Winding Down

A sunny and very warm early afternoon in Bangkok. The street below the apartment is more or less known as the best “amulet market” in the city as evidenced by the number of people wandering up and down the street or simply lingering over a stall examining whatever trinket trough a small magnifying lens. Through the open windows comes the sound of vendors and prospective buyers haggling over prices, the occasional tinkling of bells, the barking of a dog, and the rumble of traffic from the main street a block away. It has taken some time to adjust to such a riot of daily life and to be honest I’ve adapted to the point where I’ll miss it when heading home tomorrow night. Nothing I’ve seen in the States can even compare to such a vibrant, thriving (and at times irritating) style of life.

We returned to Bangkok very early this morning after spending two days in Pattaya, the quintessential vacation resort most frequented by foreigners. I was not particularly fond of Pattaya as it was largely a typical resort city lacking in the character and charm that have made most of the towns and cities I’ve visited so endearing. It may just have well been Virginia Beach, but with many more large hotels and palm trees. And traffic driving on the left. The trip down there was nonetheless worth it as it provided a very different perspective of Thailand and one that I will most likely avoid in any return trips. Despite its singular lack of charm, Pattaya provided a certainly sense of “completeness” to the vacation as I’ve traveled now from the mountains to the sea and many places in between.

More than likely this will be my last journal entry from Thailand, as I’ll be heading home tomorrow night. One regret concerning this trip (other than the fact it’s winding down) was the sketchier nature of Internet access than originally planned hence the sporadic frequency of my entries. I did however keep a detailed written journal of travels and assorted noteworthy observations, so I’ll continue to post here once I return home. Along with my camera, The journal book was my constant companion throughout Thailand. There was always time to jot a few lines, whether sitting by the beach in Pattaya or Cha-am, having coffee at some small Chiang Mai café, or resting on a shaded bench at The Temple of the Emerald Buddha here in Bangkok watching passersby both Thai and foreign marveling at temple architecture so ornate so beautiful it is known the world over. There is much more I want to relate, particularly those larger themes that permeated the entire trip, those ever-so-Thai elements that colored brightly even the most mundane of activities.

Anyway…off to wander about Bangkok. Still a little shopping and sightseeing left to do.