Taste Bud Exploration

Over the past two days we have been exploring Bangkok and all of the city's unique opportunities. We explored more famous temples: the Reclining Budda and Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn). Both of which were so impressive, my mother found them to be like an adult Disney World with all the colorful temples and fun statues. We also went to The Jim Thompson House and Museum. Jim Thompson was a famous American who developed the silk industry in Thailand. His home was a true oasis in the center of the city, and it was impressive to see the mix of western and Thai styles.

Our fascination with the massive deluxe shopping malls and the chaotic jammed markets has increased with the more we have seen. In particular, we could have spent days wandering Kho San Road, a famous street with thousands of surrounding stalls containing anything from authentic souvenirs to knock-off designer clothes. Needless to say, bargaining is it must in this environment. We sacrificed some sleep today to go to the flower market at the crack of dawn. It was bustling with people, all Asian (not a white person in sight) and was full of gold marigolds and orchids. My mother was in seventh heaven seeing all the flowers. Also, my mother is taking advantage of the opportunity to have clothes made to fit like a glove, so we have spent time at the tailor and it has been amazing to see how fast they work.

As we have wandered the city it has been amazing to see the effects of all the flooding. There are sandbags just about everywhere; some are precautionary but most have already seen practical use. Some places are beyond the point of sandbags helping. Close to the river, shops and buildings have a foot or two of water flowing through them. Some of these places have continued business as usual by building ramps and platforms to walk on above the water. We took two different water taxi's over the past two days; the major river water taxi seemed to struggle with the current of the gushing river from all the flood water.

My mother has been astonished at how adventuresome Jorie and I have been with the food. The two of us constantly seem to be tempted by the street food but we are being smart and selecting only the safe ones. Our palettes have tried lots of new food, some of which we can identify and others will remain a mystery. We both have experienced some of the spiciest food we have ever eaten, as my lips burned for a good 4 hours the other night. I don't know why most tropical counties have such spicy food when it is so hot out already- why do they need to make their mouth feel on fire too?

We are off to Cambodia for 4 days and then will return to Thailand. That's all for now!

Fun facts about Bangkok and Thailand culture:
- instead of yellow, most taxis are hot pink
- Most Thai people don't use toilet paper, but instead use a water sprayer next to the toilet to wash off with... We have opted out of this cultural experience.
- Within Thailand and several other Southeast Asian cultures there is a huge "lady boy" population. These are men who have undergone sex changes to become women. The only way to really identify for sure these "lady boys" is by checking for man-hands.
- Like other Latin American countries, to-go drinks are often served in a plastic bag with a straw and even handles on the bags- how convenient!