Bugs, noodles, rice, pork.... but not at the same time.

Our first day in SE Asia starts with us landing in Bangkok after a long air trek. Once we landed in Bangkok, one of the first things that hit me was how much things have changed. Gone was the 70's era airport decor and hyper-chaotic crowds. What has replaced them is an absolutely gorgeous architectural structure housing art, and orderly queues... (I know right?!). It was a very smooth few queues and we were off in a natural gas powered cab, (again, I know right?!), from the airport our first hotel, On 8.

Once we were rolling on Sukhamvit it all stated just pouring back for me. Bangkok, while much has been upgraded and there are far more points of exposed technology and advertisements, is still the scent-rich, bustling, and fantastic city.

We got into the hotel, dropped off a few things, and powered on to the Chatuchak market. We knew, as tired as we were, we needed to buck up and keep ourselves up until night to ensure our body clocks are properly reset. The market proved to be a great place for distraction... almost too much! There are many thousands of vendors selling everything from opium pipes to Tibetan skull and silver carved totems, and lots and lots, and lots of clothing vendors. We found a fucking great bar in the middle of the market that provided us with some much needed chill-and-drink time which was desperately needed due to the oppressive heat and zero air circulation amongst the vendor stalls. As cool as the bar was, once we did the mental conversion on the price, we realized it was really expensive for Thailand... the drinks were about 180 baht (6 bucks)!!! For the record, an awesome meal can be had for about 45 baht. Speaking of food, I also had bugs for the first time! Kerry, Kat, and I ate grasshoppers, crickets, tiny lizards (whole), and even some grubs! They were soy sauce flavored and full of crunch. The grubs tasked like polenta to me, (strange, but true), and the easy favorite for all of us the whole tiny lizards, they were really ugly looking, but tasted awesome. Pictures coming soon of the munchies :)

Eventually fatigue took over and we had to take the skytrain back to soi 8 to the hotel. Once back, we had a quick bite to eat and kicked back with a bottle of Sang Som. Good times :)

Tomorrow we will explore more in Thailand... get a massage, and then hop the train over to Ubon Ratchathani to border-cross over to Laos! It is just so great to be here.