Bangkok returned - Feb 3rd
Well, the boys and I are in Bangkok for the final (at least for Dan and I) leg of the Thailand excursion. Arnie continues on to Chaing Mai for the beginnings of his treks leading him on to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, etc...
NOTE: Oh...Dan mentioned that a few folks (from emails he got) got the wrong impression from my BLOGs. To clarify, I am not miserable or having a bad time, on the contrary, I'm enjoying myself (I'd rather travel around and have fun than work anyday). I think the best way to describe the past few weeks is that all the beach living we've been doing is turning into a bit of a blur...there's only so much time I can sit on the beach before I start chomping at the bit and want to do something else. That's all...a little 'brain'stimulation...
So Phuket is expensive. It's a total resort island. No doubt about it, it's been one of the most expensive places, from my perspective, that any of us have traveled to in Thailand. Looking around and trying to compare to some of the places we've traveled, supermodel island Phuket is not. It is more like geriatric island. The average adult age must be around 45-50...and you haven't seen topless sunbathing until you've seen a lady in her 50's sunbathing...shudder.
I also think that maybe this is why the locals barter less and prices are higher than Chaing Mai or elsewhere where we traveled - I don't think the geezers haggle with the locals. Buggers!!
On a side note, those scooters were fun to tool around on. I have to admit, I don't know why they paint lines on the roads here...no one follows them!! Remember growing up and coloring in coloring books? Well, I used to color within the lines...not all over the freakin book, within the lines. Driving here is like coloring all over the freakin book...I'm thrown waaaaay off. Everyone drives anywhere...just like in southern Italy. In Italy, people drive the wrong way down one way streets (at least Lazzarino does), are all over the road (at least Lazzarino is), play chicken with oncoming traffic (yup, Lazzarino once again), or they just make up their own bloody rules (like Lazzarino driving in BC...P.S. you're won't be driving the Mustang when it's done...you hear that puto!?!).
Fast forward to Thailand...full of 1 million + 'School of Lazzarino' drivers and you got one nervous Indian thinking if it's wise to drive on the road with them. That said, I was nervous about renting a bike (which I've never ridden before..ever...) and learning to drive that on the roads of the worst coloring book colorers in the world. But I did it and I think I had fun coloring outside the lines with them.
We tooled around here in Phuket for a bit, had great burgers at a place called 'NASA Burger'(home made burgers - great), and stayed at a place called 'The White House Inn' (because the place is painted white...not because they are catering to Americans..well, they are but you know what I mean).
We hit Patong beach at night and found that the rumour that it was sleazy was true. You name the cliche, it was happening. Drag queens, lady boys, women dancing, women cat-calling (and I've never, ever, had a woman cat-call to me much less get mauled by 5 of them....Arnie and Dan just kept walking and never bothered to rescue...I think I know how women feel now when I gawk at them and give them the 'Terminator' stare...come with me if you vant to live...). We walked around for a while, went down the wrong alley when we noticed the definite lack of women (gayville) and turned right around (not as flaming gay as Key West, Florida but pretty close), and after heading back to the main strip and hanging around a pub for a while, we called it a night.
We're in Bangkok now and are going to hit the weekend market to buy a tonne of stuff before we head home - theres something like 8,000+ stalls of all the cheapest clothes and knock-off stuff you can find. I got one of the final fittings done on those suits I bought and will hopefully get them by tomorrow....that and a new suitcase or duffle bag that I need to buy to carry them all home in. It's going to be a fun weekend.
Harvey
NOTE: Oh...Dan mentioned that a few folks (from emails he got) got the wrong impression from my BLOGs. To clarify, I am not miserable or having a bad time, on the contrary, I'm enjoying myself (I'd rather travel around and have fun than work anyday). I think the best way to describe the past few weeks is that all the beach living we've been doing is turning into a bit of a blur...there's only so much time I can sit on the beach before I start chomping at the bit and want to do something else. That's all...a little 'brain'stimulation...
So Phuket is expensive. It's a total resort island. No doubt about it, it's been one of the most expensive places, from my perspective, that any of us have traveled to in Thailand. Looking around and trying to compare to some of the places we've traveled, supermodel island Phuket is not. It is more like geriatric island. The average adult age must be around 45-50...and you haven't seen topless sunbathing until you've seen a lady in her 50's sunbathing...shudder.
I also think that maybe this is why the locals barter less and prices are higher than Chaing Mai or elsewhere where we traveled - I don't think the geezers haggle with the locals. Buggers!!
On a side note, those scooters were fun to tool around on. I have to admit, I don't know why they paint lines on the roads here...no one follows them!! Remember growing up and coloring in coloring books? Well, I used to color within the lines...not all over the freakin book, within the lines. Driving here is like coloring all over the freakin book...I'm thrown waaaaay off. Everyone drives anywhere...just like in southern Italy. In Italy, people drive the wrong way down one way streets (at least Lazzarino does), are all over the road (at least Lazzarino is), play chicken with oncoming traffic (yup, Lazzarino once again), or they just make up their own bloody rules (like Lazzarino driving in BC...P.S. you're won't be driving the Mustang when it's done...you hear that puto!?!).
Fast forward to Thailand...full of 1 million + 'School of Lazzarino' drivers and you got one nervous Indian thinking if it's wise to drive on the road with them. That said, I was nervous about renting a bike (which I've never ridden before..ever...) and learning to drive that on the roads of the worst coloring book colorers in the world. But I did it and I think I had fun coloring outside the lines with them.
We tooled around here in Phuket for a bit, had great burgers at a place called 'NASA Burger'(home made burgers - great), and stayed at a place called 'The White House Inn' (because the place is painted white...not because they are catering to Americans..well, they are but you know what I mean).
We hit Patong beach at night and found that the rumour that it was sleazy was true. You name the cliche, it was happening. Drag queens, lady boys, women dancing, women cat-calling (and I've never, ever, had a woman cat-call to me much less get mauled by 5 of them....Arnie and Dan just kept walking and never bothered to rescue...I think I know how women feel now when I gawk at them and give them the 'Terminator' stare...come with me if you vant to live...). We walked around for a while, went down the wrong alley when we noticed the definite lack of women (gayville) and turned right around (not as flaming gay as Key West, Florida but pretty close), and after heading back to the main strip and hanging around a pub for a while, we called it a night.
We're in Bangkok now and are going to hit the weekend market to buy a tonne of stuff before we head home - theres something like 8,000+ stalls of all the cheapest clothes and knock-off stuff you can find. I got one of the final fittings done on those suits I bought and will hopefully get them by tomorrow....that and a new suitcase or duffle bag that I need to buy to carry them all home in. It's going to be a fun weekend.
Harvey
posted by Harvey at
3:34 AM
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