Now that we're in the Thai part of the vacation, I will be using some of Eilidh McCall's diary entries to help tell my own story.

Arrived (again) in Bangkok, and this time we actually left the airport. We stepped from the terminal and were immediately accosted by taxi drivers. None of us had actually been to Southeast Asia, but Caroline (true to her nature) had read that Westerners normally will be initially culture shocked, and was much more prepared than the rest of us to deal with the shift. Between her and Adam (who generally is able to calm his nerves and take charge), we found a taxi to take us to the hotel.

Exhausted but excited, we shed our sweaty airport clothes in favor of some aptly Western garments and set out to explore Bangkok. Jordanna's roommate from Scotland, Eil (Eilidh McCall) joined us as we hit the streets armed with nothing more than a few baht and a street map. Walking tourists.

As Eil describes our adventure, "We started talking to this Thai girl who was 'learning English', and she got us a tuk tuk which would take us to a few Wat's and sight seeing places.

"Night time we went down Khao San road which is very touristy and too western. We all turned around and headed back to the street vendors for dinner. Chicken satay, fresh pineapple, phad thai, and orange juice for 80 baht. That's 1.20. If only we could do that at home!"

I had my favorite dish in Thailand tonight. It's a dessert made from a dough that is deep fried (yum!) like a pancake. Then, the vendor slices up a banana and mixes it with an egg and pours it inside the thing, cooking the inside as he flips the edges over to form a square, pocketed pancake. Once it's finished, he slices it into bite-sized squares and drizzles chocolate over it -- all for 20 baht (50 cents)! [Another variation we had later in the trip: same thing, but also with condensed milk-- scrumptious!]

That night, the women retired early, worn out from travel and heat, but the young men braved a 40 minute tuk tuk ride across the city (on the freeway!!!) to haggle their way into a kickboxing tournament. They had quite a night of it as they went from there to the famous Red Light district. Even Adam, who explains most things, was hesitant to describe the what went on there.