To those of you who think I am negligent keeping you informed, I have an excuse. At my hotel in Bangkok internet costs about $4 per hour. Hence I am trying to catch up on everything quickly while I wait for my train this afternoon which is a 22 hour ride in a sleeper car to Butterworth, Malaysia. I get so excited going to a country I have never visited before.
So I have been in Bangkok since Saturday. When I first got here discovered that my hotel, while one of the nicest I have stayed on this trip, is far from any place I really wanted to visit, so I set out on foot to orient myself and I walked miles and miles and miles. One of the things I am enjoying most about this trip, unlike travels when I was working, is having time to explore and not having to rush to get back to my job. I got a good sense of place from my ambulations.
Sunday I went to the Chatachuk Weekend Market which is supposed to have over 8000 vendors selling jeans, fruits, orchids, tee shirts, dishes, pets, books and about anything else you can think of. I kept telling myself not to buy anything because it would add weight to my pack, but the other side of my brain won out frequently. The skytrain stop for Chatachuk market is called Mo Chit which rhymes with mo' _hit! Unfortunately I returned from my day at the market with a lot mo' _hit than I intended, but I got good stuff and it was cheap. For some reason my psyche has been telling me to wear yellow so I my goal of the day was to buy a yellow oxford shirt. It had to be an oxford with a pocket because I never have too many pockets when traveling. Mission accomplished.
Yesterday I set out to do a little sightseeing. Since I have been here a few times and have seen the most famous sights more than once, I just wandered and ended up in Chinatown. How odd to be in Chinatown in Bangkok! To me Chinatown in Bangkok is kind of like white on rice. Where does one end and one begin? Unintentionally I stumbled across another market where the dollar stores at home come to buy their stock. Talk about cheap! Well just like at a dollar store you can not leave without buying something and so I got mo' _hit here too.
I have enjoyed eating some great Thai food however I am starting to tire a little of noodles, so yesterday I stopped by a Subway and got a roast beef sandwich. I know it is a violation of the foodie rulebook to eat American when in another country, but I could not help myself. After a Subway and a shower (It is ever so hot here!) I retired early for the first time in weeks. I did enjoy a little bit of Thai flavor for dessert. Ever corner has a fruit stand where you point to a pineapple or a mango or a papaya or a dragon fruit or a watermelon and they slice it up for you and put into a plastic bag with a pick. I love eating these fruits for snacks and also for that little something sweet after a meal.
Speaking of eating, I am eating well but my pants are getting loser and I always have to wear a belt to keep them up so I know I am losing weight. I attribute my weight loss to several factors. First, I don't have a stocked fridge handy so I do not graze all day long like at home. Second, the portions in restaurants are adequate for anyone, but not the super size like I am used to. Weight Watcher friends, are you proud of me? Third, I am walking miles almost every day and sweating out gallons of water. I keep my water bottle handy and filled. Another sign that I am losing weight was that my watch is riding lower on my wrist and I actually got sunburned where my watch used to live. I hope I can keep the same habits after I go home.
I will attempt uploading some pics but sometimes it takes forever.
So I have been in Bangkok since Saturday. When I first got here discovered that my hotel, while one of the nicest I have stayed on this trip, is far from any place I really wanted to visit, so I set out on foot to orient myself and I walked miles and miles and miles. One of the things I am enjoying most about this trip, unlike travels when I was working, is having time to explore and not having to rush to get back to my job. I got a good sense of place from my ambulations.
Sunday I went to the Chatachuk Weekend Market which is supposed to have over 8000 vendors selling jeans, fruits, orchids, tee shirts, dishes, pets, books and about anything else you can think of. I kept telling myself not to buy anything because it would add weight to my pack, but the other side of my brain won out frequently. The skytrain stop for Chatachuk market is called Mo Chit which rhymes with mo' _hit! Unfortunately I returned from my day at the market with a lot mo' _hit than I intended, but I got good stuff and it was cheap. For some reason my psyche has been telling me to wear yellow so I my goal of the day was to buy a yellow oxford shirt. It had to be an oxford with a pocket because I never have too many pockets when traveling. Mission accomplished.
Yesterday I set out to do a little sightseeing. Since I have been here a few times and have seen the most famous sights more than once, I just wandered and ended up in Chinatown. How odd to be in Chinatown in Bangkok! To me Chinatown in Bangkok is kind of like white on rice. Where does one end and one begin? Unintentionally I stumbled across another market where the dollar stores at home come to buy their stock. Talk about cheap! Well just like at a dollar store you can not leave without buying something and so I got mo' _hit here too.
I have enjoyed eating some great Thai food however I am starting to tire a little of noodles, so yesterday I stopped by a Subway and got a roast beef sandwich. I know it is a violation of the foodie rulebook to eat American when in another country, but I could not help myself. After a Subway and a shower (It is ever so hot here!) I retired early for the first time in weeks. I did enjoy a little bit of Thai flavor for dessert. Ever corner has a fruit stand where you point to a pineapple or a mango or a papaya or a dragon fruit or a watermelon and they slice it up for you and put into a plastic bag with a pick. I love eating these fruits for snacks and also for that little something sweet after a meal.
Speaking of eating, I am eating well but my pants are getting loser and I always have to wear a belt to keep them up so I know I am losing weight. I attribute my weight loss to several factors. First, I don't have a stocked fridge handy so I do not graze all day long like at home. Second, the portions in restaurants are adequate for anyone, but not the super size like I am used to. Weight Watcher friends, are you proud of me? Third, I am walking miles almost every day and sweating out gallons of water. I keep my water bottle handy and filled. Another sign that I am losing weight was that my watch is riding lower on my wrist and I actually got sunburned where my watch used to live. I hope I can keep the same habits after I go home.
I will attempt uploading some pics but sometimes it takes forever.
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