Thailand

So I wrote an entire entry yesterday, but the power shut off and I lost it. Anyway, I am reporting from Koh Phangam, a small island off the southern coast. I flew into Bangkok on Monday. I instantly realized that Thailand is much much different from Cambodia. Bangkok is an enormous super metropolis with skyscapers everywhere, hoards of people, and lots and lots of hookers. I stayed a a guest house on Soi 1, a couple of blocks away from Sukhumvit Rd. Sukhumvit is one of the major streets in the city with hotels, Mcdonalds, and thousands of prositutes inundating the sidewalk. I have never seen anything like it before. On my first day in town, I met a girl from London and she and I did the typical toursity things. We took every type of transportation imaginable (taxi, boat, metro, walking) and visited some major temples, China town , the Indian sector, the Western sector, and the unbelievable shopping mall with about 7 stories and a neverending food court.

Nightlife in Bangkok is outrageous. 10 of us went out early to see an x-rated show (in fact, so x-rated that I can't even write about it). At about 2:00 am, we went to a local club. The ladyboy culture here is scary, because half of the "women" in the club were in fact men. It is also a huge brain tease because many of these lady men are hot. Once again, I stayed clear of any suspicious looking characters, but it was still fun trying to decipher who in fact was a man or a woman.

I soon realized that I had not planned my vacation for long enough. I decided to extend my stay for an extra 4 days to beach bounce along the southern coast. I am travelling with the beforementioned British girl and we started our trip with an overnight train and ferry to Koh Phangam (where I am now). This island is like a paradise. We got a really inexpensive bungalow right on the beach, the food is really cheap, and it is nice to stay clear of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Last night we went to an infamous Black Moon party of the beach, which is essentially an all night techno rave. I don't think I went to bed until 6:30 or 7 am. Tomorrow we leave for a beach called Phuket, then back to Cambodia on Wednesday.

It is hard to believe that I am coming home in 2 weeks, but it is even harder to believe that the Braves are still in the playoff picture. Anyway, thats all I got, so i'm off to the beach.