Lots of ways to get around!

Elizabeth and I are currently in Thailand.  We spend a two days and a night in Bangkok where the name of the game has been transportation. We were taken to Dhaka airport by a driver that Elizabeth hired for my stay in Bangladesh.  (She correctly figured that I could not handle an unlimited number of rides in CNG’s in the traffic in the heat!).  We flew to Bangkok and then were bussed from the plane to the gate.  We took a cab ride to Bangkok.  While in Bangkok we rode in tuk-tuks, cabs, a ferry, a long boat and a skytrain. I think the only form of available transport we missed was a motorbike and, in light of the drivers in Bangkok I just was not game for that!

Bangkok is a busy, busy place.  New Bangkok looks like any other city with its Intercontinental Hotel and Starbucks, but the old city is quite remarkable.  The layout of the old of the city reminds me of Boston, meaning that is largely marked by the river and it is really confusing.  The streets are narrow and lined with endless shops.  In one part of town they are organized by type- a string of unfinished furniture shops, a string of shoe shops, a string of shops selling pet birds and rabbits, and on and on.  Everywhere there are small stalls of men and women cooking all forms of food- (most not recognizable to me). They will have a little card table set up next to them and there will be one or two people having lunch or dinner.   They open just before lunch and close around 11 pm. 

After dinner last night we went to the top floor -63^rd- of the State Tower Hotel.  The building is topped with a gold dome that is continuously misted with cold water so that it appears to be steaming.  There is a skywalk that is outside and includes a circular bar and a patio with a 270^o view of the river and the city.  It was magnificent!

Today we went on a trip along the Chao Phraya River.  We hired a long boat and went up the river to a connecting canal where there was a river market.  Like the city, there were lots of stalls with people cooking- many of them doing this in small boats.  In addition, there was a market with all manner of pastries, plants and knick-knacks.  We strolled around taking in the sights and sounds, and Elizabeth took lots of photos. Once she gets these uploaded I will post the link. 

We are now in Phuket, a beach town in southern Thailand.  Our hotel for the first two days here is located on a hill overlooking the (Andaman) sea but since it was dark when we arrived we have not seen the view.  More about that later!