September 8 friday
One thing that Bangkok taught me was that I am definitely not a city girl. The shopping in Bangkok was great and after the initial shock and awe that comes with first time exposure to the markets and shopping malls of Asia Jon really got into it.
There was a mall listed a few miles away that boasted five floors of electronics and we went there the second full day in Bangkok.
It was every IT person's dream come true.
It was a long tortuous day for me. Yes, we went to every single floor and like most markets and malls, things start to look the same. Jon seemed interested in taking it all in for the sheer volume of gadgetry all under one roof while I'll admit you couldn't get this kind of volume in one place back home. There weren't many women there and those there were actually worked there. There were a few cauacasians but we were off the tourist track and this was more of a locals place to go.
After hours (and hours) we left in search of lunch and some "real" stores that we had not gotten to the night before when we were in a shopping area nearby.
The traffic is amazing in Bangkok but not at all suprising. The sheer numbers of people isn't as many as Seoul but you can still appreciate the overcrowdedness. The pollution from the cars is awful and you can see why people where masks when they're in the streets, riding tuk tuks, scooters, motorcycles or just walking on the sidewalk. There was one corner in particular that we passed which was really bad and there were people right there on the sidewalk selling their goods and you know they're there all day every day. You could see the air pollution it was so thick.
I swear, we're both giong to have a serious case of black lung by the time we leave Asia. I don't think South Korea is any better but we'll see.
The food at the Tavee guesthouse is really good. Jon has been enjoying the pancake with banana and honey syrup and I've been enjoying the homemade yogurt with mixed fruit and/or with homemade granola/muesli - good stuff. We eat fast and at the one table that the owners eat at for their meals. It's set inside a bit more and not under the trees. If the food sits out too long there's these little super fast moving bugs that start to help themselves to your food. Their only about the size of a pinhead but those suckers can move! Jon says their ants. I noticed them about the second day in Thailand and we had some open packages of snack foods in our room. I went directly up to our too our room and sure enough - ants. So we've had to buy everything on the fly and no leftovers which is a shame because we love our snacks and leftovers.
The orchids grow like weeds in Thailand which is something I know my dad would really appreciate since he's has quite a few orchids of his own that he grows.
It's hot and humid, morning and night. I've been bitten by mosquitoes nearly every night in Bangkok despite the bug repellant with Deet and am faithfully taking my malaria prophylaxis for what it's worth although I should be fine in the urban areas according to my internet research.
Note To Self: do not spray bug repellant "down wind" when the ceiling fan in your room is set on high.
I thought that if I turned away a little from Jon I would be ok to spray my legs with bug spray but after a few spritzes I heard this sputtering and spitting from Jon.
It went into his mouth.
And a little bit in his eyes too.
Oops.
I still got bitten by bugs.
