From HK to BKK

After leaving China, we spent a couple days at my parents' in HK. It was mostly resting, reading up about the next destinations, and going out for meals. The Holiday lights were on along the buildings lining the waterway in Tsim Tsa Tsui, across from the densely built-up Hong Kong Island. A great stroll with a view of one of the more impressive skylines you'll see.

We arrived relatively late at the international airport outside of Bangkok, but decided to give public transport a try, mostly because of the savings. We hopped onto a bus towards the Victory Monument and arrived just in time to catch the last metro train at midnight, and from there 15 minutes walking to our hotel.

Bangkok was its usual - crowded, congested, and humid. Having been here numerous times, we gave most of the sights a miss. We did make it to the huge Chatuchak sunday market. Nothing quite prepares you, even a previous visit. It's hot and busy, and you have to drink regularly to prevent feeling like you'll collapse in the narrow alleys. Despite browsing almost the entire day, we didn't quite cover all of the stalls, probably over a thousand... Everything is sold -- clothing, shoes, luggage, household goods, souvenirs, artwork, pets, and much more. It's not quite as cheap as I recall, even from two years ago, and the bargaining seems less so. Many stalls have clued into displaying "fixed prices." At least it's not as disillusioning as China where vendors regularly will start with a figure ten times the "real price," and no bargains are to be had. The Chinese stuff was cheaper in Thailand... That said, we didn't really buy anything.

We sat down for a quick dinner at one of the stalls. Didn't quite notice it initially, but at some point we realized that the din and noise had silenced, the eating had stopped, and most people were standing up. It was 6 pm and they were observing the national anthem being played. Oops.

I had some shirts and trousers tailored, in anticipation of someday returning back to work. Otherwise the big thrill was to partake in all the great food Thailand had to offer. The pad thai, of course was very spicy and tasty. The mango with sticky rice was heavenly -- super juicy mangoes without fibers. And who could pass up coconuts and mangoes, fresh or in shakes?
There's so much that looked good that you're paralyzed with indecision. Steph once had "eater's regret," perhaps akin to buyer's remorse -- when, right after you've eaten, you happen upon something that looks even better?

Off to Phuket