"Bangkok Has Them Now"

We knew it was going to be a shock traveling from the chilly, orderly UK to the steamy, crazy chaos of Thailand...but we were not entirely prepared for urban crocodiles, being encouraged to hold deadly snakes, or babies riding on the handlebars of scooters in hectic traffic. Neither of us have been to Asia, and Bangkok is a good springboard of weirdness for our adventure into Cambodia and Vietnam...

While our four days here were sprinkled with tourist activities (exploring the Royal Palace and taking an organized day tour to the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Damnern Saduak Floating Market), we did venture out on our own to tackle this beast of a city head-on. 

We went on an epic walk on our second day, and it was mainly epic due to the temperature and sights rather than the distance. Oddly, 7-11 is the one corporation that can be found throughout the entire city, so Kate and I took regular breaks during our five-hour walk to peruse the shelves of these convenience stores while the air-con worked its magic. We stumbled into the Wat Pho Temple early in the day to discover one of the largest Buddha sculptures in the world. At 46 meters long, this gilded masterwork makes Michelangelo's David look like a representation of the tiny, mortal, music-loving king that he was. From the temple we headed for Chinatown, which is a bustling, dirty, unpredictable neighbourhood in the heart of the city. Kate was getting low bloodsugar so we decided to take a risk on some awesome looking dumplings from a street vendor who was hunkered down beside one of Chinatown's disgusting canals. As Kate and I sat at a makeshift table to test-out the garlicshoot and chive dumplings we selected, Kate stopped chewing, went silent, and stared down at the water. "Is that a snake?!" she yelped. I looked, did a double-take, and responded "No Kate...I am about 94% sure that is a crocodile." We ended-up in one of the city's ritzy (air conditioned!) mega malls in the evening, and saw The Hangover 2...which is set in Bangkok and was recommended by several friends. 

Our third day consisted of a trip to the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute Snake Farm, where visitors can view over 30 species of snake common to the area and watch a 30 minute demonstration, which consists of handlers taunting and teasing cobras, vipers and pythons just feet away from the spectators. It was really crazy to watch, and the experience was capped by Kate and I holding a python ourselves, just like Britney during the 2001 MTV Video Awards. We walked around after this and ended up in the entertainment district, on the eastside, where we were treated to live, outdoor Muay Thai fighting. Apparantly, the district hosts live, international bouts every Wednesday in front of MBK Center. This was much better than paying $30 a person to enter one of the city's popular Muay Thai venues. We ended the night back in our hood, on Samsen Road, for a classic street-side meal consisting of (you can probably guess...) pad thai, green papaya salad, spring rolls and two giant Singhas!

Chang on the River Kwai

One of the true highlights was a day trip to Nonthaburi, which we completed on our fourth day. North of Bangkok and accessible via 14B ferry fare, Nonthaburi is a clean and friendly ex-fishing village. The markets were more extensive and navigable than those in Bangkok, and we took advantage: we bought socks, fruit, a button-up shirt, some knickknacks, and dumplings for lunch. We highly recommend that any of you visiting Bangkok check out this town.

We were wary of Bangkok, due to all of the stories we had heard involving ping pong balls, touts, illness, scams and grime. However, we have had a blast here. We wouldn't recommend that one stay here for more than three or four days, but it is definitely worth exploring. Now...the long, loooong overland trip to Cambodia.

 

Me? I Ain't Scared of No Python!

 

Banksy (And Kate) at the Floating Market

 

Dawkinsii on the River Kwai 

Welcome to the Motherland

Scotland is awesome. Since Al used to live in Edinburgh, we have recieved some pretty sweet hookups including: a free place to stay (shout out to Crazy P), a free tour at Al's old work place Mary Kings Close (thanks to Loose and Susan), and some free zoo action (well, thanks to my brother). It is really quite beautiful here, I got the full effect the day we climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat, which is a huge volcanic outcrop in the middle of the city. Atop the Seat, you can see the Castle, the Royal Mile and even Fife across the water! The weekend was also jam-packed with Scottish goodness when we met up with some of Al's old chums and went to the Meadows Festival in the middle of town. It was (for lack of a better term) a hippie-jam fest which included lots of drum circles, open-mic sets and vintage nic-nacs. We would also like to mention the generosity of the Edinburghians, supplying us with enough booze and food to keep us warm on that freezing cold festival day. On Tuesday we got to see the famous Edinburgh Castle where we did a tour of the Castle and its internal prisons, in addition to seeing the oldest building in Edinbugh, St Margarets Chapel. We were so inspired by the stories of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace that we decided to go out and buy the epic movie Braveheart last night!

On Wenesday, we went to the big city of Glasgow. Contrary to popular opinion, we actually did not find it as overwhelming and scary as expected. St Mungos Catherdral and some of the other older buildings are really impressive and at no time did we feel at all that we may be stabbed! Though, the highlight for us was Necropolis cemetary. It was located practically on the side of a cliff and overlooks most of the city. To top it all off my brother suggested the Wee Curry Shop which my family has fallen in love with over the years and, despite only holding a max 20 people, we had some of the best curry I have tasted to date.

I shall try to wrap up tidily with a little Stirling/Oban/Mull action...which has occupied us for the past four days. Stirling is adorable. The combination of castle, cemetary and Wallace Monument was creepy and thought provoking. We saw exactly where Braveheart was filmed...I mean where the battle of Stirling Bridge took place. The mighty William Wallace finally beat the sneaky English (sorry guys) for semi-independance. We only had 2 days there and quickly moved on to Oban where we enjoyed some sweet sweet Oban whisky tasting at the Oban distillery, mmmm. Starting to get the Scotch whisky bug like big brother I reckon. While in Oban we also took a ferry to the Isle of Mull for a day. We decided to bike around part of the island which is much much bigger than originally expected. Saw some of the most amazing sites on the trip so far though, including bunnies, lots and lots of sheep, and whole countrysides filled with mauve rhododendrons. I got to see Duart Castle (which Al has fond memories of from back in the day) and some other amazing sites on the way; however, the biking got a bit rough around the last 3 miles of our 24 mile trip when it seemed like it would never end! Our bums are still  suffering the consequences but we made it back to Oban just in time for the best fish and chips Al has ever tasted. I thought they were good, but Al went mental for them...fresh off the boat! 

Overall, Scotland definately holds a top spot for me so far, I'd say Al would agree. Let's see what ya got Thailand!

NOT Down and Out in Paris and London

We just arrived in Edinburgh yesterday from London and it literally feels like I never left. Yes, there are a few new buildings and businesses, but most things have not changed at all. We have only been here for half a day, but I have already met with old friends, hit-up some of my hangouts, and showed Kate where I used to live and study. I love Scotland.

Having said this, Paris wasn't too shabby either. After spending the first two days wandering the Champs-Elysées and exploring the Louvre, our pal Double D joined us. We stayed with David in Strasbourg and were over the moon when he said he'd be joining us to carouse gay old Paris. Fuelled by a bottle of domestic red between the three of us every few hours, we covered a lot of ground in order to find some unique sights and areas. We explored Pere Lachaise Cemetary to visit the graves of Jim Morrison and Chopin, we went to Montmartre to enjoy the best view in the city from Sacré-Coeur Basilica (and to recreate a few scenes from Amelie), and we travelled to the Eiffel Tower at 1am to watch it sparkle (a la Midnight in Paris) whilst delighting in crepe confiture.

Paris broke a lot of stereotypes for us. I had been to west/southwest France and Paris before, about ten years ago, and found that people were pretty snobby and standoffish. Therefore, I was expecting to experience some Parisian cold shoulders...but the shoulders were warm! The shoulders were warm, bohemian and downright demure, especially when compard to London's shoulders.

Kate and I capped our time in Paris by seeing the Fleet Foxes. While the band was great, the concert will mainly be memorable due to the temperature within the venue. The aircon broke that afternoon, and the body heat of 900 young Parisians (plus two Canadians) soon transformed the Le Bataclan into Le Banya. Kate says that it was definitely the hottest she has ever been...but we are heading to SE Asia in a few weeks!

 Candid Pic from Sacred Heart Basilica

 Panorama in the Pompidou

 The Fleet Foxes were Hot, Hot, Hot

White Cliffs of Dover Welcoming Us Back