Back from Thailand

Spent 5 days in Bangkok at temperatures of 30+ Celsius. It was actually less crowded than expected. Probably a lot less tourists because of the tsunami. I travelled with my family plus two other families, for a total of 11 ppl! I can tell you that it's very tiring keeping a 9 yr old boy entertained. Anyway, let me do a quick day-by-day run-down:

1st: Just flew into Thailand, nothing much. Fortunately limited English is still understood by most Thais here (we WERE in a tourist area, after all). I also got a SWEET king-size hotel room all to myself :)

2nd: Shopping and eating, as before. The exchange rate is about 5 Bahn: 1 HKD (about 6 HKD: 1 CND) so things were pretty cheap. Of course, bargaining is a must, starting at about 40% of the price if buying off the street, maybe 70% if buying in a store. Oh ya, all the adults got massages (which are supposed to be very cheap in Thailand). I got a traditional Thai massage, as opposed to the standard Swedish massage. A Thai massage involves the masseuse's entire body. She kneels on you and bends you backwards by pushing your back with a foot and pulling your arms/legs backwards. It's less painful than it sounds. Also went to a large night market, which was quite fun.

3rd: More shopping. Went to a seafood market and restaurant. It's a neat concept - not only do you pick out your live seafood, you also pick out your fresh vegetables and your fruit (for desert). You bring it all in your shopping cart to the check out and then let your server know how you want it all cooked. Then you can walk over to the open kitchen and watch them stir-fry/deep fry/steam/boil/whatever your food. And it's HUGE, seating probably at least 500 ppl.

4th: Finally visiting the touristy sites. Took a boat tour of a river. Homes and buildings open out right onto the river, and there are river buses. People can hop into a boat from their backyards and paddle over to a nearby salon for a haircut. Went to the old Royal Palace. Unlike the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Palace Grounds is fairly small, consisting of a few temples and the palace itself. Most buildings are lavishly decorated with gold and coloured mirrors. Very lovely to see, and very well-maintained (again, unlike the Forbidden City...). Finally, visited a Crocodile Zoo, the requisite cheesy tourist trap.

5th: Last day, just more shopping and a flight home.

In short, just endless shopping and eating. Without a tour guide, it's really hard to have any grasp of culture or important landmarks!