Well, I don't know about you all, but I had a very exciting day. First though, I want to say a few things about getting here..........

My ferry from Crete left at 11pm, so the day was like pulling off a really big band-aid, really s.l.o.w.l.y.

My posse and I laughed a lot and had fun and tried to distract ourselves from what was happening. But if I maintained eye contact with anyone long enough, the sadness would come out. We had become such a large part of each others' daily lives and that was changing. Also, Marinos was sick with a massive fever and that was the cherry on my guilt sundae.

But I left (obviously) and got to hang out for about 8 hours in my favorite airport ever, Venezelios in Athens. I didn't even want to chance it by visiting the plaka, I had missed too many flights in my day. So, I played for hours on the many FREE internet terminals around the airport. I got all caught up on 'the onion' and 'homestar runner' while munching on a 1lb. bag of malteasers (like whoppers, but really, really good).

Right now, there are some old pappu's and yaya's in Greece whose only English is Strong Bad's...'Every day I check the e-mail, and I hope it's from a fe-mail' (no headphones, and the speakers were LOUD)

Then on to Amman, Jordan. I got in around 6pm-ish and had gotten really excited about an ad I saw on the in-flight magazine for this ultra-lux hamum (bath house). Then I realized that U.S.'ers need a visa to travel in Jordan. Oh well, on the plus side, I didn't have to hang out in the airport for 7 hours, they gave all each a FREE hotel room. Awesome. I rested, watched a bit of the tube (I just can't believe that Michael Jackson!).

Something that I'll always associate with Jordan is its smell........very spicy, kinda pachoulli-ee, exotic, but still clean smelling (if you can imagine pachoilli without invisioning a dirty hippy). I found myself following people around because I wanted to smell them, I LOVED being on a crowded bus for the first time!

I have to go back there one day, especially because I had to exchange about $20 into Jordanian currency, and good luck finding someone to exchange it back....

So, I arrived in Bangkok around 2pm, easily found a bus to take me to my guesthouse, and recieved an elevated view of Bangkok from the expressway. Then it was time to get all settled, eat a bit of curry, do a few emails and promptly pass out at 9pm.

I kinda felt like I had wasted my first night here, so I wanted to make it up today.

Woke up, got all refreshed-like and had a leasurely breakfast while alternatingly reading a bio of Andrew Oldham (mang. of The Stones) and Lonely Planet's Thailand, for info on Chiang Mai. Then I arranged my train ticket, had another shower (it's unbelivably hot and humid here, I've had 4 showers today so far)
and went for a 2 hour traditional Thai massage. Ahhhhh.......Ow-wow-ow....ahhhh...woah..ow.....ahhhhhh.......(continue pattern for 2 hours)

Seriously, it was quite a mixture of pleasure and pain. These massusses really employ their entire physical faculty, they use their hands and forearms, and elbows, and legs and feet, I don't know how they can keep up like that for so long. I got out and I felt drunk, I realized it may have something to do with being partially dehydrated and really hungry.

On the issue of food, I haven't been eating that much since I've gotten here. Part of it is my feelings of Thai-virgin intimidation, everywhere you look there's food, restaurants and millions of street vendors. I just have too many choices, total over-stimulation. Also, Bangkok smells really, really, really bad. Imagine an old dirty band-aid, imagine what that smells like, now set the band-aid on fire. Do you feel hungry? So here I am. I'm gonna lose those Greece-kilos in no time.

After finding some fish(?) curry, I took the Thai 'el' and then walked for a half hour to get to this huge park. I could barely breathe by the time I got there. The air here is so thick and heavy to begin with, add pounds and pounds of exhaust and smog on top of it, and it's no wonder residents wear those surgical masks (I just thought they were late on the sars trend). So I'm sitting in the park, wheezing, gasping and sweating and I'm watching 50 people or so doing aerobics. That's right, AEROBICS! To these funny, sped-up, chipmunk-sounding American songs. Man, Thais may be sweet, but they are crazy-tough too.

Something else that's cute....I've noticed that alot of older American-looking guys who must have been here during the war or something and maybe 'fooled around' a little, have now come back to visit the Thai daughter (somtimes even granddaughter) that they left behind. I'll tell ya, it warms the heart to see these geezers walking around with them and holding their hands, buying them drinks. I guess they're trying to make up for lost time.

Yah, so I walked around the park for a while, and then went next door to this HUGE night bazaar. Sarah and Britt: you would totally have the biggest field day here. I almost passed out, but managed to restrain myself to 2 pairs of shoes (wait till you see this one pair, they look like feet!)

After this I was just exhausted, a nice air-con taxi ride back to the guest house was in order, but for some reason, I decided to take a tuk-tuk instead. I don't think I'll do this again, I didn't blink or breathe the entire time.

So that was my day in Bangkok, sorry no pics but this computer can't handle my card-reader anyway. What? my writing style isn't illustrative enough for you?!? Feh! Anyway, to make it up to you, I have a quiz question, whoever answers it first in a response to this entry gets.......a postcard!.................. from Thailand!,....... from me!........personally delivered by your very own postal person!

This could be yours simply by answering the following question...
In this entry, identify the following;
1) the first-aid essential mentioned twice
2) the actual answer to my toungue-in-cheek situational explanation
That's it, go for it!
(Fine print, winner will not include anyone in my immediate family, as they will be recieving postcards anyway)

Time for a Beer Lao!
Kate