Hello from a sweltering Bangkok!!
We are on our fourth day in Bangkok and we love it! It’s been hot as hell, but there is so much to do to keep you busy. We've checked out a pretty good portion of the city already including a massive statue of a reclining Buddha, A solid gold Buddha, and some other less famous Buddhas. (The religion here is predominantly Buddhist if you haven’t figured that out yet!). The temples and Watts that they build here are beautiful! The city itself is crazy. There are so many people and so much going on at every hour that it is sometimes exhausting just walking from one place to the other. Some parts of the city are old and sometimes slummy, but others are built up with modern malls, skyscrapers, and movie theaters (We saw a movie last night). We went to a HUGE market yesterday on the outskirts of central Bangkok. It is said to be the largest outdoor market in the world! We were expecting to find more gross food like bugs and rats there, but I think modernization has taken effect in this place. I (Michal) have eaten a grasshopper though... Anyways, for the last week or so, there have been constant celebrations in honor of Thailand's beloved Kings Birthday. I think the actual b-day was on Dec. 5th, but then there was constitution day, and then yesterday there were parties in the streets again! We heard from a local that because the king is 83, they are getting as many celebrations in as possible! This has been a cool experience because there are all sorts of extra activities to do. Last night we were on our way back from our movie and the bus just stopped and everyone was told to get off. (Convenient in a city you aren't familiar with and don't speak Thai) We started walking back from there and noticed that the whole major street was packed with people, crazy Asian parade floats that each had a portrait of the king, and stages with Thai people rambling stuff about the King and how great he is! This was very cool to see and be immersed in. Today we took a river ferry to a big Dragon boat race. (For those not familiar, Dragon boats are very long and narrow boats filled with probably 70 or so Asian dudes paddling their asses off.) They even had a "Cheerleading Squad" of old ladies chanting and drinking something that must have been very potent. All in all... Long live the King!! Anyways, tomorrow we are going to see the old royal palace and then taking off towards Cambodia (Angkor Watt) on a bus. We are excited to see these temples. They are said to be the 7th wonder of the world!
We hope everyone is doing well back home and we can't wait to see all of you. We will try to write next from Cambodia!
