Sleep- The Elixer of Recovery

Friday 10 Nov 2006
It is amazing what 12 hours of drool filled sleep will do for ones body. Although somewhat groggy, I still feel worlds better. We arrive in Bangkok on the overnight express train at 7am. Back to a different world than we were just in, it is amazing how homogeneous the world is becoming. In the US every city is begining to look the same, you know the familiar strip malls with KFC, Starbucks, Dunkin Doughnuts, Pizza Hut, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Well, we notice that Bankok is starting to look the same as any Western city, whereas Chiang Mai, Lampung, and Sukhothai were worlds away from this, which is exactly what we wanted on this trip. Another world, another conciousness, another view on life away from the Corporate "dog eat dog", "stab you in the back and leave footprints on your head" to get ahead world........all in the name of more money, more (perceived) power, so one can buy a newer car, something better than our last better device that we believe will make our world, nay us, happier. Our market driven world teaches us that, newer is better, bigger is better, more material possesions in the largest house possible will somehow make us happier. Here these people have endured so much, suffered so much, lost so much- 2002 SARS, 2003 Avian Bird Flu, 2004 Tsunami, 2005 Earthquake.....these four events caused over a million deaths in SE Asia and countless families losing every possesion they worked a lifetime to build in the flash of the Tsunami. But still the Thai people have a smile on their face, a good word to say, and seem so happy just to speak to someone different and connect human to human, no matter how short lived. Don't get me wrong, there are your shysters, crooks and people looking to rip you off or stab you in the back with false words, but those people are everywhere, even in our gleeming clean corporate offices. But in general the Thai people are amazingly open and honest.
Ok, enough of my sermon. Back to the blog, it is raining right now (Sat 18 nov noon) as I type only like it can in a tropical enviroment. The pounding of droplets on the roof made me look up and out the window at paradise, so I step down off my soapbox.
After arriving in Bangkok we take a tuk -tuk to Koh Sahn Road the quintesential "farong" backpacker haven and check into the New Siam which Rebecca had stayed at a couple years past. They totally hook us up, tell us to book our room for when we return on the 26th of Nov as they are almost full, and have us pay one night to reserve the room. Then they even tell us that they can book us a taxi to the airport so we don't get ripped off, how nice!. We tell them our flight leaves at 6:50 pm and we would like a taxi at 1530. They look at us quizically and say that Bangkok traffic jams start at 1400 and there for we should leave at 1500 instead and that we should pay the tolls for the expressway so we don't have to worry about missing our flight. All of this information was voluneered to us, and really proved to be absolutely accurate. We grab a bite to eat poolside and then go to the Air Conditioned internet room to blog. Since Rebecca uses all of her fingers to type, and I just two, so she starts first. Being a little groggy still from the "bug" I am battling I start eyeing the three office chairs conviently situated under the AC vent. It doesn't take me long to figure out my to hips to head can fit on those chairs and I am soon snoring away in the internet room (no drool this time as I am on my back and thus forced to swallow...lol). Rebecca jostles me about a hour later and we head off on our fact finding research of shopping in the Bangkok markets. I like to do a little research first, see what they have, and haggle a bit so I know the going rate for our return 3 day shopping spree at the end of the trip. I quickly learn that XL in Thailand is not XL. I think maybe I am a XXXL here. We feel that our fact finding mission is a success and head to catch our taxi. They were right Bangkok traffic jams run from 6am-10am and 2pm-7pm. We thank the people at New Siam again. At the airport we meet a nice couple from Oakland, he owns a printing company and has done business with many of the publishers in SLC that I dealt with when working in transportation industry. Small world! Its a short 35 minute flight to Siem Reap Cambodia, much better than the 175 km dirt road trip that takes 8-12hrs we have been told about. While on the plane the Flight Attendant for Bangkok Airways walks up to Rebecca and I and says that since we are so tall would we like to move to the emergency exit row as there is much more leg room. Ahhhh legroom, I actually have 12 inches of open space from my knees to the fully reclined seat in front of me. She is sooooo nice!!!!! We arrive and customs is a breeze thanks to Rebecca's brilliant foresight to get our Visa's prior to leaving the US. The line for no Visa's is huge, probably 100+ people, Visa line three total people with 4 attendants. We clear and go to retrive our bags, where I get hit on by a Gay French Guy!! This actually builds my ego, I'm like "I must be somewhat handsome to have a good looking gay guy hit on me".........but quickly grab Rebecca's hand. He smiles and Rebecca gives me a hard time....we both laugh about it. We walk out of the airport and there is our Guesthouses tuk-tuk driver waiting for us with MS Rebecca Heinsl (sic) on a placard. We feel like VIP. His tuk-tuk looks like a horse carriage attached to a little 125cc motorcycle. These are no ordinary 125cc motorbikes. We take about a 20 minute drive down the main drag that is filled with Korean and Japanese restuarants and Mega Resorts. We surmise quickly whom they cater to. We arrive at the Guesthouse and it is a provicial french style house with teak wood floors, hardwood wainscoating throughtout and vaulted ceilings. The room is pretty decent! We eat and sleep getting ready for our big day at Angkor Wat tommorrow.