Return to Asia

Ok, Im back on the move! It had already been a year since I finished the round the world trip, And it was time to go back out! After spending countless hours for months behind a computer working on Roland Emmerich's new movie 2012, I hopped on a plane and landed in Bangkok on september 1st. My second time in southeast Asia- this time I wasn't looking for an adventure, I was looking for relaxation and fun.

I spent the first two days in bangkok. I didnt really do anything too terribly exciting. I basically just explored places that were off the tourist track that looked interesting. dark alleyways; community parks. It was a weird feeling to return to a place that last year, was new, exciting,and culturally mysterious. This time I felt less like a tourist and less in wonder of everything around me. The humidity was exhausting.

On the third day, I hired a taxi to the station to catch my train. I had planned to be there a half hour before, but the Bangkok traffic was so bad that I arrived to the train station 5 minutes too late. As I stood there with my backpak figuring out my next move, a guy said "you miss your train? Come with me, and we catch it at the next station!" I said ok and we ran out of the station. Then I watched the guy climb onto the moterbike ( I originally assumed was to be a taxi) and taken up in the excitement of the situation, hopped behind this 4 foot tall Thai with my 50 bag and my 6'4 body.

Before I knew It I was zooming through the bangkok streets inbetween the gridlock traffic at full speed. As the bike narrowly missed each vehicle, I let out a little wimper that sounded much like a puppy being smothered, and as I started praying to the god I dont believe in, a loud crash of lightning struck across the sky, and torrential rain started falling...assuring me that this was the day I was going to die. Inches away from trucks and buses, ignoring the red lights and we zoomed past. t hen the driver decided to take a shortcut and drove into a pedestrian singletrack pathway that crissed and crossed over the train track. ..20 minutes later I eventually I made it to the next train station. I missed the train by five minutes for the second time.

I payed for a secon train ticket and headed to chang Mai and on to Pai for the second time -