"Jack talked Thai real well"

Morning! Bangkok! And I am, most definitely, in love with this place. Allow me to explain...

My plane touched down in the early evening and I hopped a bus to Khao San in the Banglamphu district. Famished, I spotted a falafel stand just as I got off the bus; the patties were made, and fried, on the spot and they put Tempe's Phoenicia Cafe to shame (and that's no easy feat). What more could a fellow ask for?

I knew that I could, very easily, find a cheap place to stay but I was more than pleased to to find myself in an atmosphere of general friendliness, loud music, legions of backpackers, booze flowing like wine, prostitutes, food, and general debauchery. It's like a Thai French Quarter (the New Orleans district, not the band).

I hadn't had a conversation with anyone in four or five days, so I was very happy to make friends with another lone traveler, Denny from England, just as I was finishing my last bite of falafel. I checked into a guesthouse, dropped off my bags, got a drink, and proceeded to soak up the madness that is Khao San - people watching for the most part, as opposed to joining in. I also discovered that my room has a balcony overlooking the street! A rager, indeed!

Khao San is certainly catering to young, western travelers like myself, but it has a sense of charm that is unmatched by other tourist traps. (Ever heard a Thai bar band playing covers of "Johnny B Good," "Losing My Religion" and Santana's "Smooth"?)

When bedtime rolled around, I discovered why my guesthouse is so cheap (besides the lack of A/C and the janky shared bathrooms); it shares a wall with a club that proceeded to bump New Order remixes until late into the evening, which would have been a problem were it not for Denny's supply of extra earplugs.

I was able to get four hours of rest before I awoke, wide eyed and ready to go. After a nice, cold shower, I set out to see what I could find. The first thing I discovered was real Thai iced tea. Holy shit.

Banglamphu is a charming neighborhood; temples, monastaries and military forts are scattered amongst the newer buildings, a nice contrast from the jackhammered way that Hong Kong is laid out. But the greatest asset, so far as I've seen, are the people. Flashing a little smile gets a bigger one in return... in crossing a busy street, a man inferred that I was hesitating because of the reversed lanes, so he held my shoulder and let me know when it was safe to go. Another man stopped me in my tracks, all grins, impressed that I was wearing pants when all the bros are wearing culturally-inappropriate shorts. We talked for a few minutes about where I was from, where I was going, and he gave me a crash course on some basic Thai phrases, and gave me some suggestions of places to visit.

Now I'm at an internet cafe, typing away. I'm going to stay in Bangkok for a day or two, and then hop a plane to the rural (and non-touristy) areas of northern Thailand. Wirless internet isn't the norm here, so I might not have the time to upload pictures for a few days. I should mention that picture-taking by tourists isn't as appropriate as it is in Hong Kong, but I'll see what I can get.

L8er, sk8erzzz.