Waru in Chiang Mai

The sleeper train was sooooooo comfortable! No, I'm not being sarcastic. Seriously, it was good, except for the tiny, dirty toilets...but what can you expect from train toilets. I enjoyed every minute of the 15 hour trip (delayed 1 hour).

I think the moquitos like me here.

Headed towards the city center (it's SO FAR AWAY from my crappy hostel). Aside from the main wat, which looks a bit Chinese with gold on red wood, I just wandered and ate for a few hours. Hence, I am all burned up right now. I have a nasty T-shirt tan already and I think I'm starting to look Thai.

BTW, having been accustomed to American sized food, the Thai portions are TINY! Everything is like extra extra small! I finish them in a minute and end up still hungry. So I eat, eat, and eat. Everything is less than $1 at the stalls and noodle shops, so not much on the expenses. I love this place : )
Yes, you can call me a pig.

Thought about going to the night market, but since I can't buy any souvenirs at this moment (don't want to carry them for the rest of the trip!), decided to stay in. I'm hooked on "The Fountainhead".

I will be heading to the mountains tomorrow for a 2 day/1night trek, and then flying to Laos when I return. I hope Lao Airlines is decent..... (please, if there are any scary stories out there, don't tell me).

Got Ditched

So, I was supposed to go on a tour to the floating markets away from Bangkok. Got to the meeting spot at 7:15am (I think) as requested, but they left without me!!!!!! Perhaps my watch was a bit late, or I missed their last call while doing my thing in the bathroom. Needless to say, I was quite upset. Since my train to Chiang Mai is tomorrow evening, they rescheduled me for a tour tomorrow morning. Only thing is, I thought the market only took place during the weekend...will find out tomorrow.

Thinking that I'd be on the tour, I had nothing planned for the day. Ended up walking to the Grand Palace and the Wat with the emerald (but actually jade) buddha (forgot the name already). Not thinking, I wore a tank top, which is not allowed on the premises. I had to put on my raincoat on a sunny, hot (at least 30C) morning.....

Remembering my trip to Bangkok 9 years ago with a few of my friends, I had to go and see if our favorite restaurant was still there. And it was!!!!! We must've gone to the Spice Market every single day during our stay. Anyways, I enjoyed a long lunch of coconut juice, green papaya salad, and mango with sticky rice : ) Heaven. Unfortunately, I went over my daily budget with that meal, so will have to cut down on dinner.

I will start posting pics once I have access to a PC with an SD card slot.

i HATE verizon

Just from my subject title, I'm sure you can figure out that I am having cell phone problems. Let me repeat....I HATE Verizon. I spent about $100 (yes, USD) this morning calling their helpdesk, trying to get my phone to work here in Thailand. No solution. Basically, I have this registration on my phone (cannot be changed) that prevents my phone from working here. I get reception, but can not get a line. ARGH. But they did say that it will work elsewhere in Southeast Asia. I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

Anyways, I downgraded myself from a 5 star hotel to a 1 star hostel this morning. So instead of being in the commerical/financial district, I am officially in the backpackers quarters. The place isn't too bad. Nothing provided in the room, but a bed. I'm glad I brought a towel.

Due to thunderstorms, I didn't venture far. Just a couple of blocks from the hostel. Spent most of the day trying to figure out what to do over the next week. Plan now is to stay in Bangok for 2 more nights, and then head to Chiang Mai for a bit of trekking and fun with elephants.

Leaving Soon for My Dream Trip

Going to Bangkok tonight!!!

This morning, I finally managed to book a hotel for the first couple of nights. But beyond that, I still have no plans....on my "to-do" list during the flight.

Last minute preparations for the past few days in Tokyo have been going well:
- Got my hair cut. Yes, it's short again : )
- Picked up tickets. Unfortunately, they are not e-tickets so I need to keep a close eye on them. Darn.
- Bought camera. That dSLR I've been talking about nonstop!
- Bought a lot of random stuff that may come in handy. But I feel like I need more stuff...
- SET UP BLOG. Never thought I was going to get around to this one, but it's finally happening. Hopefully, I can update it on a regular basis. No guarantees though!

But, I have to admit that I've been quite lazy in other areas...like getting visas for some countries. For now, I think I'm going to skip those areas just because I don't want to go to their consulates.

Anyways, nothing exciting to report today. Just wanted to let you know that the blog is now in existence.