Bangkok!?

Arrived in Bangkok and excited for new unexpected turn of events: Sarah Strull. I met her this past summer and a wonderful friend connected the dots that we would be in Thailand at the same time. She works at the camp I will return to this summer but unlike us "seasonal employees" she managed to enter a foreign country under "paid vacation." This phrase is relatively unknown to me but I was envious. That didn't really stand in the way of a seriously good time, however.

I met Sarah at the Starbucks in the Bangkok airport. After flying out of Kolkata (the airport looks like it has been bombed 7 times in the past 2 years), the smells and sights of Bangkok were overwhlemingly welcoming. So we met up and hopped a cheapo bargain bus to meet up with (you guess it!) my travel buddy. Upon reaching the hotel, which was not as fabulous as the pictures lead you to believe but still fell under fabulous category given the roof top pool, we met up with Jordan and headed out for Thai beers and curry. To make the night even more memorable, we ended up meeting a friend I had made at the Taj Mahal, having more refreshments, spying on "cautionary tales" aka men who looked like they had been in Thailand for way too long, and then going dancing at a club called "The Club."

Things were really looking up in Thailand. We woke up for our first full day and decided to spend the first half of it at the pool. For the second half, we decided to take in some touristy sights so took a tuk-tuk (think Indian auto rickshaw but a touch fancier) to the Grand Palace. From far away, I had never seen anything so grand but as we got closer it became apparent we were inappropriately dressed. Far from the Indian men, I had shed my long pants and long sleeves in favor of shorts and tank tops. In anticipation of the temple, I had carried along a shawl but alas, that was not enough.

Before we even realized it, a woman was shrouding us in random hawaiian print tropical shirts and wrap around skirts. We left her a deposit and frolicked towards jewel-encrusted palaces and emerald-clad buddhas. We were not disappointed, even though we felt we would pass out from the heat given our new wardrobe. After seeing plenty of history and cats hiding in temples, Sarah, Jordan and I hopped onto a water taxi which led us to discover the cheap-o Thai back massage. This ended up leading to more than one miracle as it taught us a shortcut back to our hotel.

Later that evening, we decided to go back to the area we had gotten massages. As we sketchily attempted to pass through a restaurant/travel agency/Jewish hangout, we ran into my Israeli friends from Varanasi. We made plans to meet up later that night but sadly that did not work out. We were tired and leaving Bangkok in the morning. However, the randomness was absolutely crazy and hope that is only the beginning on this trip.

Thailand kicked itself off to a great start and I plan on fully enjoying it until our final day as we celebrate the full moon before heading onto Indonesia. Spring Break Thailand 2010. Hollla back.