| February 4, 2001 For all of our complaining about Phi Phi Island, we certainly enjoyed the food. For breakfast, we feasted on fried pancakes stuffed with bananas. Having them topped with condensed milk and chocolate sauce sent us directly to sugar heaven. Anyway, we took the ferry to Phuket and then overnite to Bangkok. The bus ride was longer than expected as the driver made odd stops including one for a garland of flowers, another for onions, and always for monks. Hote - $0, food - $4, Trans - $30, Random (internet) - $3 Total - $42 |
| February 5 Bangkok is sprawling, crowded, almost working chaos that is the capital of Thailand. A typical street has a Buddhist temple next to a sky scraper next to a noodle stand. The roads themselvs are flooded with wave after wave of mopeds (about 1 each for its 9 million residents). While Bangkok isn't particulary pretty, it is exciting. We struggled all day with a limited itinerary of errands (air tickets, visa applications, photos). Small distances on the map took an inordinately long time. The fastest (and most scenic) option is by "water bus" on the Chao Phreya River. Hotel - $12, Food - $11, Trans - $2, Random (photos - $12) Total - $37 |
| February 6 In addition to attempting a few more errands, we visited Wat Po. Bangkok's oldest and grandest temple was built in the 17th century and houses a giant reclining Buddha statue (giant as in 150 feet long and 20 feet high). It is also home to a celebrated massage school. Feeling adventurous, we signed up and quickly found it to be quite different from home. Traditional Thai masaseuses use their hands, arms, feet, and legs for a full contact experience that is more athletic than relaxing. Hotel - $12, Food - $9, Trans - $1, Museum - $1, Random (laundry - $3, internet - $$2, postcards - $3, tolietries - $4, Massage - $13) Total - $49 |
| February 7 Perhaps due to its long populatiry with tourists, Bangkok has emerged as a leading scam capital of the world. To its credit, the industry is more imaginative than simple overcharging and without violence like robbery (both left to numerous amateurs). The latest scam preys on greed. Basically, the tourist buys worthless, colored glass all the while thinking he is the one taking advantage of seller and situation and will make a fortune reselling the "'gems, rubies, and diamonds". It often appears that everyone on the street is in on it - from the tour guide who recommends a special last day sale, to the tuk-tuk driver who earns free gas for driving you to the shop, and the innocent bystander who conspiratorally shares that he also just made out like a bandit. Did it happen to us? Many of you will find out at Christmas. Just kidding. We actually helped foil several approaches near our hotel much to the chagrin of the touts. We had a fun day exploring and eating Thai food. Our favorite restaurant was well off the beaten path. We shared a communal table and without ordering (or a menu for that matter) received our dinner. We called it 101 pad thai beacuse of its numerous ingredients including dried shrimp, dried fish, noodles, sprouts, nuts, onions, egg, etc. For entertainment, we enjoyed the sights of "anything goes" Khao San Road. Here we had drinks with a friendly, Iranian carpet merchant named Ali. Hotel - $12, Food - $7, Random (internet - $6, Rx - $4) Total - $29 |
| February 8 We were at the station by five to secure a hard seat on the train to the border. Even in 3rd class, train travel has style and comfort that neither a bus nor a plane can equal. From a large, breezy open window, we took in rural life. By the end of the journey and despite the language barrier, we also felt like we knew our neighbors. The Thai/Cambodian border brought us back to reality. It was seedy with both governments apparently liberally granting licenses to steal (in our case only the border police succeeded with a trumped up visa fee). After an exhausting negotiation, we finally boarded a bus to Siem Reap, seven hours away on the bumpiest, dustiest stretch imaginable. Hotel - $6, Food - $5, Trans - $4, random (Entry visas - $50) Total - $75 |
| February 9 Cambodia is a third world country, undoubtedly like no other we have visited. It has an incredibly violent recent past and is only just inching toward modernity. Poverty is extensive and infrastucture is extremely limited. The capitalism that has emerged appears especially obnoxious and corrupt. Cambodia's glory days were over a long time ago. From the 9th to 15th centuries, the Khmer dynasty was the most powerful in South-East Asia. Its walled cities, palaces, and temples were located in the 1500 square miles north of present day Siem Reap. The ruins, collectively known as Angkor, are the primary reason most tourists come to Cambodia. So, we hired a driver and toured the best known temples, Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. Having been to stunning Mayan and Incan sites, we were surprised to be so surpirsed by the architectural beauty, size and precision. The temples are massive but have intricate stone carvings throughout. The reliefs on sandstone have weathered in many shades of jade, white, and grey and tell Hindu and Buddhist epics. The main Angkor Wat towers are shaped to resemble lotus buds and are picture perfect. At sunset, the ruins have a carnival atmosphere with elephant rides, pervasive incense, $1 cokes, and camera toting monks. Hotel - $6, Food - $11, Tours - $10, Museum - $27 Total - $54 |
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