Ko Samui, Thailand (Still 5 O'Clock!)

On Sunday morning I left paradise (Ko Tao) only to find another slice of paradise on Ko Samui. Tonight is the last real night of my trip - very sad. Tomorrow I fly back to Hong Kong where my little adventure began some 30+ days ago. At half past midnight I board my plane to fly back to Nashvegas (via South Korea and Atlanta). Oh yeah, finally added a picture of me - please note the wonderful farmers tan I have acquired during my travels - can't wait to show that off when I get back home.

Ko Tao, Thailand (Its 5 O'Clock Somewhere!)

On Wednesday morning I left the madness of Bangkok at 6am for the Thai islands. The Andaman sea side was in the middle of monsoon season so I headed to the Gulf of Thailand side. Most of my time at the beach was spent waking up late, lying on the beach, snorkeling around the coral - in summary chillaxin. And I'm not sure the pictures do it justice but this place looks like paradise. I think I will stay here a few days. And for those who have complained via my blog or email about pictures of me, please see 1st picture - yep those are my feet. That's me chillaxin at my hotel on the beach.

Bangkok, Thailand (Long Live the King!)

I arrived in Bangkok on Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning I began to explore the city. Bangkok is not the easiest city to navigate. It is very large and spread out and they lack a comprehensive public transporation system like a subway. My first stop was the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. The Wat Phra Kaew is home reclining Buddha - 46M long. And of course received a massage at Wat Pho, the famous Thai massage school.

On Tuesday I spent most of my day at the Blue Elephant cooking school. Their restaurant and school are world renown (and the price shows); there were pictures of George Bush (the wiser) and Vladimir Putin on the walls. For the first hour of the cooking school we went to the local food market. Then several of the chefs gave us a cooking demonstration in the classroom and then we would go into the training kitchen and attempt to cook that dish: 4 courses in all - Red Curry Paste, Fried Fish Topped with Chili Sauce, Memam Chicken Soup and Squid Salad with Lemongrass. You can see on e of my dishes above.

One thing I noticed while at the market was this stunning building that looked old but only half finished - I had noticed several of these during my water taxi ride that morning. I asked our chef and she said that was one of the many buildings that they just ran out of money to complete during the Asian downturn of the late 1990's. So several beautiful skyscapers in Bangkok just sit there as a reminder of more plentiful days. I have actually read an obscure theory on skyskrapers being a leading indicator of an economic downturn. Economies become successful, wallets get fatter, egos grow larger and then that economy decides to build the world's largest structure. By the time it is drawn up and completed the economy has turned and banks are tightening their belts (think Empire State Bldg and Chrysler Bldg in early 1930s, Sears Tower and World Trade Centers in early 1970s and Petronas Towers in Malaysia in late 1990s). Think of this next time you hear the Donald talk about building the tallest building the world has ever seen....hope its not in the US.

After the cooking school ended around 2pm I took the Skytrain over to Jim Thompson's house. Jim Thompson was a US citizen who moved over to Thailand after WWII and single handedly revitalized the Thai silk industry. He built an incredible house from original Thai teak wood from northern Thailand and filled it with antiques from all over Asia. There is an added mystique to this story because in 1967, Jim Thompson went on a walk in the Cameroon Highlands in Malaysia while on vacation and never returned. No clue has ever surfaced on what happened to Jim Thompson.

One interesting fact about Bangkok (and its very hard to miss if you ever visit) is how revered the King is. The King is on all currency, billboards, in houses, everywhere. Very similar to Sadam in Iraq before the war. Also, many people in the city wear yellow to show their allegiance to the Kingdom. It feels like you are headed into a college football game where ever you go. Really odd.

Next off to the Thai islands.......

Luang Prabang, Laos

On Thursday I finally pulled myself away from Angkor Wat and headed north to Luang Prabang in northern Laos. Throughout my trip I have heard other backpackers rave about Loas and especially this city so I am eager to see it for myself. Luang Prabang is filled with french colonial architecture, decorated with Buddhist wats and surrounded by emerald green mountains. This is an ideal place to relax before I enter the madenss that is known as Bangkok. Spent a half-day here enjoying the Tat Kuang Si waterfalls - notice the turquoise-green pools.

Temples of Angkor - Ta Prohm (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

This temple was one of King Jayavarman VII's first major temple projects. Ta Prohm was dedicated to his mother. Ta Prohm was originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery and was enormously wealthy in its time, boasting control over 3000 villages, thousands of support staff and vast stores of jewels and gold. Massive fig and silk trees grow from the towers and corridors while the trees surrounding the temple are filled with noisy parrots and monkeys.

Temples of Angkor - Preah Khan (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

Preah Khan is a huge monastic complex full of carvings and passages. It originally served as a monastery and school for 1000 monks and was for a short period of time the residence of King Jayavarman VII during reconstruction of his permanent residence at Angkor Thom. Preah Khan means sacred sword. It is dedicated to the King's Father.

Temples of Angkor - Ta Som (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

On Tuesday I started my temple exploring with Ta Som. Oh I probably need to mention its raining. Its the wet season in Cambodia which means less tourists b/c rain keeps them away and makes me more excited to explore the temples on my own. Ta Som was constructed in the 12th Century by King Jayavarman VII and is a Buddhist temple. Notice the the huge tree that grows from the top of the eastern gopura.

Temples of Angkor - Angkor Thom (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

After visiting Ankgor Wat, I headed immediately to Angkor Thom. The walls of the fortified city of Angkor Thom stretch more than 12km and are 6m high and 8m wide every step of the way. Angkor Thom was built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII (1181-1219). The important mouments here are Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. At Bayon, there are 37 standing towers with 216 gargantuan faces watching over the temple - hopefully you can make these out in the pictures above. Who the faces represents a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva or perhaps a combo of Buddha and Jayavarman. Bayon also contains 1200m of bas-reliefs incorporating a staggering 11,000 figures.