Thailand - Bangkok

Jan 25
Short 1 hour flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok. I see another backpacker in the taxi line, so we split a cab downtown. Great guy from Germany with lots in common. We grab a few beers at a local spot, then I venture out to find some lodging for the night. This proves to be quite difficult, as place after place has the dreaded FULL sign out front. The sun has gone down, and my hunt continues. I am exhausted after climbing 4 flights of stairs in 3 guesthouses only to see dumpy rooms. I finally find something for a reasonable $5 for the night, and settle in. My buddy Ed just booked a ticket 30 hours ago to come join me for a few weeks, so it will be nice to have a travel buddy. While I wait for him, I get my first Thai massage in a beautiful little garden setting. Now, a massage is supposed to be nice and relaxing, which is what I expected. Little did I know that a Thai massage was very different. It was more like forced yoga/visiting a chiropracter. I was cracked and thrown around for 60 min, but felt great after and def worth $4!! Massage count = 3. I go enjoy another cold shower (ugh) before Ed arrives in town. Ed gets in town and we head to Khoa San Rd for a few cold beers to tell stories about the trip. Lots of lady-boys on this road, beware!!

Jan 26
We wake up early to explore the city before flying to Chiang Mai. I enjoy some french toast for $1.25 to energize me for the day. We arrange for a tuk-tuk driver to view some of the sights in town. We see a 60 meter tall standing buddha, impressive. Then it is time to grab our packs and head to the airport, but the tuk-tuk driver is insisting on taking us to see a tailer. I tell him absolutely not, then he won't take us on. So, we pay him a partial fare and get out. We are running out of time to get to the airport, and it seems there isn't a tuk-tuk on this side of town! YIkes. We finally find one, grab our bags from the guesthouse and then head to the airport. We arrive with 45 min to spare, and Ed is even able to buy his ticket at the gate.

Thoughts on Bangkok:
- dirty
- terrible traffic and pollution
- trashy
- ugly
- cheap
- don't stay more than a night