Bangkok

There’s a joke about Bangkok, but Danny’s heard it enough over the last few weeks that I fear for my safety if I repeat it again. Bangkok itself is a huge, sprawling, modern city. For two weary travelers like ourselves it was a place to catch up on a few housekeeping issues- like going to the doctor, the dentist and indulging in western delicacies like krispy kreme donuts, and brownie sundaes. For my sister it was business as usual and she spent a day telecommuting back to DC.

More than a year ago we were advised to do any medical treatments we needed in Thailand before we returned to the US. With nothing really wrong with us, (although opinions among our friends and family vary), we decided to go in for a full check up, just to you know, see what fun things we’ve been playing host to these last few months. A friend from GW, who serves in Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer recommended a hospital for us in Bangkok, five star service, complete with an Au Bon Pain. Arriving in the international “welcome center,” which resembled the lobby of a five star hotel not a hospital, we knew we were in the right place. An enormous LCD monitor advertised complete surgery packages for less money than probably a pre-operation procedure in the United States and as the screen flashed things like “knee replacement,” “breast augmentation,” “open heart surgery,” classical music softly played over head and the Starbucks on the floor brewed a vanilla latte. Not exactly my local hospital in Pennsylvania.

Needless to say we were poked, prodded and the diagnosis was confirmed- there is nothing wrong with us, at least not physically. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed. I was hoping to be able to tell our readers that we’ve been living with {insert rare and strange disease here} for the last several months or at the very least playing unknown host to a parasite. Sadly, all was “normal” and we were sent on our way after a delicious breakfast.

With housekeeping out of the way, we decided to see the sights of Bangkok. From the Golden Palace to Wat Pho and numerous air conditioned shopping malls, we covered Bangkok from top to bottom. Fortunately our timing coincided with the beginning of the Loi Krathong festival and we were able to catch the opening ceremonies along the river in Bangkok. Enormous, brightly lit barges floated down the river like a river parade. Fireworks punctuated the end of the procession, and although we weren’t allowed into the King’s party (the dog ate my invitation), we enjoyed the hub-bub from outside.

Interestingly enough, the new Harry Potter was released in Bangkok Nov.18th not Nov.19th like the rest of the world.
Which means, with the international date line, we saw it a full day before anyone in the US. At least I think it was an official release. Then again, the titles were in Russian.

IF YOU GO: You can get everything you ever wanted in Bangkok. Seriously. Watch out for scam-artists, we were confronted by more scams in Bangkok than anywhere else on our entire trip and their ploys were creative. Some were even wearing fake tourist police uniforms (easily identifiable, the polo shirts are very different than the formal uniform of the actual tourist police). It’s worth it to stop at one of the tourist information booths and pick up a free map. The bus system was cheap and efficient. The street food of course is delicious, so don’t hesitate to indulge if something looks good. Avoid the BTS system during rush hour.