ChrisJenTravel.com – Honeymoon Trek

Three days in Bangkok was all anyone needed. The air was filled with smog and smoke, the kind emitted from diesel trucks. With no where to go, many locals live their days with medical masks covering their mouths and noses, filtering the air to simply breath. Everyday, I blew my nose not knowing the amount of black mass that would escape. Chris’ allergies fought back and his cough from California continued to resurface. Chang Mai was a blessing, still smoggy, but most days would be spent in the rural areas away from the heavy city air. [read on]

We walked about Bangkok, exploring the sights, sounds and flavors, still trying to recover from jet lag. The Royal Palace temples were a mile away and we thought that it would be an easy sight to see. However, as we entered the grounds, tour guides flocked towards us telling us that we would not be allowed in due to our inappropriate attire. I wore a 3&1/2 length sleeved shirt (down to my elbows) and cotton shorts that passed my knee (which was not acceptable) and Chris wore long shorts. In order to enter, I would need a skirt or pants; Chris would need pants. Understandably, we hailed a taxi and headed to Siam Square, a shopping district that we wanted to stroll through. The traffic was overwhelming – 30 lanes of traffic converged to one intersection. Lanes of traffic are a concept in Thailand. Most don’t adhere to the lanes; instead, the millions of scooters, motorbikes and tuk-tuks weave in and out of traffic and create their own lanes. Relaxed and happy to not be driving, we waited for our stop at Siam Square.

Siam Square is a large, expensive shopping square made of 24 streets. Disappointed that it wasn’t more of a simple market, we began to talk to some locals about the area. There are plenty of people who are overly nice simply because they want to steer you in a specific direction for a personal gain. Small-time scams abound here, [read on]