Starting Off with a BANG(kok)

I tossed the driver a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies (thanks again mom!) & a car magazine and we were off to the Almaty International Airport. We made it there with great speed & on time. Only problem, our Boeing chariot wasn’t. In typical Kazakh fashion, our mode of exodus from the 1950’s surroundings of KZ was only ohhhhhhhhhh ELEVEN hours late! The Air Astana voice would come over the loudspeaker every hour & push back the flight one hour at a time. We filled the dreaded delay by meeting a very nice Minnesota family, who were going to Koh Samui for a beach getaway. The father was working for USAID in KZ & they had similar frustrations with Almaty life & cost of living. Their young kids (Allison & Aaron) made the wait a little more bearable. We played “P.I.G.” with a deck of cards & I was “Pigmaster”. Loser had to do a lap around the airport. I gave lil’ Aaron my camera to snap a picture of Amanda & I during our bleary-eyed airport adjournment. He took a shaky picture, probably because Kazakh airport security ran over to yell at him, “No photo!” I swear, it’s tough to have a good time in this country! The store in the background is actually a cologne & perfume shop. Yes, I tried on no less than 30 different colognes during our 11 hr. delay. I feel sorry for the person who had to sit next me during the 6 hour flight to Bangkok. Oh yeah, that was Amanda!

ALA Airport; Almaty Kazakhstan
So instead of an early evening arrival on 12/19 in the “Big Mango” (what Thai’s call their version of the “Big Apple”), we ended up arriving pre-dawn on 12/20. Although most of the city’s 10 million people were still sleeping, I instantly got that feeling. The feeling I got when I first opened my eyes in great cities like Madrid, Las Vegas, & Marcus Hook. Okay, maybe not the last one. But, I definitely am fond of big, bustling, metropolises where 1) trends originate 2) all roads seem to meet & 3) you could spend years, not our obligatory 2 days, discovering all it has to offer.

After trying to sleep off some of the excitement & waking up to exotic bird calls at to a balmy 80 degrees (at 8:30 AM!) we hit the soi (translation: small street) running! I am thankful to Amin from the Tetra Tech Bangkok office. He graciously let us stay at his condo during the Bangkok parts of our trip. Not to mention, he gave great travel tips & use of an extra cellie during our entire T-Land trip. His nice little bachelor pad is located in an ideal location (Sukhumvit). No, not because it is sandwiched between Soi Cowboy & Nana (2 very fun red-light districts). Rather, because it’s on a quiet/safe street with friendly security guards (EVERYONE is friendly here) that would drive us daily on a golf cart to the main street, it was near their Skytrain (SEPTA has nothing on these clean, efficient, light rail trains), had great restaurants, & housed stalls upon stalls of good shopping.

We only made it about 50 feet out of the condo before we slipped into an authentic Thai restaurant for b-fast. It was here that we quickly learned a few rewarding things that until now we only dreamed about.

1) Stuff is CHEAP – about $1.50 USD total for both our big breakfasts. It really does feel like your playing with Monopoly Money. As a Canadian I met one night said, “For once, use the dollar to your advantage.” Now, not everything is cheap but you can get a lot for a little almost anywhere.

2) People are FRIENDLY – smiles & playful laughing is everywhere. This is right up my soi (remember it means small street?). In Kazakhstan, I’ll see a lil’ old lady shuffling down the street & flash a quick smile to nothing but a cold stare. I know it has to do with communism & all that stuff, but it stinks out loud. In Thailand, people play jokes/pranks constantly, laugh with strangers, & show their pearly whites all the live long day! Maybe that’s why dental work is so cheap there. Also, English is prevalent everywhere, including maps, street signs, stores, etc.

3) Food is ENJOYABLE – exotic, different, & often good! Funny-named fruits, fresh fish, 5-alarm spices, & regional cuisine of all sorts. Some of it took getting used to & the chilies will burn ya, but it was a welcome change from mystery meat & cabbage in KZ. There is also familiar food (Italian, French, Mexican) everywhere if you want to skip the hole-in-the-wall noodle shops. I tried a little of all of it, from tiger prawns to 6 different types of pad thai!

Wat Pho

Yet another wat (you get sick of them after a while!)

Amanda reading a story about a SuperMonkey @ Grand Palace

Art student drawing a statue

Wise man and wise girl

Wat Pho
Back to Bangkok. We did two days of wats (temples), palaces, parks, Chinatown & scrambling through the streets of the big city. I’m not a big fan of touristy sights (I can’t imagine booking a trip to Philadelphia & focusing on the Liberty Bell & the Betsy Ross house). My favorite attractions were markets, people-watching spots, food, & an occasional fruit shake (that’s fruit shake not fruit cake, fruit cake!)

Wat Pho's Reclining Buddha

Amanda taking off her shoes (& another lady also sporting an Ahmish-lookin' skirt)

Somethin' you'd see in Mr. Z.'s backyard

Grand Palace

Guardians of the Grand Palace

The most sacred Buddha in Thailand (The Emerald Buddha). This was actually taken about 150 feet away/zoomed in 'cause no photos allowed inside. His outfit changes with the seasons (rainy, cool, hot) - that's the cool costume.

Amanda & I (not always intentionally) seem to end up exploring the really-real parts of cities. In particular, I enjoyed a walk out of the old city into the more “everyday” hustle of Bangkok. Walking through the canals & spider-webs of streets humming with the daily life of homes/schools/shops that weren’t quite as gilded as the wats & government buildings on the other side of the river. We finished the night up at a large Night Bazaar – where you can buy anything & everything. Oh yeah, & a trip to Soi Cowboy - where you can also buy anything amidst the neon & naughtiness of the many bars, clubs, & scenic spots.

More Grand Palace

Wat Arun

View of Bangkok from Wat Arun

Same place, just a different view

Where's Waldo, I mean Amanda?

Boats on the Chao Phraya River

Soi Cowboy Red-Light District (tame by day)

Some Thai beer

Nana Plaza district (they stole the name of my club)
Next up, the capital of the north, a perfect mix of the old-fashioned yet modern in the charming city of Chiang Mai….