So, the plane ride wasn't really all that bad. It was long, but Korean Air is really nice so I watched like 4.5 movies and played games on my tv. I didn't sleep at all but that actually kind of helped me adjust better to the time change.
Bangkok was great. It was so different from any other city I've been to and everyone was so incredibly nice. First off our Hostel was incredibly nice, so that was a good surprise. I havn't had any problems with the customs changes here except for the toilet paper thing. They don't use it and instead use a kitchen-sprayer-type-thing next to the toilet. It would be fine I guess, but I can't stop thinking about who else its been close to...
Our first day in Bangkok we went to the Golden Palace which also houses the emerald Buttah. They were both amazing, of course. Everthing here is just so beautiful and old. Like next to slums and fish markets will be the remains of old Wats (Buddhist temples) that all have the "same" glass decorations and tipped roofs. Monks are everywhere too. Once when we were waiting for a water taxi a monk just asked us out of the blue "How much is fare?" in an Australian accent! When we told him we didn't know he said, "Oh well, Monks get in free and its cool as hell." It was the most unexpected thing ever.
After the Grand Palace we went to a Pad Tai place that Casey says is the best in Bangkok, therefore the best in the world, and it was really good. After we got the choice to either go to a Thai "Cabaret", which was kind of like a tranni-show, or a Muay Thai boxing fight. Obviously I went to the Muay Thai. It was really badass, but incredibly hard to judge. For instance guys u sworn were the winners actually were the losers, but it was still fun.
Our second day we took a "gondola" ride through the canals of the city. It was so much fun. Casey got us our own "private" boaty thing and the driver was really good. The motor of course was reall loud, but several times he stopped us in front of a dock where wild monitors, that were easily 6ft long, were sleeping. During the boat ride I discovered that I'm in love with the Thai Spirit Houses. Thai Buddhism is mixed with a bit of animalism, so every dwelling has their own little spirit house, about the scale of a birdhouse, for the spirits to live and take their offerings. I don't know how many pictures I have of them, but I can't wait to build my own when I get home. After the boat ride we went to see a famous Reclining Buddah statue. He was huge. He could've easily smushed The Barn at The Loveless (I fail at comparisons). Next me and a couple of the girls went shopping at a touristy street. I bought some cute fake-RayBans for ฿200, which is like $3. I LOVE the exchange rate. Most meals we get here are less than a dollar and taste awesome.
Last night we took an over-night train to Chiang Mai. It was definitely not as nice as the over-night train I took in Spain, but was still fun. We got to Chiang Mai, where I am now, at about 8am our time, checked into our hostel, then went to another Wat. This Wat is the oldest in the city and gives a great view to all of Chiang Mai. Tonight we're going to a night-market, which is what Chiang Mai is famous for, so I'm really excited for that.
Tomorrow we go to our first home stay and I'm a little nervous. Everyone in Thailand really is unbelievably nice, but still the language barrier can be a little tricky sometimes. I probably won't be able to log on for another week, so I hope I've covered everything. Oh, and I LOVE tuk-tuks. I am seriously considering buying one when I get home. They are so much fun.
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