First Impressions of Bangkok

I intially titled this on "First Impressions of Thailand" but rethought that to just Bangkok. Okay, well right off the bat, Thai is a language you have NO CHANCE of understanding. I am use to European languages where at least you can understand a bit. Thai, no way. Those symbols don't even resemble letters. But, most everything is in English - but the translations are often humerous. For instance, blemishes or whatnot on your face are called "face pollution". Also, the advertising in Asia is like Time Square on acid and constantly surrounding you. Half the ads talk or move somehow and they are seriously everywhere. We saw a clean and clear add that was like a kiddy carnival ride - it moved, talked, and was 3D. Also, white people are featured in all the ads, kind of strange.

Oh, have I been living in a bubble or did no one else know they drove on the left hand side of the road (like England and Ireland) here in Thailand. I had no clue and almost sat in the driver side of the taxi at the airport. Oh, we took the sky taxi (the metro) to dinner last night, that was fun. Apparently it gets really crowded but it wasn't so bad at 8pm last night. The security people did find us threatening when we stood arond talking at the station though and they asked us to leave. On the way to dinner we saw an elephant walking along one of the Sois (spelling?? that that is the Thai word for like a small street). Now Bangkok is a huge city of millions of people, not really elephant territory.

Dinner was food from northeastern Thailand aka Laoian food (food from Laos, a country that is between Thailand and Vietnam and above Cambodia). It was very tasty. Oh, I took pictures which will come later but you eat it with your hands. You get this container of sticky rice which you pinch with your fingers and use to pick up the meat/veggie portions. It was fairly spicy and tasty. Oh, and I learned that the tail portion of fish is suppose to be the best. Also, I ate pork and learned that you just eat and ask later. The beer was alright, strong but kind of sweet, but cold and that is what counts in this muggy heat. Dinner only cost about $3.5 each for all that food, beer, and water so that isn't bad. I also hear I have to try Thai homemade whiskey.

Breakfast at the hotel is a combo of American style pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, and then fruit and Indian food. So, I had some Indian lentel dish, a pancake, eggs, and fruit for breakfast. We shall see how my stomach likes that. It was fairly tasty. I am on a mission for Pad Thai (which I hear from friends there is a good place for 30 baht (about $1) nearby. Oh, at breakfast Sarah and I sat with two other girls on the trip (Daniella and Nicole) and we might all head from Hanoi to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Min City or HCMC) and then travel back to Thailand through the Mekong Delta in Cambodia. That would be awesome. We shall see! Asia will be an adventure however we end up seeing it! Alright, signing off, more later!