Me

You can read in my blogs about my fascinating experience in the Go-Go Bars of Chiang Mai, but these are the girls that told all, and showed me a great time.

Around Thailand

Our first night in Bangkok, Brian, Cathleen, and I took a taxi from the airport and were dropped off here.  Their hotel was right around the corner, so they checked in, and we immediately came back out in search of a good Thai street restaurant.  I got Pad Thai to see how different it was in Thailand, and it turned out to be the same as in Boston, but a little less tasty.

The main temple in Bangkok had more gold in it than any other I've ever been to.  They supposedly have workers applying gold leaf year-round so it never fades or blows away.  Lots of gold leaf that blew off covers the ground.

Some teenagers doing a drum/breakdance routine in the middle of Khao-san Road.

It rained everyday in Bangkok, but usually for only about 30 minutes.  The first day was the worste.  the heavens just openned up!  Brian and I jumped in a taxi and drove through Bangokok to see trees, and awnings all over the place, and water up to cars engine blocks.  This was after I got out and walked to my hostel.

Total tourist trap, but these are the traditional costumes worn by Thai dancers.

Reclining Buddha

On my way out of Bangkok I stumbled across this festival.  The outfits were great, and the kids were playing traditional Thai games of tag.  I was asked to please try a bowl of what looked like incense, and found that the incense sticks were in fact straws, and the bowl contained a Thai version of sake.

My first stop outside Bangkok was Ayuthaya.  This is a Wat (as in Angkor Wat), and it's the reason Ayuthaya is famous.  It has tons of Wats.

My next stop was in a not-so-beautiful city called Phitsanulok, but the night market was really alive with people of all sorts.  These teenagers were "hip-hop dancing".  They think break-dancing is the way everyone dances to hip-hop!  I wish I could!!

My real destiation after Ayuthaya was Sukothai, so after having to spend a night in Phitsanoluk I made it to Sukothai.  The city itself is far from the old city, and the real reason people come here. this is one of the oldest, biggest collections of Wats.  It's a whole city of Wats, and you need a bicycle or car to get around it.  It's great!  This Buddha was about 4 stories tall.

My last stop was Chiang Mai.  The northern city of note in Thailand.  Everyone agree Bangokok is a place to get out of quickly, and everyone agrees this is the city of culture.  I wish I had more time here, but aside from Phitsanoluk I wouldn't have spent any less time in the other cities, so it was just a matter of too short a vacation.  I ended up extending my stay in Chiang Mai and flying back to Bangkok instead of spending a whole day on the train.  These were just some nice patterns I saw at the huge street market ther.

Poor mans checkers

Nice blues and golds at a temple in the mountains outside Chiang Mai

This emerald Buddha was much bigger than it looks in this picture.  It was so amazing, but my Thai friend couldn't understand why I wanted to look at it so far.  This kind of thing is probably about as interesting to Thais as a church cross is to Americans.