Leaving Town

No photos today, kids. Running low on time as I need to get the freck outta Bangkok....been here 5 days now and ready to see more countryside and less Tuk-Tuk drivers, lady-men, and redundant markets...

Managed to sit ringside Wed night at a Muy Tai boxing match, where we foreigners were treated like royalty while local Thais piss-pounded one another. Quite the spectacle....

Yesterday, a few of us wandered outside of Bangkok on an organized tour to see some floating markets (see example here: http://images.google.co.th/images?hl=th&q=floating%20markets%20thailand&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) and a Tiger Temple (monks/Tigers living together). Rather touristy tour, you may say, but worth checking out.

Today, I head out to Lobpuri to see a small city taken over by pesky monkeys. For all you Delts reading this, I will do what I can to have one hold up a sign that says Paitz Sucks.

Cheers.
Cole

I think I have the black lung...

I really don't know why so much emphasis is being placed on "being green" today because, no matter how "green" we are in the States, this place puts out enough fumes to counter. Monday, I decided to get off the beaten path and wander toward the city centre, several kilometers from Khao San Rd where I am staying. I hoofed it for a good hour or two and eventually linked up with the water taxi (there are several water canals that shoot through the city)....needless to say I definitely got off the beaten path and saw some of the poorer parts of the city. Amid my trek, I think I inhaled enough exhaust from the buses/cars/motorbikes/taxis to last me a lifetime. And I hear it gets worse in Vietnam, so we've got that to look forward to! After a 3-hour journey, I made it to my destination, the Vietnam consulate to get my Visa....

Tuesday (yesterday) I met up with a girl from New Zealand, a couple Canadians, and a couple German guys....we did some sights, sweated a lot (yep, it's hot in herrrr), and managed to find a few cocktails last evening.

Tonight, we'll see some Thai Boxing, the real UFC.....

One other thing that blows me away? The US music I hear everywhere. I'm sitting in the guest house right now, and what's on the stereo? That damn American Idol song. Give me some Thai music baby!!


Homes along the canal......






A friendly little man that sold me a Coke along my hike to the city centre.



Some delicious fixin's that I had off the street for 25 baht (less than $1)




At the Grand Palace yesterday.




New friends....on top of the Golden Mount, a temple overlooking our part of the city.


Sun dog?

Getting acclamated on Sunday...

Getting the morning off to a good start with a little Red Bull.













ATM Receipt. See balance, bottom right. Oh, if only the Baht was equal to the dollar.













One of the many images of Buddha seen....









A good sign you are entering a temple.

Ronald even managed to find his way to the popular tourist area of Khao San Rd. Crazy how Westernized this area of the city is....food, music, etc.

Bangkok, Night One

After 20+ hours on a plane, about 9 different nap segments, and 3 airline meals, I made it to the "Land of Smiles" last night around midnight. By the time I made it through customs, located my ride (thanks for hooking it up, sister!), and got to my guest house...it was about 1:30am.

It's morning now. I'm showered, but yet I have a feeling I won't stop sweating all day. They're not kidding when they say it's hot and humid! I'm on to explore for the first time during the daylight. Enjoy the photo of my luxury accomodation from last night at the Green House Guest House (290 baht per night, or roughly 9 US dollars).....

Cheers!

Why Monday night? Because we can...

So, it's been a while since I've seen some of you Des Moinesians. You know who you are. So, before I head to the land of tsunamis and stir fry, I (with the help of Landlord Doyle) will be hosting a little rendezvous at 9013 Aurora Ave in Urbandale on Monday evening, July 21.


Come around 6:30, 7:00 or whenever you can get there. Stay as long as you please. If you want to eat, bring something to grill...we'll have it fired up. If you want something to drink, please bring your own beverages. Kegs always seem to result in overconsumption and debauchery, and I've always been a man of moderation....... So, I hope to see many of you there! Shoot me an email (colekopacek@gmail.com) or a text (515.231.9636) if you are going to be able to make it so that I may mentally prepare for your arrival.

My Baby / Time Zones

Here is the newest addition to my travel supplies. Picked her up tonight and can't wait to get her broken in!

I also thought it'd be useful tonight to learn just how many hours apart Iowa and SE Asia would be. Pretty simple math, I've learned. 10am in Iowa??....that makes for 10pm in SE Asia. A 12-hour difference makes the math pretty darn easy. Don't ask me, however, what will happen when Iowa ends daylight savings time. Hmm....

Flight to LA -- One Week Away

Hey all, I just confirmed my flight to LA on Wednesday, 7/23. Below is the itinerary for the flight on US AIRWAYS:

Depart Des Moines, 2:50pm (Flight 2944)
Arrive Phoenix, 3:49pm

Depart Phoenix, 5:04pm (Flight 32)
Arrive Los Angeles, 6:29pm

8 days until I'm leaving the US....better get busy stuffing my pack. It's going to be a reliable friend for a few months!

Drugs

Here it is. The monstrous container of pills that should (keyword here is "should") prevent me from getting Malaria. Can they make these pills any bigger? I feel like I was accidentally given medication generally reserved for a Clydesdale.

I got all of my shots yesterday, so hopefully my body is in the process of building a forcefield for all of those exotic Asian diseases right now. Well, 22 days until departure...

My Itinerary

For everyone's record, here is my flight itinerary on the way out
(Times are listed in each of the local airport's respective time zone):

Northwest Airlines NW001
Depart Los Angeles --- 7/25/2008 1:20 pm
Arrive Tokyo --- 7/26/2008 4:30pm (flight duration, 11hrs 10min)

Northwest Airlines NW021
Depart Tokyo --- 7/26/2008 7:00pm
Arrive Bangkok --- 7/26/2008 11:40pm (flight duration, 6hrs 40min)

And here is my itinerary on the way home (subject to change, of course, right Carleen?)

Northwest Airlines NW022
Depart Bangkok --- 10/21/2008 6:00am
Arrive Tokyo --- 10/21/2008 2:25pm (flight duration, 6hrs 25min)

Northwest Airlines NW002
Depart Tokyo --- 10/21/2008 3:45pm
Arrive Los Angeles --- 10/21/2008 9:25am (flight duration, 9hrs 40min)

The Point of No Return

Mark this time and date down in history:

10:49am
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

This is the exact moment when my 3-month journey to Southeastern Asia was booked/finalized/set in stone. Let the planning officially begin!