BANGKOK BABY

WELL, I HAVE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THAILAND.
I LEFT LATE ON WEDNESDAY (REALLY THURS) AT 15 PAST MIDNIGHT. MY COUSIN ROB TOOK ME TO A SEATTLE SONICS GAME THE SAME NIGHT. WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND AS SOON AS THE FINAL BUZZER SOUNDED WE WERE OFF TO THE AIRPORT. THINK I MAY HAVE HAD A FEW TOO MANY BECAUSE BY THE TIME THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT CAME AROUND I ASKED FOR 4 GLASSES OF WATER. THE FIRST FLIGHT WAS TO TAIWAN AND WAS 13 HOURS. WASN'T BAD THOUGH, MANAGED TO SLEEP FOR 7 hrs AND WATCH 3 1/2 MOVIES. ARRIVED IN TAIWAN ON THURSDAY MORNING AND THE AIRPORT WAS REALLY NICE... HAD TONS OF SHOPPING, FINE JEWELRY, COACH, CLINIQUE, D&B AND ALL THE OTHER FANCY BRANDS I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE. THE FLIGHT TO BANGKOK WAS 3 HOURS AND I MANAGED TO GET THE MIDDLE SECTION OF 4 SEATS TO MYSELF AND JUST LAID DOWN AND SLEPT THE WHOLE WAY. TOOK A BUS FROM THE AIRPORT TO KHO SAN RD. THE STREET IS BLOCKED OFF FROM CARS AND IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH VENDORS. CLOTHING, JEWELRY, HAIR BRAIDING, FOOT MASSAGES (PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY GETTING MASSAGES AND PEDICURES RIGHT THERE ON THE STREET), AND TONS OF FOOD. YOU CAN GET PAD THAI (MY FAV) FOR 15 B WHICH IS LIKE $.40!!! TONS OF FRUIT, SMOOTHIES AND BASICALLY ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF IS AVAILABLE. FOUND A ROOM RIGHT OFF OF KOH SAN. CLEAN BUT NOT MUCH MORE TO SPEAK OF... IT BASICALLY CONSISTS OF A BED, FAN AND BATHROOM. THE BATHROOM HAS A SINK, TOILET (WITH A BUM GUN-LOOKS LIKE THE SPRAYERS YOU HAVE AT YOUR KITCHEN SINK BUT YOU USE IT INSTEAD OF TOILET PAPER) AND THE SHOWER HEAD IS RIGHT ON THE WALL IN BETWEEN THE TWO, MEANING YOU SHOWER OVER TOP THE TOILET AND SINK. MY ROOM IS ALSO ON THE 6TH FLOOR AND IS A SAUNA... HAD TO MOVE THE BED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM JUST TO FEEL THE FAN. SPENT THE AFTERNOON YESTERDAY WALKING AROUND AND THEN CRASHED AT ABOUT 7pm. WOKE UP A FEW TIMES TO THE SOUND OF THE STREETS... BUT OTHERWISE SLEPT PRETTY WELL. WOKE UP AT ABOUT 6am THIS MORNING AND WENT FOR BREAKFAST AND HAVE BEEN WALKING AROUND FOR A WHILE. PLAN ON MOVING TO ANOTHER HOTEL ABOUT 2 BLOCKS AWAY FOR NOISE CONTROL.
NEED TO GET A MAP, I WANT TO GO TO SOME MUSEUMS AND MAYBE WALK TO CHINATOWN AS WELL, JUST NOT SURE HOW TO GET THERE. THE THAI PEOPLE HERE HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT KIND AND SMILING... NOT SURE HOW LONG I WILL BE IN BANGKOK BUT I'M GETTING THE ITCH TO GET BACK IN THE WATER SO THINKING I WILL BE HEADING SOUTH IN A FEW DAYS.