Monday, Nov. 17 -- I'm a little behind and it seems like days ago that we left Cambodia, although I believe it was just Saturday. Anyway, four of us rented a tuk-tuk for a two-hour drive through the countryside. At $5 each, the driver made a killing, enough to support his family for a day. The mini-tour was just magical, because we didn't do the usual tourist stuff. Finally got up close and personal with numerous water buffalo and brahma cows, saw a herd of goats, stopped at a little house where the women were making sugar cane "cigars" and another where they made baskets, photographed some other women harvesting rice in a paddy, and looked at some more typical Cambodian homes, many on stilts because of the wet weather. At one point, we were surrounded by about a dozen kids wanting to sell us little origami ornaments, five for a buck. Of course we couldn't resist. Neither the selling nor the buying is unusual.
Arriving in Bangkok, we learn the country is in a state of mourning due to the death of the princess who was sister to the king. The fact that she died last Jan. 2 doesn't matter; she's been making her way to the afterworld for several months and the government has been spending multiple millions to ready the funeral preparations. Her funeral pyre was burned at 10 pm. Mostly what it means to tourists is that some attractions — particularly the royal palace — are closed for the three days of mourning.
Bangkok, with about 8 million inhabitants, is super crowded, super noisy and really pretty at night. It's a city of lights and on the river all the boats are lighted as well as the buildings. Water taxis take folks where they want to go because the traffic is unnavigable. A quick stroll through Chinatown, where we're staying, made Saigon and Hanoi look sleepy, if possible. Think Chinatown in SF and multiply by 10 or more. The streets are just beyond description, with booth after booth crammed on top of each other. So much stuff for sale, mostly junk, you don't even know where to look. It ranges from air guns (illegal in the US) to used cameras to remote control devices to rat poison. Nothing very appealing.
The evening was spent on a dinner cruise, with more dancing girls in beautiful costumes and a celebration of Nick's birthday. He's a week older than me, so I'm not the oldest, to my relief. It's our final gathering as a tour; I think we'll miss each other because we really are a good group.
Arriving in Bangkok, we learn the country is in a state of mourning due to the death of the princess who was sister to the king. The fact that she died last Jan. 2 doesn't matter; she's been making her way to the afterworld for several months and the government has been spending multiple millions to ready the funeral preparations. Her funeral pyre was burned at 10 pm. Mostly what it means to tourists is that some attractions — particularly the royal palace — are closed for the three days of mourning.
Bangkok, with about 8 million inhabitants, is super crowded, super noisy and really pretty at night. It's a city of lights and on the river all the boats are lighted as well as the buildings. Water taxis take folks where they want to go because the traffic is unnavigable. A quick stroll through Chinatown, where we're staying, made Saigon and Hanoi look sleepy, if possible. Think Chinatown in SF and multiply by 10 or more. The streets are just beyond description, with booth after booth crammed on top of each other. So much stuff for sale, mostly junk, you don't even know where to look. It ranges from air guns (illegal in the US) to used cameras to remote control devices to rat poison. Nothing very appealing.
The evening was spent on a dinner cruise, with more dancing girls in beautiful costumes and a celebration of Nick's birthday. He's a week older than me, so I'm not the oldest, to my relief. It's our final gathering as a tour; I think we'll miss each other because we really are a good group.
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