Penthouse to Outhouse

Bangkok, Thailand

 

I think this is the longest I've gone between updates for a long while, so I'll be very brief with some updates for the last week or so.

 

My best friend Alex and his pere Jack were here and we spent a few days in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui.  Bangkok was good, we did the standard things, (Wat Po, Palace, Shopping, etc.).  The boys loved muay thai at Lumpini as it afforded Jack a chance to catch up on some sleep.  But we did bangkok.  A fantastic discovery that we made last week here came when we stumbled into Jorg Kohler's store (  www.classicmaps.com ) which features expensive, yet exquisite, antique maps and prints of Asia, that are worth every penny.

 

After Bangkok was Chiang Mai, the second city of Thailand and the northern capital.  Not a lot to see there although you can overdose on Wats if you like as some of the best in the country are there.  Also unbelievably impressive (and basically worth the trip) was the Rachamankha hotel - probably the single most aesthetically pleasing hotel at which I've ever stayed, with absolutely gorgeous Lanna style architecture and lanna/burmese antiques furnishings.  I hate to use the cliche but it was very zen, and highly highly recommeded by me and the boys.  Chiang Mai itself, desptie being overloaded by tourists, is a nice spot, very relaxed. It's sort of the "real" thailand without the chaos of Bangkok. 

 

Koh Samui was next - a tropical paradise, that was buried under several feet of rain starting the moment we got there.  Outrageous torrential storms and flooding have ravaged the south of Thailand, killing at least 12 on Friday so we were unable to swim or do pretty much anything you would do in a beach town.  Nor would we be for awhile, as the beaches were destroyed and will require weeks to clean up.

 

So now I'm here at fairtex muay thai camp  outside bangkok, which isn't as spartan as one would believe (they've got a nice pool) but a far cry from the last week.  Thus far I've kind of just sat around and read the paper, but I guess the anectdotes and kicks to the gut will start rolling in soon.  Think of me as George Plimpton playing for the Detroit Lions but just not a weird old freak.