Saturday, June 17, 2006

a brief intermission

I spent the last day of my trip as any good last day should be spent - buying as much stuff as I could fit into the remaining space in my bag. Bangkok is a great place to shop. I hear there are nice malls and markets where you can buy designer clothing for cheap, but I am all about Thai fisherman pants and light cotten shirts which abound in Khao San. I wandered around drinking freshly sqeezed tangerine juice, nibbling on mango and pineapple slices, and bargaining for clothing for myself and gifts for other people.

This year is the 60th year of rule by the King of Thailand. He is the longest reigning monarch in the world. A few days ago there was a huge celebration to commemorate his coronation, and all of the royalty from around the world came to honor his work. I’ve read quite a bit about the King of Thailand, and he seems to be a wonderful King. He is heavily involved in welfare projects to public works projects to benefit his people. And the Thais love him. Everywhere you go there are people wearing yellow shirts with the royal crest which say “Long Live the King” or “I love the King.” Most people are also wearing royal yellow bracelets which also say “Long Live the King.”

I’m glad I ended my trip in Thailand. I’m not a big fan of Bangkok, but I think overall, I like Thailand better than Vietnam. In Vietnam I had a feeling that everyone was out to get my money, and they would stop at nothing until they had cheated me out of some. In Thailand that feeling is a little more moderate; I am not wary that the street venders are doubling the price for me or the hotel jacked up its price when I stepped up to the counter. I’m not saying that I’m not paying more than I could, but at least Thais seem to be more subtle about it.

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