Bitchin' Bangkok

Last couple of days in Bangkok have been pretty chill. It's kinda nice to just relax a little, and not have anything to do. Staying at an upscale luxury condo don't hurt none either. On Christmas day, me, my mom, David and Nora went out for a walk, took the river ferry north a bit, and checked out Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn. Really pretty, got to climb it about half way. And I do mean climb, since it has these extremely steep steps. After that, took the ferry across the river and walked around Chinatown a bit. We then went to the Gold Mount Temple, which doubles as this crazy Chinese cemetery built into the sides of the small cliff-like hill. Took the canal taxi, which is kinda cool, since the boats are fast and the canals are narrow, kinda like a mini roller coaster ride.

Yesterday was good; I got a lot done. Bought my ticket to Ho Chi Minh City, and pretty much got a lot of other things done too. That night, I went on a night bike tour with a company called Grasshopper Tours. The whole thing was pretty cool, although you do feel a lot like a tool, just jetting through narrow streets on a pink bike and loud ass helmet. If you get over having people literally pointing and laughing at you, it's a pretty fun thing to do. The people on the tour were nice, and our guide knew her stuff. After that, I decided to try my luck getting a beer in Khao San road, the big backpacker hang out. I had a whole previous blog about how shitty it was during the day, and it was pretty much a circus at night. Got one beer at a bar where a Thai guy in a cowboy hat and an "Alabama" t-shirt was playing old American acoustic and country songs on a guitar. He kinda ruled, not being the best guitar player ever, but more than making it up with gusto. He played "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, which was great. After that, tried another beer at another bar. Khao San is a strange place. Filled with tourists, it really reminds you of one giant Senor Frogs. Didn't meet anyone there as I had hoped, but it was still interesting. It didn't seem like many people were having fun, most people just sat drinking their beers in silence, either watching the soccer game that was on or just staring blankly into space. Went home after two beers.