03.23 "Carrera Rapida"(Apollo 440)

Asia

Thailand

Bangkok->Phuket->Khao Lak

We woke up quite early (2 am) and took a cab at 3 am northwards to MDK airport (2nd  largest airport in Bangkok)

I can't help but ponder the priority this culture has regarding special seating:

Other priorities change, but monks are invariably first…

On the plane to Phuket, I have a kid sitting by me… Why do parents do this to their kids? ):)

After arriving, we take another cab (northwards again) from HKT airport (Phuket) to  Khao Lak

At Sea Fan Hostel we entertain ourselves chilling, booking hostels in advance, walking, eating, doing more research & more booking…

(See the time difference in minutes… old reliable IKEA clocks…):)

The night finally dawns. For me, it is time for a nap so I can wake up at 2:22 am for…

03.22 "Bangkok Rain"(The Cult)

Asia

Thailand

Bangkok

After an early wake up, we got our Tuk Tuk (same we arranged yesterday) and he drove us to a pier… there we had to haggle again for the price of the ride and finally got on a boat on upstream Chao Phraya (river that runs through Bangkok)

and then through floodgates into a "Khlong" (canal) 

where  we were enticed again into buying things we don't need, and finally back into the river to the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun)

(Eerie double exposition… according to Basia, the temple was suffering Heat Stroke):)

As we were leaving Wat Arun, we could already see gloomy clouds approaching…

… We reached The Grand Palace… but

"…Bangkok  Rain is… pouring down"

(A lot of rain. We got drenched! It was a lot of fun!)

To finish our temple run, still dripping, we went to Temple of Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)

After changing clothes and snacking a bit, we went to The Escape Hunt! It is a witty mystery-solving game that was fun and massaged our brains… we finished it with the clock indicating we had 0:00:00 time left, but just before the alarm sounded! Not even James Bond has been so close in all his adventures! ):)

03.21 "Three Imaginary Boys"(The Cure)

Asia

Thailand

Bangkok

Even at 6am the air in Bangkok is oppressive. We woke up and took the trains to BKK in order to welcome our sister Martha!

As soon as we met and while we were having "7 Eleven" breakfast, Martusia  noticed hiw a woman was disposing the garbage picking one item at a time with a thong instead of dumping the bin! (funny, but sadly no pix or video!)

After getting to the hostel and giving Martusia just a few minutes to shower and recover, we adventured into the heat! We were avoiding tuk-tuks as usual, but I could see the girls suffering too much… and I was not the only one! A nice local guy approached us and told us about shopping, activities, and the Tuk-Tuk rate we should get, same for 1 or 3 passengers: 10 baht/km (~U$0.53/mile)

That day we went into the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre

Quite an eclectic place, where art meets pharmaceuticals…

…sport…

(Basia ready to challenge 29 other ping-pong players!)

…literature…

(e-articles and e-books links were posted here)

… and Icecreams!

(Quite original designs made with icecreams for events)

As we left, I couldn't avoid feeling a bit disturbed by twin giant statues flanking the exit ):)

Lastly we had dinner @ World Centre, where we saw the first large group of kathoey (ladyboys)… not surprising anymore!

03.20 "Wish You Were Here"(Pink Floyd)

Asia

Thailand

Bangkok

Slowly getting used to the harassment of Tuk-Tuk drivers. 

Below is a Tuk Tuk, or "auto-rickshaw"; it is one of the main means of transport in SE Asia

http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/2006/11/

tuk-tuk/

They are a remarkable breed, completely unable to understand the concept of "I am not interested in what you're offering. I am aware $b20/h to ride me around the city is a lie and you'll take me to a shady market where I'll get even more harassed and will have to buy my way back. Just leave me alone" Of course I never say all that, I just keep it simple: "no" or ignoring… but they'll insist, and insist… On bright side, it is great training to master patience and tolerance in the way to Nirvana! :P

Looking for a Tower we made our way into an old Chinese Cemetery that still seems active in some parts… but that nonetheless has been turned into a Parking lot!

Then we went to the remarkable (highly recommended) Seashell Museum

There we also saw a great video that includes cuttlefish and sea dragons: IMAX Under The Sea 3D

Walking back, Basia had an outstanding, strong coffee for just U$0.75 (NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: best coffee in SE Asia) 

(Damn I'm fat!)

Then we had a short retreat from noise @ Neilsen Hays Library

And, frrshly recovered, we picked up the Myanmar visa! Yes!

(PICTURE FROM THE FUTURE: I already have the entry stamp ;)

At dinner I picked up a tiny restaurant and we went for it. I passed it without seeing it, so we ended up going to another one that had some local dancers and musicians… Bad idea! If I had used my brain,  after listening their local rock & pop music! Pink Floyd, I wish you were here…

03.19 "Heat Of The Moment"(ASIA)

Asia

Thailand

Bangkok

Woke up 530am (830a Melbourne time, so not surprising) with congestion, coughing and chest pain… the old dilemma: air conditioner and respiratory issues, or no air conditioner and not be able to sleep due to heat and humidity… Yes to A/C wins! :P 

Later we went to the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok (that happened to be 11 min walking from our hostel) and our visas should be ready tomorrow. Great success!

Manit Sriwanichpoom: The Pink Man

http://isabellofgren.Thai contemporary artist: The Pink Man, Manit Sriwanichpoom (summary and more pictures in link above on artist and cultural significance of his work)

"...I went shopping to... a hyper market for the first time. I couldn't believe my eyes, the scale and excess was overwhelming. I felt lost, alienated and insignificant. People were piling up mammoth trolleys with supplies for a lifetime! I asked myself when life stopped being so simple and how much did they need to buy to fill the void? Pink Man was born out of this insanity."

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/07/04/a-reluctant-provocateur-tweaks-thailand/tab/slideshow/#slide/1

Another interesting reflexion this society makes us consider are the "ladyboys" or kathoey. 

Kathoey

Then the day kept rolling… hot… hotter… Basia suffers from heat stroke. She found out Bangkok is the hottest city in the world (I disagree… and will look into it!):) and April is the hottest month, so everybody tries to leave the city… I know 97 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity is quite a bit, but c'mon, I prefer it now to the frozen steppes of Chicago! 

03.18 "Passage To Bangkok"(Rush)

Oceania->Asia

Australia->Thailand

Melbourne->Bangkok

MEL->BKK

In the morning we walked for the last time in Melbourne 

www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/
showcasing Isabella Rosellini's "Green Porno" live on stage!

and later met Luis at his job (this suspended installation is at the entrance)

Riding to the airport we saw many interesting things: new drivers are legally required to have a sign with an "L" (learner) on their vehicles and then after some time it's changed to "P" (permit) before having no sign indicating "beware; I am still getting skilled at this" ):)

…we also spotted a couple of "safari snorkels"…

…green-shared-cars…

…front protection against Kangaroos on the road…

…  and we also saw this Mitsubishi model…

Obviously for any Argentinian, that model name is quite inappropriate… if you're curious, check: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pajero&defid=2466095

[thanks Juan Jones for the link!]

(NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Gaston later reminded me we saw one in Vietnam, and Basia and I will see others in Cambodia and Myanmar)

After saying goodbye to Luis (and ask him to visit us… it's on, mate!) we embarked on our next leg:

MEL->BKK

We crossed again the Equator and for the last time on this trip. This was the 4th cross of the Equator (over Celebes Island); the 3rd was somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and the 2nd & 1st were over Ecuador itself)

As we arrive to Bangkok, the first thing we cannot avoid noticing is the oppressive heat… we take trains and walk to the hostel and recoup for some minutes caressed by air conditioner and a shower before venturing into the surrounding area.

(Basia and I loved these statues)

Sleepy time. Tomorrow will be a brand new day! …