One (last) night in Bangkok

We didn't plan to spend much time in Bangkok and that was a mistake. On my previous visits I found it dirty and hard to navigate. This trip I started figuring the place out and it's really quite wonderful. The first and best thing about the place is the Thai People. That goes for the entire Kingdom. They are generally a fun-loving, generous, and peacful lot. Beyond that, I figured out was around town that I didn't try before. The SkyTrain, the subway, TukTuks (in heavy traffic), and the RIVER! Chinatown, the parks, and the little Sois (streets) that are packed with a particular kind of people or commercial item or food...there is so much that Bangkok has to offer once you take the time to get to know her. It took me three trips but I finally am getting it and wished I booked up more time here.

We headed out to Chinatown (the only place to buy gold, by the way, which we didn't, by the way) and stopped in for some Peking Duck and other very good but comparatively unmemorable dishes. It's interesting how the many of the Chinese in Thailand have lost their Chinese language skills and many of their traditions. They are Thai people, more or less, that cook Chinese food! More on that when I get to Trang. For now the Peking Duck was awesome. So bad for you, but so so so so so good.

We decided to hang out that night at the hotel bar. The house band, name unknown, had a bald guy with ponytail guitarist and a overmodulated geeky-"dancing" songstress. I've got .avi video that I will upload when I get back to the US. It's too big to do from here but it's worth it...oh...only if you really love to hear "Proud Mary" butchered as much as I do!

The next morning we packed and headed out to lunch down an alley near the hotel. This place was packed with tiny little food carts and small restaurants, mostly Chinese (the road continued on to Bangkok's Chinatown). We stopped at a place knows for Roast Goose with Noodles. It was everything they said and more! I've never had much goose before, but after Hong Kong and Bangkok, it's on my list of things to depopulate from the planet by way of eating. Now this is how much Megan loves food. Walking back we pass this won ton noodle stand which catches her eye. She holds out her hand to block my progress back to the hotel and says "we must try this." Heh! I am still wiping my mouth from lunch and she has us sitting down to try and bowl of wonton noodles with roast pork. Ok, it was awesome. She's got the "magic eye" when it comes to food. We head back to the hotel, bring our bags down, pick out the cleanest, newest taxi and negotiate a price for the 2-hour drive down to Pattaya. I sleep in the car and probably miss out on some nice scenery. Up next, Pattaya Beach. Scary!