Our 18th Anniverary: Bangkok, Thailand

As promised, I am posting a few photos from our weekend in Bangkok. Wow, was it a whole week ago? Yes it very much was. Chris came up to visit for the first day since he was in transit between Singapore and India. How cool is that?! After we managed to BARELY get him to his flight out on Sunday, Cheryl and I stayed on another couple of days. How fun!

Highlights? Getting 90 minute massages for the equivalent of US$14, Enjoying live JAZZ music at not one but TWO awesome night clubs, Eating (and Drinking) ourselves silly at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar (where the International Karaoke Championship just so happened to be occurring!), Shopping for trinkets along the street, Enjoying the coolest movie experience ever (huge motorized reclining Lazy-Boy leather chairs complete with pillows, blankets, and private viewing box!), Eating amazing Thai food, and just Enjoying some chill time at the swank Conrad Bangkok Hotel. Now for the pictures:

Here we are dining at Suan Lum. It's an outdoor beer garden with live music (normally a band, but this time the Karaoke Championship). All the food you see (plus another half of the table) cost us only about $10 total!

See how excited Chris is about the food value?

Chris and I doing our best impersonation of “people having a good time”.

A nice shot of the Suan Lum stage. Nice atmosphere, low prices (except for the beer – that was kinda steep!)

Our first tuk-tuk ride of the night. So cool. Fun for the whole family.

Our hotel was located (ironically) on “Wireless Road”. Anyone who’s been to Bangkok knows that “wireless” is the opposite of the Thai way.

Here is Chris checking out the view with some super-high duty binoculars we found for sale by a streetside vendor. Now what WOULD you use those for in Thailand??

I almost shouldn't comment on this one. However, I will (Mom is reading!). There is a retaurant in Bangkok called "Cabbages & Condoms". It's actually not a seedy, run-down, slimy place -- quite the opposite. They started their business years ago to raise AIDS awareness and to promote prevention and education. They also donate a ton of money to local AIDS research. There were all sorts of "art" around the restaurant with items made up of nothing but condoms, or birth control pills. You won't find those pictures here (maybe another day). When you get the bill at the end of the meal, instead of after-dinner mints, you get packages of condoms! Chris and I simply had to test the durability and water-tightness by stretching it over a glass (shown below) then testing for leakage: NONE! So the the world can rest secure now... OK I've said too much.

Another tuk tuk ride. This time through the streets of Bangkok by day. We were on our way to the Grand Palace when we took this picture. Fun!

View from the back seat of a tuk tuk. Crazy three-wheeled taxis that emit immense volumes of pollution. Fun, though!

We saw this unique elephant display in the middle of a roundabout. It was impressive.

Tuk tuk view from across the street. Some of these are tricked out like you'd see on Pimp My Ride. Others are rather basic, like this one.

Cheryl and I visited this spot on Monday. Typical of the traditional Thai architecture.

We know that Cheryl's shirt encourages us for being able to read, but I'm not sure the sign next to her makes us feel very good about that skill. Can you understand even ONE character??

Here I am in front of one of Thailand's military buildings. Note the flag of Thailand as well. I thought the cannons in front were cool, but you can't really see them from this shot. Sorry.

Is this the coolest men's bathroom sign you've ever seen or what? Simple. To the point. Who needs words when you can do it with pictures?

Here's a shot of one of the "thrones" that Cheryl found in Bangkok. Now that's doing your business in style!!

Well, that concludes another stirring episode of the adventures of Greg and Cheryl. I hope you enjoyed our brief photo montage. We did have fun, and look forward to the next adventure -- hopefully in October sometime. For now, I'll continue to get ready for Sydney (marathon is now in just 7 days!). Can't wait to bring updates from "down under".

Please don't forget to leave comments on the Bangkok photos. Which was your favorite? Which made you laugh? Which made you cry? :-)

greg