Thursday, August 10, 2006

it was sad to leave siem riep because it had been the highlight of the trip so far (and for me, one of the highlights if not THE highlight of my travels) but thailand awaited, and thailand is thailand, so we hopped on the plane with dreams of cheap pirated software and knockoff designer clothing.

we took an airport bus into the main backpacker area, khao san road, but it took forever to get there. bangkok is an urban developers worst nightmare. gridlocks at every turn, motos and tuk tuks cutting off cars and buses, little public transportation to speak of, and heavy air pollution...not exactly the clean wide streets of nagoya anymore.

when we finally got to the hotel we were amazed by what we were getting for what we paid...in a good way. the buddy lodge hotel was a "boutique hotel", and while im not still sure what that means, it means that its a shoppers, eaters, and drinkers utopia. the room was excellent and the entertainment and shopping was literally just out the door.

after exploring the rooftop swimming pool (which was terrific), we did some shopping and bought some clothes. at night, we went to the patpong area by tuk tuk, which is bangkoks notorious red light area. only its not really as notorious as its reputation leads you to believe...tourists are everywhere, restaurants and shopping stalls are just around the corner, and theres no sense of danger or debauchery.

we looked forward to another day in bangkok after getting back to the hotel and having a good sleep.