We have arrived!  We landed around 12:30 local time yesterday at Bangkok International and jumped a bus to Khao San, the primary area that backpackers tend to stay and hang out when they pass through.  It’s young people and old people from all over the world staring wide-eyed at the street markets (which are everywhere).  You can find anything your heart desires here, and then some, for really, really cheap.

It’s incredibly hot.  INCREDIBLY HOT.  We are now showering an average of 3 times a day and, to be honest, we smell like my father’s garden after laying down a fresh batch of cow manure.  Not to worry though, because all the strange things being sold in the streets everywher smell just as strong so I don’t think anyone notices.  It’s amazing how clean the Thai people are!  We are walking around in shorts and a tee shirt, DRIPPING sweat, and they are comfortable and dry in long slacks and long sleeve shirts.  How do they do it?

A note on long slacks:  Should you visit a wat (temple) you must not come wearing shorts.  We brought pants with us to change in to, which was fine, until we realized the ‘changing room’ was pretty much in front of whomever happened to be strolling by to puchase a ticket, including women who were cleaning the ‘changing room.’  As modest as the thai folks supposedly are, they sure don’t mind two grown american men changing pants right there for the world to see.

So as most of you know we are on a very, very tight budget.  What is so exciting though is how much we have already done and seen for so little.  We met a tuk tuk driver today who took us around to a bunch of differnt wats and places of interest.  We were with him for hours and at the end of the day he charged us 20 baht (a little under a dollar).  Usually it would have been 40, but he cut us a deal – I think because he thought David was cute.

Our guest house is called the New Joe (people love naming their business around here after American male names).  They don’t really have hotels here. Guest houses are more like a resturaunt/shop/cafe/ with rooms on top.  You can get them for as little as 5 dollars a night, but we suggest going for the 350 baht (10 dollars) range so you can have a fan and your own bathroom.  It’s not much, but somehow it’s really perfect.

We had this really amazing soup from this woman near our guesthouse -  30 baht a bowl, or a dollar a person.  Deliscious, and it was especially perfect having hot soup after a nasty storm rolled through while we were on the tuk  tuk – we were soaked to the bone.

The most expensive thing we did today was visit the Royal Golden Palace.  It cost 350 baht (as much as our room costs for one night!), but it is home to all of Thailands former kings and, we aren’t sure because things were getting lost in translation, but it seems the current King lives there too.  Evidently he is the longest currently reigning monach in world.  He’s been reigning longer than even queen E over there in England – crazy, right?  The place was unreal.  Solid gold everywhere and I don’t even know what to say.  Just, beautiful and and insane.  One thing to note here as well:  When you are in the bathrooms scattered throughout the King’s palace grounds, temples, etc, please do not wash your feet in the sink as indicated by the signs.

Tonight we are going to a firework show near the department of defense building.  It seems today is a festival possibly for the department of defense, possibly for budha, or possible for nothing really.  It seems there is always some sort of reason for a massive party with cheap food, dancing women, and things being set fire.  What more could one ask for?

Take a look at the photos.  We promise to document more, and better – it’s just been a crazy few days and we already had a dead battery incident.  We’re getting there, promise.  Also – don’t pick on me for my poor spelling and grammar.  I am still jet lagged, afterall.

Onwards to Ko Si Chang, beach breezes and all.

Much Love,

Kevin and David