Nine Hours in Bangkok

I am currently sitting in the Bangkok airport. We have a nine hour layover and I was able to find a free internet spot, so I figured I'd try to do some updating about my time in Thailand. Since it has been two weeks of fun, I figured a list of highlights would be the easiest way to communicate things.

Highlights From Thailand Trip

Cramming 4 of us into the back of a tuk-tuk and driving all over Bangkok. A tuk-tuk is a small vehicle that is square and small. The driver sits up front and the passengers sit behind. We were able to fit four of us in a space that was probably 3 square feet or smaller.

Hint for getting a massage in Thailand: Choose the oil massage, not the traditional Thai massage if you would like to be able to move the next day. Knees, elbos, fingers, and all other body parts are used to beat your muscles into submission by attacking every possible pressure point in the body.

Banana Boat: Just picture four of us flying over the waves on this big inflatable banana-looking tube. Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity as our driver was not content with the fact that we were actually staying on the raft and not flipping over.



Jet skiing on the Ocean: We had so much fun the first time, that Jason and I went out a second time on our last day at the beach. The first time the waves were pretty big, so we couldn't go extremely fast (but we caught a lot of air). The second time the Ocean was pretty smooth and we were able to go as fast as it could go!



Elephant Ride: Riding on top of an elephant is pretty entertaining. I think my favorite part was when Jason got to ride on the head of the elephant and was threatening (in a very calm voice) the elephant just in case she chose to make a poor decision and take us down into a hole nearby.



Basketball: I had a chance to watch about 10 basketball games during the second part of our trip. I have friends in Chiang Mai and their children had basketball tournaments the week I was there. It was fun to be able to watch basketball again and spend time with friends.

Zip lining through the jungle: This was a fun experience. We flew between 12 different platforms, walked across shaky bridges, and were lowered down several hundred feet to get to the next platform.



Night Safari: On our last night, we went on a night safari. We rode in trams through a wilderness that was created for all kinds of animals (from tigers to bison to wild boars). It was pretty impressive. After the safari, there was an impressive 15 minute light show. We did this with my friends that live in Chiang Mai. It was fun to spend our last evening with friends while seeing some new sites.

Shopping: Thailand could not be Thailand without shopping. Total, I probably spent over 10 hours in places where shopping could be done. It just wasn't possible to get away. There were even opportunities to buy things while riding on elephants. Our drivers stopped the elephants and pulled out a small box containing jewelry made from elephant tusks. Up to this point, Jason and I thought we were safe from shopping for a few hours.

Well, it was a great trip and just what I needed. The length was perfect. I am looking forward to getting back to Kazakhstan and my work.