ok here was/is my day.
first day in bangkok, thailand.
went to sleep at 415am. woke up at 735am.
free amazing breakfast on the 24th floor.
conceirges desk was extremely helpful and helped us plan the next two days we have here in bangkok.
today, saturday, we met some irish chicks and shared a taxi to the grand palace. at first i thought it was for sure the tourist destination from hell. after paying 250 bat to get in i was amazingly suprised. the outside of the palace was magnificant. it looked liked a child covered the whole thing, by hand, with colored gems and sequence. after reluctantly removing my shoes (i am deeply obsessed with the shoes i was wearing and was terrified they would get stolen) we walked into the temple. i immediatley ditched lindsey and worked my way to the front where people were knealing and praying/meditating. i found a comfortable position next to a orange garbed wearing monk and meditated for 20 min. forgetting everything that seemed important 30 minutes before. i cried in the reality of my location. also at the reality of my spiritual condition in this location. i am buddhist. i have identified as that for a few years....one of the few things i will actually "label" myself as. and being in a buddhist temple where the alter was so large and so beautiful...confirmed my spiritual beliefs. i was no longer reading buddhist literature or meditating on my bed or in my living room floor. i was meditating in a space where everybody understood. the purpose was the same. i cried and the woman next to me touched me as i cried. held my hand in understanding.
oh yeah. the irish girls we met convinced us to go to cambodia. so we are.
then we went to the outdoor markets where i was at first overwhelmed by the dirty crappy shit people were selling. after 15 min of walking around we found the most beautiful markets where there were beautiful jewelry stores, clothing stores and orchids. we stopped at a wonderful whole in the wall and ordered vegetarian salad. which was essentially soppy noodles with some lettuce we couldnt eat (because we cannot eat any vegetables that have water in them from the ground...we also cant eat anythign uncooked...only bottled water, and cooked veggies, rice and noodles). the salad cost 1 US dollar.
there are taxis here. but then there are tuk tuks. they are golf carts that are made to go 50 mph. hahaha. they are death traps. we took them. we loved them! we took one to the market and realized then we were riding in the equilvalant to a motorcycle with no helmet in downtown chicago.
then on the way back from the market we took another one. um. he decided to take the freeway. big mistake. it was truly like riding a motorcycle on 90/94 with no helmet, swerving in and out of traffic. i was grateful to be alive at the end of that.
then we ate at the hotel. pizza, pad thai, and french fries. yum.
we are staying at the radison. totally nice and wonderful. our room is an amazing suite. with a huge bathroom with a seperate shower and tub.
we got massages. ok.....so i have gotten thai massages in LA before but oh man. there are no body limititations here. they dont even bother covering your body. you are just naked the whole time. there hands massage your breasts freely and roam way too close to your geniitals. as the woman was massaging my breasts she looks me dead in the eye and says "you have a very strong body....like a man. manly body"....this is after she has commented and touched every single one of my tattoos and asked me about each one. i love her.
on that note. bangkok is the number 1 city in the world for sex reassignment surgery. there are "ladyboys" male-to-female and "trans" female- to - males everywhere. being a masculine woman or a trans identified person is not only respected here but admired.
tonight we are going to a thai opera.
and tomorrow we are waking up at 645 to go to the floating markets 1 1/2 hrs outside of bangkok. then to ride elephants and then to a beautiful buddhist temple outside of bangkok.
hopefully i will have the time and energy to load pictures tonight.
