Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand. A cacophony of chaos and confusion. Comparing it to Japan is an exercise in opposites. More like Mexico City meets Amsterdam, at least to me. The streets are clogged with cars and motorbikes - the latter dodging between the lanes, often with passengers (who pay for this privelege) sitting behind them. The sidewalks are rough and tumble, with cracks and fissures all over, patched willy nilly. Vendors have their little food or souvenir stands in many places, making transit adventoursome as you try to avoid stepping through a hole whilst dodging other people, vendors, and the occasional motorbike that's decided to avoid the street traffic. Quite the place. The weather isn't too bad either - about 90 F, but not very humid.
I've gotten my Cambodian visa, and will go to the Vietnam counsulate office Monday to get that visa - which will probably take a couple days. After that I'm headed east towards Cambodia. Still trying to decide how to get there - either straight east or go south towards the coast and then back up. Leaning towards the later, as long as I can figure out the stopping points.

The hostel I'm at is quite nice - a bed cost me just over 600 bhat for four nights. At a little over 40 bhat to the dollar, that's about $15. They even have a bar / restaurant on the ground floor where I've been meeting people from all over the world - albeit heavy on the Australians, English, and American side.

I'm now off to negotiate the mean streets of Bangkok and check out some of those wats (temples) and palaces.