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| Bangkok, Thailand |
Our last city. Bangkok was different from the last time I was here, entirely because we stayed at Khao San Road (versus the business district last time I was here). Khao San is a hippie traveler mecca; everyone with a backpack stays here. Officially, we are no longer backpackers, as we are now transporting an additional two large duffel bags full of crap we have bought in India and Thailand.
Much of our stay here was typical Thailand, focused around good food and massage. Bangkok has a few extras, however. We saw the Golden Palace, which houses the emerald Buddha, currently donning his wintertime full golden shawl (his clothes are changed three times a year). We also saw Wat Pho, which I had never seen before. This is the home of the reclining Buddha, which is enormous. It’s 46 meters long, and nearly reaches the lofty ceiling. Wat Pho also had the best massage place, a school at the back of the complex. The deftness with which my masseuse got under my skin and powerfully into my muscles brought shame to every massage provider I’ve ever visited in America.
Of course, Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) was a must. It dwarfs regular boxing in excitement, as every so often one fighter lands a high kick to the head. The best move is the foot grab. Some of these guys are so quick that when their opponent kicks them in the side, they are able to catch and hold their foot. Then, with foot in hand, they attempt to sweep their opponent’s remaining single leg. When successful, this (obviously) brings their opponent tumbling to the mat. Another edge it enjoys over American boxing is that toward the end of the fight, every blow (and there are many, often in succession) elicits a huge, fast roar from the audience. It’s good fun.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my contempt for Jack Johnson. For some reason, he is the musician du jour in Bangkok. We just now walked back from having coffee, and his music was blaring out of exactly three music stores between Starbucks and our hotel (and you know how far you have to walk to get to a Starbucks). Each time we realized it was Jack Johnson, an annoyed grimace appeared on both our faces. Tragically, I own Jack Johnson’s CD “On and On” (I got it for free from Star when I was competing for Supermouth). It turns out this CD is perfectly titled, because his music just goes on and on. His singing style makes it impossible to distinguish one song from another. After a few listens, his intimate croning starts to sound like an annoying friend constantly whispering in your ear during the movie of life. I will be ditching “On and On” when I get home, along with a bunch of other CD’s I own that, after having sifted through my entire music collection, I now realize suck.
Kelly and I decided to take a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River. It was a fitting way to end our 5 month journey. We were served dinner, and watched Thai women play the harp and perform traditional Thai dances. They even brought to life a scene from a Kabuki-like play. I got up and did the traditional dance with them (they didn’t exactly have to drag me up there either). During the cruise, Kelly and I reflected on all the places we’ve been. It was very much like the first hour of the final episode of Survivor, where the remaining castaways are mandated to take a walk and reflect on their time on the island, while a montage of past clips are shown to the audience. For us, however, the clips were playing in our head. There are a lot of happy memories.
During past trips and vacations, usually I have been too preoccupied to have any sense that I am enjoying myself. The experience usually seems blissful only after time sweeps over it like an airbrush, blurring out the pimples to create a memory better than the reality. During this trip, however, I have had many realizations in the moment of how incredible and enjoyable this trip has been. The dinner cruise was one of those times. After some time passes, this trip is likely to achieve legendary status, especially if life finds me in more stressful conditions (but come on, I’m sure that won’t happen).
For those who may not have read my blogs in their entirety, I will summarize our trip for you here by encapsulating each country we have visited with a single word. Reading this list is like traveling to a dozen countries in 30 seconds – all you miss out on is the jet lag and traveler’s diarrhea.
Greece - beautiful
Italy - tan
Croatia - hospitable
Hungary - skippable
Austria - organized
Czech Republic - hip
Germany - friendly
Sweden - expensive
Denmark - blustery
India - overwhelming
Thailand – relaxing
America - home
