Day 1: Jetlag

Taking a 24+hour flight is known to risk jetlag. Thus, I have actually already slept tonight: we fell asleep at 9pm Bangkok time (9am NYC time), and now I can't sleep (at 2am). Thus, I wander to a bar:

Erica has it worse. She crashed midway through dinner and is in a coma now (a figurative coma, parents, don't worry). 

Our first day in Bangkok was pretty cool. The thing about Bangkok -- which everyone we know who've been and all the guidebooks say -- is that it's kind of a shithole. And it is! For instance, our hotel, Lamphu Tree, sounds nice on paper: it's along a canal, has a pool, etc. But the fact is the canal smells like feces, so that actually is not a good selling point. Here it is. 

It's also surrounded by what I like to call "abject poverty." But that's ok; at least there is a friendly cat. 

After arriving, we took a ferry tour of the City. It actually was more water taxi than tour  (we missed the tour boat by a minute), but was still cool. The river, Chao  Phraya, is the heart of Bangkok--a polluted, smelly, but still scenic organ. 

After dinner we walked to this fancyass hotel for dinner. 

(above, Erica, 5 seconds before falling asleep in her nan). 

Dinner was good (but that's where Erica crashed), but the walk to dinner was even cooler...because we walked through a bunch of open air fish markets that sold such illumaries as catfish, lampreys, crabs, prawns, snails, and other grotesques--all stored in very confined quarters:

Well, that's about it for day one! I got kicked out of the bar, because apparently even in Bangkok bars close at 2am, and made it back to the hotel safe and unmugged. Tomorrow we will go to temples. 

Taxi Cab Confessions ;)

We made it to Bangkok! Flight wasn't even that bad. We are now in a cab with an English-challenged cab driver heading to Lamphu Tree House, our first hotel. Thailand is so far pretty cool. 

Blogging about Thailand

The last time I actually successfully blogged a trip was last time I was  in Southeast Asia ("SEA"), long before I even knew how to use parentheticals with aplomb. A lot has changed! I started working, lost 20 lbs, started dating Erica, quit my job, went to the Galapagos, went to some other places, gained 20 lbs, and got engaged (last week) to Erica.

Now we are spending two weeks in Thailand where we hope to visit temples (without offending the monks), befriend elephants (without making the acquaintance of leeches) and eat delicious local cuisine (without contacting local food borne illnesses). 

Hopefully, unlike my trips of the past few years, I will do a better job of documenting the happenings. To that end:

We departed NYC on Friday night at midnight en route to Taiwan for a layover en route to Bangkok. We skipped all of Saturday--when we landed, it was Sunday morning. 

The Taiwan airport is pretty cool. There are kitties everywhere:

And things are just generally pretty Asian:

I'll tell you about the relaxation zones later. Gotta board now!

The Skinny

Dear friends and colleagues,

That's how I started my farewell to FF email; but it's also how I'm starting my welcome back to blogging post.  A lot has changed since we last spoke.  For one, I use semicolons now.  Be prepared, grammarphiles.  For another, I quit my GD job, got a new GD job, and bought tickets to go to the Ecuador and the Galapagos (aka, for purposes of this blog, alternatively the Gartlapagos or Galapagart) with Erica.   Be prepared.

Here's the skinny:
1) Mindo Cloud Forest (Wednesday - Thursday).  We're staying in this ecolodge right in the forest.  What is an ecolodge?  A cool lodge with hammocks.  Basically a jungle South American log cabin. Abrahamo Lincolno would be pleased. We'll mainly see birds, such as tanagers, quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds. I know what about half of those birds are. There are also Andean bears somewhere, but they're not generally seen in Mindo - that is, they haven't historically been spotted there, but I have faith that they'll come check me out.

2) Quito (Friday - Saturday). Quito is the highest capital city in the world, at 9000+ feet. It's also literally built on a volcano. Nuff said.

3) Galapagart Cruise (Saturday - Saturday). Darwin invented evolution at Gartlapagos, and Rick Santorum has been mad at him ever since. There will be plenty of pics and dialogue to share re: these special islands in no time at all, so I'm not gonna spoil it with excessive detail. Needless to say, I plan on being arrested for stealing tortoise eggs and/or trying to hug a sea lion.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a blue footed booby:

RIP Kindle

Don't drop your kindle.

- Posted by Gartagnon

Location:Millinocket,United States

Blogging is hard

So once we got to Maine, I realized I'd rather hike and drink beer than blog. Also I get no service in most of the park. In conclusion, trip has been great so far but it takes too much work to tell you about it. And now, some pictures!



Lobsters in a lobster shanty. I ate one.


Adam in a lake.


Hiking.


Proof that I went to Acadia.


Purple flowers.


Our noise violation, for being "giggly motherfuckers."


Hiking Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the Atlantic seaboard.


A campground-made burrito for lunch.


Don't know.


After a 10 mile hike.
- Posted by Gartagnon

Connecticut

So we're in Connecticut. Cool name, but not a great state. There are basically a lot of trees.


Obama's mini DREAM Act maneuver today is both great policy and politics. I was wondering when he'd start using immigration as a wedge. Good work.

Lee reminded me that I once went on a road trip with FIVE guys, which would make it more masculine than this one. However, one of the fellas cried about a girl (it wasn't me, assholes) so that is minus two man points, meaning this trip is actually way more masculine.

- Posted by Gartholomew

Location:Blue Star Memorial Hwy,Haverhill,United States