Bangkok, Thailand

Photo of 1950's lobby of the Atlanta Hotel. The girls meeting British journalists.


Click here for photos of Bangkok.
"Bangkok's Bastion of Wholesome Tourism: Zero tolerance and sleaze free zone. No sex tourists, junkies, louts and other degenerates. No bar girls. No catamites," stated the large sign outside of the Atlanta Hotel. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. And we have a lot of explaining to do to our young traveling companions. Actually, the signs around the hotel were the only indication this family had of the icky side of the city. The Atlanta Hotel is the coolest, funky 1950's hotel with run down rooms, no hot water (who needs it in this heat?) and wireless internet. The honest staff, excellent restaurant and intriguing guests make it a must-do landmark. We met British photojournalists and Canadian geologists who had travelled the world and freely shared their stories of Burmese refugees and prison in the Congo.

After introducing us to her wonderful friends in New Zealand, Joanne W. came through a second time, connecting us with Fritz, a resident of Bangkok for the last six years. Visiting the Grand Palace and walking among the murals, we learned so much from him about the Ramayana, an epic tale of good and evil, similar to the Odyssey in Greece. The mischievous monkey character, Hanuman, would surface frequently in our travels around southeast Asia as would images of the creation myth, Churning of the Milky Sea.

We admired the meter tall, seated, Emerald Buddha and the massive, golden, Reclining Buddha. With Fritz's guidance, we didn't offend too many Thai people by pointing our feet at Buddha or talking badly about the King. How fun to sit at a riverside coffee shop and dine at a local hole-in-the-wall where we couldn't even place an order without a fluent Thai speaker. He also taught us to navigate the sky train and the water taxi systems so we were ready to negotiate Bangkok alone the next day. What a fun introduction to bustling Bangkok where there are 10 million people and 9 million cars.

Thai people love their king. Bridges, shopping malls, buildings and monuments boast his photos and banners cheer, "Long Live the King." A Swiss tourist just began serving ten years in Thai prison for drawing a mustache on the king's image. Thailand has banned YouTube in the country and sued Google because they would not remove a video that insulted the King. This is not a cultural value to take lightly.

Skylar celebrated her birthday in Bangkok and decided how to spend it: sleep in, shop, no school work, shop, get her hair braided, see a dance show, did we mention shopping? You'll have to read her blog about it, but suffice it to say, she'll be telling her college roommates about her Birthday in Bangkok.

Traveler's Note: Carry instant oatmeal packets for an inexpensive breakfast in the hotel room or when the plane food is bad or if you have a child growing 2 cm a day who is hungry between meals. There is always boiled water available.