Look Ma, No Hair!

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  Bangkok, Thailand
Sunday, October 30, 2005

After our first two intensive weeks of travel in Japan and Hong Kong, we were feeling a little burned out when we arrived in Bangkok on the 25th. Lucky for us, Bangkok is a city where you can pretty much do whatever you want to do -- you can hit the tourist trail, laze by the pool or just hide out in your air conditioned hotel room with a good book.

We've been staying at a very quirky guesthouse -- The Atlanta hotel in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. Our $16 a night hotel room is very simple but it has AC and a lovely little pool area. The hotel restaurant is fantastic and cheap (we ate a full breakfast for $3 today!) so we've quickly become regulars. They happen to have the best pancakes we've ever eaten --- instead of maple syrup they put lime juice and honey on top. Try it - it's awesome. When we say it's quirky, we really mean it. Check out the website to get a flavor of what we're talking about: www.theatlantahotel.bizland.com

01 Matt at Dinner

. The main point that makes them a little different is their fanatic refusal to allow "sex tourists" into the hotel. As you probably know, Bangkok is famous for its sex trade. We were a little taken aback to see so many white males in their 50's and 60's with very young thai women. It's a sad sight.

Anyway on to the meaning of the title of this entry -- Matt has no hair!!!! He finally took the plunge and shaved his hair off. He had it done just yesterday so we are still getting used to it. We've included some photos. The only place we could find near our hotel was a dubious looking barber shop with girls in short skirts and a special "massage" area in the back. I don't know if a western woman has ever set foot in there but they were good sports and let Kristy take some pics during the ceremonious hair cutting. Kristy is now quite jealous of Matt's short hair as it is quite hot here and the new do looks quite cool and easy to maintain.

Between hair cuts , eating and lazing by the pool, we've also had a chance to see a few sites. We went to Jim Thompson's House in Bangkok. He was an American who revitalized Thailand's silk industry after WWII. We had heard about him previously when we were in Malaysia becuase he mysteriously disappeared on a hike in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands in the 60's

02 Kristy enjoys the show

. Some say he was kidnapped by communist insurgents. Some believe he was eaten by a tiger. We also visited the famed Wat Pho temple which houses a huge reclining gold Buddha. We took a two hour riverboat cruise which was a little longer than we expected (an HOUR longer than expected) but very nice. One evening, we went to a traditional Thai dinner and dance performance. It was very nice but the audience (made up largely of westerners) seemed to forget their manners and were quite loud during the dancing. We're hoping to catch a more authentic performance in Cambodia. Today, we're moving on for a bit of luxury at the Marriott Hotel and Resort on the river and attending a Bangkok Symphony Orchestra concert. The tickets were very inexpensive and we couldn't resist!

On November 2nd we're off to Hanoi via plane. We got an incrediby cheap flight on Air Asia. The Atlanta Hotel is arranging our visas for our stay in Vietnam which should last through mid to late November. Thanks so much for all your e-mails and kind comments. We love hearing news from home (the kind that doesn't involve Scooter Libby!).

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

03 Dance Sukothai	04 The King	05 Haircut Part One	06 Haircut Part Two
07 Haircut Part Three	08 Hair Cut Final	09 Kristy and the Reclining Buddha	10 Matt and the Guard

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