From the minute with arrived in Bangkok, Mel felt like she was at home in Hawaii. And something about the air felt different...better...it was a change well needed. The Thai people are so kind and friendly, and all they want to do is help you and make you feel at home. And for us they did just that. We've had perfect weather, although it can get blazing hot during the day it is absolutely perfect at night in the mid 70's. Our hotel was pretty nice. Comfortable beds, satellite television, free tuk tuk service (a tuk tuk is a car on three wheels used like a taxi and looks like a big golf cart), swimming pool, free really nice buffet breakfast, and lots of other nice amenities. Every once in a while we like to treat ourselves to a little luxury.
We've had great food! Delicious and fresh seafood, spicy everything and good fruit shakes. I am a bit disappointed by the lack of cilantro being used. I thought it was in almost every dish and I'm lucky if I've had it in one. Ah well.
Getting a Thai massage is not like your usual massage. At one point, I thought the lady was going to break my leg. They bend you and twist you in each and every direction. They use their entire body including their elbows and toes into all your pressure points to release the energy flow. And for an hour it was only 6 bucks so who can complain about that? Mel has all ready had two! I'll be sure to catch up when we make our way to the beach.
We also saw a really beautiful temple, different from the Chinese temples. Lots of mosaic and gold leaf embellishments, and home to the largest reclining Buddha in the world. Fascinating, really! Then to top it off we had our first taste of muay thai....and no it's not a food. Also known as Thai boxing, we got to enjoy the fights ring side. Judges in front of us and the trainers and gamblers on the right. It was pretty cool seeing these dudes kick some ass! One guy got knocked out completely on the first round. They had to take him out on a stretcher. We could've gotten our picture taken with any of the boxers, but we were too into the fights to leave our seats.
Oh, and for all you shopaholics...let me just say that they have the coolest markets here with just about anything you can imagine to buy. I bought a pair of Abercrombie & Fitch shorts for 13 bucks. And I almost bought an Adidas jacket for less than 10. We could've went crazy there, but we are running out of room to put things. If we knew what we know now we would've just come here with nothing and bought everything as we went along.
Well, today is our last day in Bangkok. We will probably be back through here a little later on, but for now we are off to paradise. We are flying to Krabi beach, which is on the west coast just south of Phuket. Mel is really looking forward to Ko Phi Phi. We hear it's one of the best beaches in the world. Then from there we are just going to go island hopping. Maybe we'll check out the Full Moon party on Ko Phan Nang. Don't worry, we'll be thinking about you with the sun on our face and the sand between our toes. Oh, I'd like another Mai Tai please....
