Bangkok, Round II

Our first bout with Bangkok left us battered and bruised, with a bad taste in our mouths. Upon our first escape from this heavyweight city we swore we'd never return, but as time went on, our wounds healed. We realized that we were previously ill equipped to deal with the overwhelming nature of Southeast Asia's biggest city; but in our travels we endured much, much worse than Bangkok had to offer (see: Hanoi) and this time we knew what to expect. So nearly two months later, we return to face off again with the giant that is Bangkok...for a proverbial re-match.

This round we took a different approach. Rather than staying in the outskirts of the city, we decided to go for the heart: Khao San Road. This is the Bangkok which locals avoid and travelers can't get enough of. Whether you're looking for a piercing, fresh squeezed orange juice, pirated dvds, last minute souvenirs, an authentic Thai massage, hair extensions, falafel, or a bucket of booze with a straw for each of your new found friends; this is your one stop shop.


Khao San is the type of place that promises a sensory overload similar to Vegas, minus the glitz of air conditioned casinos and nightly performances by Danny Ganz or Celine Dion.

Having survived our first night back in Bangkok, sleeping well in to the afternoon, we decided to venture out for some sight seeing. Of course, this is the same thing that got us into trouble before, but this time around we were wiser. We arrived to the Royal Palace dressed like the slutty Americans that we are: tank tops, shorts, and other offensive gear, requiring the fashion police to intervene and issue us some new outfits.


Lauren came out looking like your average Thai girl and blended right in with the crowd. I'm pretty sure there is no photographic evidence of my outfit, which was essentially a pair of awesome hammer pants. Within the Royal Palace we were treated to yet another unbelievable collection of architecture, art, and Chinese tourists.


Our last day abroad was capped off with a feast intended to satisfy all cravings for Thai food for months to come, but was obviously a failure a couple of hours later when we arrived to the airport, hungry. At 6am on February 28th in Thailand we departed, with mixed feelings and much more crap than we started with. Nearly 18 hours later (including an uneventful layover in Tokyo where we got some Yen) we arrived in San Francisco at 9am on February 28th, only 3 hours after we started. Well, 3 hours and 114 days.