Bangkok

I have spent the last 4 days in Bangkok, which is pretty much the complete opposite of Dubai. Whereas Dubai is all business, Bangkok feels like more like college. Maybe it has to do with the fact I am staying on the infamous Ko San Road which is even more of a backpacker haven than Sultenhamet where I stayed in Istanbul. As I sit here typing this post, I am listening to the live cover band radiating from upstairs. It is just one of a few cover bands on the street. The street is lined with vendors selling $1 pad thai and pretty much every kind of knock off goods you can think of from clothing to music - and for dirt cheap (though not as cheap as a few years ago from what I hear). Oh yeah, there are also bars outside the bars. That is where the pre-party is. You pretty much drink outside until the police come to close them down (which they do every night at precisely midnight) and then go to the indoor bars. Tonight I saw some Thai boxing which is very interesting because half of the entertainment is watching the bets go back and forth in the stands. Very cool. During the main event there was a knockout in the second round. The guy had to get carried off in a stretcher. Anyway, tomorrow we are heading off to Vietnam provided our visa issues are resolved. We'll be back in Thailand in a few weeks to explore the islands and the northern region...