Bangkok 3

Just a few comments about my third stay in Bangkok. First of all, you'll remember that I lived through a lot of rain when I was on Koh Chang before I went to Bhutan. It turns out that these rains were much more extreme than the average monsoon - the whole country is under water. Toni and I took a day tour a couple of days ago to Ayutthaya which was the former capital of Thailand. I saw some really beautiful temples and countryside, but was amazed at how much water there is standing in the fields, on the sides of rivers and canals and just about everywhere else. It's good to know that the rains I experienced weren't normal - I just couldn't imagine how anyone could live through that on an annual basis. We came back to Bangkok via a boat on the river - it was a lovely, relaxing afternoon on the boat with a few beers and great scenery of the Thai countryside drifting by.

On the same tour I overheard the guide speaking about a festival of some kind during which the Thai people apologize to the river for something (I didn't hear what exactly they were apologizing for). Due to his Asian accent the word "river" came out as "liver". Needless to say, I have decided to adopt this annual practice of apologizing to my liver. In fact I may make it a monthly event. It's rather ironic that this festival will likely do more damage to my liver than good.

I have spent the last 4 days in Bangkok largely running around. I had the one day tour and the rest of the time was spent doing my laundry, planning my next steps, catching up on mail and blogging and putting together a box of trinkets to send home for Christmas. I have had dinner with Toni a few times, have run into Bob drinking beer at roadside bars and last night drank copious amounts of red wine and Black Russians with a Nepali jewelery importer/exporter. I feel like a very "bad" traveler at the moment, given that I've done virtually no sight-seeing but I guess this is my life now and the mundane stuff needs to get done too.

I was hoping to do another tour over the next month but couldn't get a spot as I left my booking too late. I have decided to go it alone and will be heading north to Chiang Mai tomorrow. After that I will head into Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, assuming all goes well. They are working on my visas as I am typing this. I don't have too much time, so will hit only the major spots. I figure if I fall in love with any one country or place, I can go back in the spring after I visit Australia. I have booked my flight to Oz and will be heading down under on Dec. 20. I had hoped to go a bit earlier but again left it too late and all the flights were booked. My return ticket is open so I can come back whenever it feels like the right time.

So I'm off to Chiang Mai tomorrow. I wasn't planning on spending too much time there, but they have a floral expo on at the moment, which is supposed to be spectacular. I may have to spend a day or two checking out the flowers and plants. Not really my bag but again, I've heard so much about it it may just demand a look. Will also try to check out Chiang Dao as per Chris and Erin's recommendations. I'm feeling a bit out-of-shape despite the half-trek in Bhutan. It's so hot that I haven't been able to bring myself to run, so a trek or bike ride in the countryside would be really good. I will force myself to start running at least a few times a week, heat or no heat.

That's it for now. Will try to be a bit more regular about my posts from now on.