Buddy Lodge Bangkok

So, I realize I've been super lazy. I haven't hit up an internet café in quite some time and blog writing has taken a back seat, but I'm here now and have lots to say. First off, Bangkok. The seven-letter capitol of Thailand says it all. This marvelous metropolis is constantly humming with the sounds of Thai culture and life. Early morning prayer music blasts from god knows where, taxis and tuk-tuks speed down the jam-packed roadways outside your hotel window and the Thai people are using eve...

Chatchuket Weekend Market is a massive labyrinth of stalls so inviting you could spend all day there; and that's exactly what we did. Max decided to sacrifice a couple more days of work for the opportunity to purchase a Buddha head for his humble abode. Rory and I were on the same mission, minus the Buddha head. We were out to decorate our condo (future home) with artifacts and paintings that told a story to us. Mission accomplished if I do say so myself. By hour 6 we were on a first name bas...

Well, we finally reached our first destination after it seems like days of travelling! It took 2 hours to get from the brand spanking new Bangkok airport to Buddy lodge/village. Last night we explored the local area of Khaosan Road. Its really Westernised and Health and Safety would have a ball here. We ate at one of the street stalls - had noodle soup. Was a real improvement on Wagamamas (dare I say!) but I did my classic of over spicing it so I couldn't finish it as was crying and sweating ...

Friday later morning we ventured out of Khaosan Road to explore the sights that Bangkok had to offer us. We decided to hit the Grand Palace first. On our way we met numerous friendly Thais who offered advice and information for free about the local area. We found out that the Grand Palace was actually closed when we got there for praying so we grabbed a Tuk Tuk across town. The Tuk Tuk driver gave us a tour of Bangkok, showing us the giant sitting Buddha and the enormous standing Buddha - all...

The 9am boat back to Krabi awaits us at Ko Phi Phi dock. In all the chaos of bags and lobster-pink tourists, we find seats and relax for the one and a half hour journey back to the mainland. Disembarking at Krabi's passenger dock we get straight onto a minibus and are on the road to Khao Sok national park. Straight off the bus at the Rainforest Resort, we dump our bags and are onto another minibus to the local elephant sanctuary. Dazed and a little tired from the travel, the rocking mass of a...

Well it's 1 pm on my first day in Bangkok and already I have had a bounty of enriching experiences and debacles. First, the debacles...When I tried to check in for my flight out of Boston on Wednesday, the agent informed me that I would not be able to check in because I only had a one-way ticket. In order to aquire a tourist visa in Thailand I would need proof of departure from the country. I found a lopole (sp.? I'm not bothering with spellcheck) and bought a refundable ticket from Bangkok t...

I'm having some trouble uploading my photos via Travelpod, so for now I have my photos posted on Facebook. Here's the public link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3 5518&l=89ea0&id=761609359

A wise woman once said.... ' Once you get to Thailand, you can say Goodbye to straight hair ' - Susan Harnett c. 2005 Little did we know how right she was..... We pick up our story after a 24 hour journey.... via O'Briens in Singapore Airport...and arrive safe and sound in Bangkok (with of course the trusty pink bag in tow!) First stop..... Khao San Road.... (How original). As we step off the bus, our nostrils were accosted by the stale stench of deep fried scorpions and cockroaches, YUMMY! A...

Hope you know the song "One Night in Bangkok," which starts off a little something like this: (Bangkok, Oriental setting / And the city don't know what the city is getting...) London, England. It was cold and raining and I was running twenty minutes late to the Tube on my way to Heathrow Airport, and I was thinking - this vacation better f-ing get better and this f-ing backpack better get lighter. What was I thinking booking a 48-day trip? What am I getting myself into? I sure as hell didn't ...

We woke up early - 9am - well, early by my standards, since I was used to going to bed at 3-4am and waking up at noon-1pm back in NYC. It felt great to be up, and I was still giddy from the night before, excited to start my first day with an un-jetlagged body, a somewhat clear head, and some good friends to boot. We got breakfast at Buddy Lodge (gosh, just typing the words "Buddy Lodge" makes me feel silly). I was extremely picky with my meal selections - I had gone to a travel clinic just a ...