I haven't posted since February 9th! God, I'm losing all my readership. It's hard to maintain a blog, but I am going to do a better a job about it. First, I weaning myself off of Facebook - which I found has taken over my life. I hope with the added time, I'll be able to write more in the blog. Part of the problem is that these entries take a long time, so I think I'll write shorter ones that don't focus on so much detail. Of course, occasionally I'll throw in a really long entry!
Well, I promised in my last entry I would talk about the Reclining Buddha, but it's been so long, I almost forget. I'll give you the 2 cents version: We decided to leave the third day of the conference mid-way through the day since it was basically a repeat of what we had learned the first two days. We made our way down to the ferry terminal and hoped aboard a riverboat. This was my first time on the river. Unlike the Han River in Seoul, the river through Bangkok is quite busy. Boats are everywhere. The ferry pulls up to the dock and everyone jumps aboard. It was a beautiful day for Bangkok - sunny and not too hot. The trip took only about 20 minutes, which if I had known this a few days before, I would've avoided that scary motorcycle trip I took. When we docked, we were right next to the restaurant where I had dined the night before. We easily found our way to the Reclining Buddha. What an amazing place. First off, the Buddha is huge. Like a three story building laying on its side. When we entered, an employee offered to take us around on a tour. My friends were suspicious and didn't want to have anything to do with him. He was charging 500 baht, which is like 2 dollars! I said I would pay, and I'm glad I did. He gave a great tour, and told us things we would never had learned without him. I found out in Thailand there is a different Buddha for the day of the week. Since I was born on a Friday, my Buddha is the one sitting up with this hands clasped before him.
The place was huge. There were over 327 gold-covered Buddhas positioned around the grounds. We spent over an hour just wandering through the buildings. At the end of the tour, our guide took us to the gift shop. Inside, a man was reading palms. I decided to get my palm read. He was amazingly accurate. He told me lots of great things which at the time I remembered, but a month later I don't remember much. He did say that as I have aged, I have learned patience, and this has made me a better person. After the age of 50, he said, this trait will reward me handsomely and my future from 50 onwards is very bright. Once again, like another psychic told me, I'm not destined to have another relationship. Hmmm.
After the tour, we went across the street and enjoyed beers while waiting for dinner. We ended up eating dinner at the same restaurant I ate in the night before. Which was fine since the food was delicious. Today was our final day in Bangkok and it was a nice way to end a great conference and trip with friends.
Jump ahead to now! Yes, folks once again I'm in Thailand. I had decided to take this trip, though, months before I knew I would end up visiting Bangkok two more times (I was just here two weeks ago for a school accreditation visit. Not much to tell about that trip since it was all work). I arrived late Friday evening and since this was now my fourth trip to Bangkok, I navigated the airport and taxi service with ease. At the hotel, they upgraded my suite to a two-bedroom palace. I have 2.5 bathrooms, a kitchen with its own washer and dryer, two separate living rooms, two huge balconies. All for the amazing rate of $134 dollars a night. Bangkok has had a rough several months with the Red Shirts protesting the current president. Riots and protests have kept the tourists down. I think since the hotel was so empty, they decided to impress me. They certainly did.
Saturday morning I was determined to see more of Bangkok, but I woke to cloudy skies. Soon after, it began to pour. Which was fine since I didn't need any excuse to just laze around the hotel room. I had a great breakfast, and since my trainer is counting on me, I even worked out for an hour. Then I came back, and went out for lunch. The hotel recommended this nice thai restaurant, which it was, but I was the only person eating there. Still, I had delicious Tom Ka Gai (my favorite soup) and a nice shrimp salad. At this point, I was sleepy, so I went back to the room and took a nap. When I woke up, I started to get ready for the evening. I took the Sky Train over to Nana, a region known for its restaurants and bars, had a thai massage, and then went to dinner. I hopped on my new favorite mode of transportation, the motorbike, and off we went. The driver didn't really know where the restaurant was located, so we had to ask several times. We finally made it. As it turns out, the owner of the restaurant is gay and the restaurant was very gay. I ate at the bar, which I actually prefer to do at fancy restaurants, and had a great meal, though rather expensive for Thailand. The guy behind the bar lived in NYC for 8 years and we had a lot to talk about.
After dinner, I strolled the streets of Bangkok as women tried to lure me into bars, merchants tried to sell me fake Rolexes, and tourists bumped into me as they gaped with amazement. With this being my fourth time here, I've grown very fond of the night markets. They don't shock me . Once you relax, you can just enjoy the spectacle of it. The merchants can tell the suckers from the experienced people, and I guess I now have that experienced look so they rarely solicit me. I didn't stay out long. I was in bed by 11 PM.
It's now Sunday morning and I am determined to leave the hotel! Tomorrow I fly to Koh Samui, an island off the coast of Thailand. I'm excited to see the beach. I'll write more when I arrive.