We flew to Bangkok from Siem Reap in the morning. At the entrance of the airport, we saw a couple of men sitting there on guard with machine guns or rifles or something... Oh yeah, we passed by a billboard that had two images on it. One half was an illustration of people with guns and masks and a couple people lying face down on the ground, obviously dead. The other half showed a smiling happy family. The billboard read something like "We no longer need guns!" I tried snapping a shot of this, but came out blurry. =(
Our layover in Bangkok was pretty long, so most of us ventured out to the main shopping areas while Tommy and Giselle had to go to our very first Bangkok hotel to pick up her backpack. (Oh yeah! They were able to retrieve the backpack with everything inside!)
We had about five hours to explore plus commute time. We chose to go to Siam Square, a very popular shopping area my friend, Pat, had suggested. Terribly missing the comforts of AC, we escaped the late morning sun and found refuge in an ice cream shop. This was when my boycotting of western franchises for the trip came to an end. Since everyone else was getting ice cream, might as well get a scoop too. Yum. It sure was delicious!
As we savored every lick of the refreshing treat, we walked along the tight walkways casually looking at the clothing, jewelry, shoes, and other merchandise the little shops offered. I bought a bathing suit for less than $10, but that was the only shopping we did. Our tired feed were crying for some relief, so we started a mission. Find a spa! That's something all four of us could enjoy. (I'm sure the boys didn't enjoy watching me shop... Neither did Mae... =P) After passing by several body clinics and breast firming and toning places, we finally spotted the word "spa." Oh, this was a great spa. All four of us opted for the 90 min.(?) foot spa. Oh my gosh! It was soooooo nice and relaxing. I believe all of us fell asleep. They served us bale fruit tea afterwards which was really good. Anyway, we went to the mall and had a great meal there. The food court was really nice! I had fried chicken, rice, and spicy papaya salad. So yummy!
Got back to the airport and boarded our plane to Phuket, southern Thailand. This was my favorite flight of all time. From my window seat, I saw the sun set behind a blanket of fluffy clouds.
The clouds got thicker and we were now flying through them. There were patches of clearings, and I could see little islets sprinkled throughout the sea below. That must have Phang Nga Bay, one of the places I was dying to visit. Soaring through the clouds and seeing the islets by the fading light of the purple sky made it so dreamlike. So beautiful.
You know what else was beautiful? Our hotel. We stayed at the Mercure Hotel in the Patong area. When we arrived, someone was singing in the lobby. What a welcoming sound. The lobby itself wasn't enclosed, but out in the open. There was a beautiful circular bar near the entrance and a gorgeous lit pool just a few meters away. The entire hotel was bathed in warm browns, maroon, and off-white. Our rooms were clean, spacious, and so modern! I LOVE this hotel. We all liked it!
After we settled in, we had dinner at a tourist trap called Sivouey(?). Poor entertainment, bad service, and bad food. Calamari was good and it was right across the street from the beach! (Oh, did I mention that crossing the street anywhere in Thailand is like a suicide mission??? SCARY!!) Wanting to check out what this Patong area had to offer, we strolled down to a street I read about many times. Bangla Road. Here, there is no lack of bars, drunks, people trying to sell you anything, prostitutes, female-like people dancing on bars, and our favorite, lady boys. It was really fun trying to figure who's a guy and who's actually a girl. Sometimes we would all just stand there and debate whether it's a guy or a girl, all the while, trying to not to stare too much.
Unfortunately, I soon had a stomachache, and afraid that it would become worse, I decided to go back to the hotel. Victor accompanied me. What a sweetie. While I was back in my room doing my laundry and taking a hot bath, the others, besides Victor, continued checking out Bangla Road. They went to a couple of sex shows where they saw women do things with their vaginas that we've never seen before. At one of the shows, Tommy and Eric were pulled onto stage and were given a balloon each to put between their legs. The performer shot darts from her vagina and popped the balloons! Amazing! Yeah, I've never tried, but I don't think I can do that... Wish I was there. They hung out at the beach that night as well, and Victor and I missed out on some more fun! Hmph. They came back at 3am and were surprised to see that we were still up. Well, we definitely hoped to be able to see some of those shows when the next opportunity arises.
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