Different side of Bangkok
On Monday (5 March) afternoon I sent another 3.5-lbs worth of stuff home from Bangkok. My pack if feeling pretty light right now. I had some left over warm clothes that I didn't actually use in northern Thailand or Laos even though it was quite chilly there. I had also accumulated some clothes that I didn't really need. So along with that stuff, some CDs with pictures on them, and a few other odds and ends, I figured I had enough to make it worth sending some stuff home.
Then I finally got ahold of my friend Nicole, whom I met in Laos and lives in Bangkok, and went to meet her and stay with her for a couple of nights. She lives fairly far from Khao San Road but it was a free place to stay in an expensive city and it was good to see a friend. Plus I didn't have a reason to stay near Khao San anymore. Her apartment complex is full of ex-patriots. I had no idea there were so many foreigners living and working in Bangkok. I was amazed. The whole area where she lives is packed with ex-pats. We went to eat with a couple of her friends that evening and then went back to her apartment to look at our pictures of Laos where we met. Yvo, Helen, and I - who were traveling together at the time - met Nicole and 2 Israeli girls on the boat ride down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. We had all shared one big room in Luang Prabang for New Year's Eve and had blast. Yvo and Helen had stayed with Nicole a few weeks ago and raved about her hospitality which I can now attest too.
On Tuesday (6 March) Nicole had to go to work and I got to pretend like I was staying at a resort. Her apartment is huge, clean, and nice and it feels like an apartment in the West (first time with AC in a long while!). I haven't stayed in such luxery my entire trip. The apartment complex is also amazing, with multiple swimming pools, workout centers, the works. However I did spend a good part of the day away from her apartment. Between using the internet to book my flight to Myanmar, eating, and finding a bank to get US dollars at (which I need for Myanmar since there are no banks or ATMs in Myanmar), I used up a good portion of the day. I did manage to spend some time by the pool that afternoon though. I figured I couldn't pass it up, even though it wasn't like being at the beach. That evening I tagged along with Nicole to a birthday dinner for a friend at a Mexican restaurant.
Today (Wednesday, 7 March) is my last day in Bangkok on this round. I fly to Yangon, Myanmar tomorrow (Thursday, 8 March) morning at 7:15 AM on Air Asia. My visa is good for 4 weeks, but I may only stay 3 weeks there before flying back to Bangkok. Internet is heavily censored in Myanmar by the government, including web-based email sites like hotmail, so it will be difficult for me to email or blog from Myanmar.
Then I finally got ahold of my friend Nicole, whom I met in Laos and lives in Bangkok, and went to meet her and stay with her for a couple of nights. She lives fairly far from Khao San Road but it was a free place to stay in an expensive city and it was good to see a friend. Plus I didn't have a reason to stay near Khao San anymore. Her apartment complex is full of ex-patriots. I had no idea there were so many foreigners living and working in Bangkok. I was amazed. The whole area where she lives is packed with ex-pats. We went to eat with a couple of her friends that evening and then went back to her apartment to look at our pictures of Laos where we met. Yvo, Helen, and I - who were traveling together at the time - met Nicole and 2 Israeli girls on the boat ride down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. We had all shared one big room in Luang Prabang for New Year's Eve and had blast. Yvo and Helen had stayed with Nicole a few weeks ago and raved about her hospitality which I can now attest too.
On Tuesday (6 March) Nicole had to go to work and I got to pretend like I was staying at a resort. Her apartment is huge, clean, and nice and it feels like an apartment in the West (first time with AC in a long while!). I haven't stayed in such luxery my entire trip. The apartment complex is also amazing, with multiple swimming pools, workout centers, the works. However I did spend a good part of the day away from her apartment. Between using the internet to book my flight to Myanmar, eating, and finding a bank to get US dollars at (which I need for Myanmar since there are no banks or ATMs in Myanmar), I used up a good portion of the day. I did manage to spend some time by the pool that afternoon though. I figured I couldn't pass it up, even though it wasn't like being at the beach. That evening I tagged along with Nicole to a birthday dinner for a friend at a Mexican restaurant.
Today (Wednesday, 7 March) is my last day in Bangkok on this round. I fly to Yangon, Myanmar tomorrow (Thursday, 8 March) morning at 7:15 AM on Air Asia. My visa is good for 4 weeks, but I may only stay 3 weeks there before flying back to Bangkok. Internet is heavily censored in Myanmar by the government, including web-based email sites like hotmail, so it will be difficult for me to email or blog from Myanmar.
posted by Dustin at 10:32 PM
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