crashed, but the next day we got to met some really interesting people, and that evening we ventured out into the Bangkok nightlife. Jen and I behaved ourselves, but some of the folks we were traveling with got themselves into some situations that... well, let's say that they'd have been arrested back home.


Speaking of home, here's a tale to tell.


I'm sitting in the hostel's common room chatting with some fellow travelers. We were discussing standards of living between Thailand and the West, leading me to share something that my mother shared with me- that being born in the USA (or, for the company, the UK, Australia, South Africa, and I believe somewhere in the Scandinavia area) was winning the "birth lottery," everyone smiled and nodded politely, except for Silvia. She was a beautiful young lady from London that said, and I can't make this up, that she sometimes wishes she was born in a 3rd world country.


JUSTIN- Your comments for this blog is hereby limited to 500 words or less...


We'll ignore the obvious struggle to survive, find food, and avoid the ravages of, on occasion, 1000's of years of war and famine. We'll ignore corruption on a scale unheard of in the USA, or atrocities such as female circumcision or children being forced to work as soldiers. We'll ignore all of this for the simplicity of life, and the family structure.


Granted, I come from a family with divorced parents. But somehow, someway, I feel like my brother and I managed to overcome this hardship, and while I can't say for certain, I'm thinking he'd agree that divorce was easier than watching our family members die from diseases that are cured as a matter of course in the USA. But who knows, maybe Dan also yearns for that family structure to the point that a parent selling his daughter into prostitution because that's her best chance at a better life is not such a big deal.


(long, slow, sigh) Better now.


No, I didn't unload on her that way. I began to gently point out the lunacy of that claim when another girl joined her side, and I remembered that I've got about 5 years on most of these folks, if not more, during which point apparently the brain finishes developing. I watched Shaun Of The Dead instead. Nice.

I gotta say, I liked Bangkok a lot. It is not a town for the feint of heart, to be sure. This city takes New Orleans and Las Vegas combined for stuff that ain't kosher, but the people are so kind and helpful. Hardly anyone stared at us as we ventured around, and were happy to welcome us (and our money) wherever we went. We sat and ate at stalls along the side of the road, and the people were kind enough to ask whether we actually wanted the food spicy. Which, it turns out, I'm developing a taste for...

But back to the not as pleasant stuff, because lets be honest, it's more interesting.

-Jen and I wandered around a really popular night market on Saturday night. We knew it was located next to a popular red light district, but after Gerium we weren't all that concerned. So we're looking at all the different wares when a man approaches with a laminated menu to show us. We make it a point to ignore anyone who approaches, but we glanced at the menu. We both thought we were looking at a list of drinks, maybe cocktails. Turns out they were shows available not far away. Disturbed, and to be honest, a little confused, we hurried on.

-Did I mention how cynical Jen and I are? We've got code words for when we think trouble is afoot, and even make sure we stand perpindicular to each other when we're wearing our backpacks to avoid pickpockets. We've had no trouble at all, partly because we're careful to a fault. Unlike our friend... he decided to go hit up one of the big foriegner "party zones" with some folks from the hostile. After getting entirely too drunk, he left his friends and contiuned partying. He came to sitting on a concrete stump several hours later to a small crowd of Thais and a Thai police officer poking him with a stick. He found he was missing his wallet, MP3 player, and a few other things. Luckily for him his passport and ATM were still on his money belt under his clothes, but some of the locals felt bad and paid a taxi to run him back to a section of town he belonged in. He says he's pretty sure he was drugged- not sure I buy that, but a 22 year old foreign guy very drunk and wandering alone in that part of town is kinda asking for it, I'm afraid.








Also, here's an elephant in downtown Bangkok. Note the lack of a huge crowd of people jostling and yelling 'Holy shit! There's an elephant in the middle of the city!'


Ok, I'm bored. I'm hoping to pet a tiger for my birthday tomorrow. Yea for me!


8 comments:

Layne said...

Thai food is one of my favorites! Really, that's about all I have to contribute. You'll have to let me know if "real" Thai food from the motherland measures up to the "quicky" Thai that you can get around the corner from me. :-)

And HAPPY early BIRTHDAY!!! You know how big I am on birthdays so it bothers me that there is NO WAY for me to celebrate yours this year! you don't even have an address I can send a card to. Bad form, dude.

Love you anyway,
~Layne

Momma Jean said...

OK, everyone, once again, it's sing along time! No matter where you are, stop and sing with me....

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear traveling too far from home, driving everyone crazy, having a life most people would die for, enjoying it like there is no tomorrow, Al.....
Happy Birthday to you!

And Many Mooooorrrrre!

We love you. I'll still hang up at least one banner. And I'm sure Jen can find at least One Balloon for your day. Just don't pop it around the Bengal, OK?

Anonymous said...

Layne, because Al is out of the country, he does not GET a birthday this year. It will be celebrated again around this time next year. =)

Al, I'm shocked... Why would I need more than 500 words? Heck I only need four to proclaim she is an idiot. And you hit the nail on the head. Young people have dumb, undeveloped ideas that life will sooner or later beat out of them. No amount of arguing with them will get them to see the light. Honestly, all the people protesting Israel around campus here... I wish I could fly them all over to that area of the world and see if they still felt the way they do now after about a week.

Stay safe you two!

Anonymous said...

PS: Kristen and I had a 7 hour layover in Newark, New Jersey that last time we flew to Ireland. Long layovers suck... no doubt

Chrissy said...

Hmm. I don't really have much to say in specific response to this particular blog, except that we miss you both! And personally, my mind boggles when it tries to imagine the insane amounts of partying that will be done when you return. Can't wait!

Irish Blessings said...

Hey there. Happy Birthday honey. That's a pretty elephant. I want one. Better yet, fly me out so I can see one in the streets.

Heh, dancing in the streets....

Ok, I'm bushed and can't think straight. Thank you for all the info on the city! Take care you crazy kids.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! We'll have to celebrate double next year. ;o)

PS - You know my husband well... lol

Anonymous said...

Funny post! Found another site which I must admit has come in handy: TravelMonks

They have a pretty good dynamic map of a lot of places and things, like this one on nightlife or this one on wireless internet places.

Keep traveling!!!