Bangkok

Did someone say tuk-tuk? So far, that's been the highlight of my trip. Not that the rest hasn't been great, but I've decided that maybe I do like adventure and adventure might be understating a tuk-tuk ride. "Hang on to your hat, sista" may have been the best advice I received before leaving Doha. The driving here is similar to Doha, but worse, if you can believe that. Shopping was our first stop, since we were informed by the tour guide in the hotel lobby that was what this city is known for. Well, they are actually known for a few other questionable things, but I try to keep the rating down to PG-13 veering from the triple X. We went into a really nice shopping mall called MBK that we were referred to, but it wasn't what we were looking for. Once we were back out onto the streets, we found it...the alluring smell of fried grasshoppers. Aaah, shoppers paradise with vendors lining the streets selling their wares for cheap cheap prices only to come down even more. After our day of shopping and tuk-tuks, we turned in early, as we had traveled all night to our destination on little sleep. We got up early for our tour of The Grand Palace, only to be welcomed by rain. David checked on the status of our tour and was promptly handed three umbrellas as an answer. Fortunately the rain stopped as soon as we disembarked on our ferry ride across the river to catch our tour. The Grand Palace grounds were filled with colorful temples and pagodas with gold overlay on nearly all the buildings. After the tour we regrouped and headed out for none other than more shopping and sightseeing via tuk-tuk...starting price 200 baht, ending at "what will you pay, madame?" Whatever you say, they will take. I missed my Kodak moment as a lady with five kids on her motorbike sped by us as we were walking down the street. You heard me correctly...two in front of her and three behind her. This seems to be the major mode of transportation in the city. I just thought the service was great in Doha, but it doesn't compare to the people here. The Thai people bow to you at every turn, with their hands together as if in prayer. If you want to feel special, this is the place to be. We're at the airport now waiting on our flight to Phuket. I'm not sure when I'll talk to you, again so take care in the meantime. Forward to the future: Ran out of battery and internet before I got to post. We've arrived in Phuket to a pouring rain. The sky cleared as we neared our destination with beautiful sunshine. Upon checking into our villa at the Sheraton Grand Laguna, we were informed of a room change. We've been upgraded from a hotel room to a two bedroom/two bath villa with a dining and living area. Things are looking up.

P.S. I have no idea what the English translation is to this song. I just picked it because of the title. There's no tellin'!