Rice is Sacred

Sunday morning Bangkok. We have had a wild 4 days here after the 30 hour trip from home to BKK. Takes time to adjust to the noise, energy, heat, smog, traffic coming at you from the opposite direction and the intense sun. We had jet lag for several days, awaking at 3am. Watched the river traffic from our room. Had to get off to an early start our first morning to take the water taxi a half hour down the river to the sky train. Rode that to central BKK and then walked to the embassy where we stood in line with tons of travelers. 2photos, 4pages of info, photo copies of our passports and a very unfriendly clerk and we were told to come back in 5 hours. Took the sky train again to the beautiful shopping mall where we wandered around, drank Starbucks and ate fantastic hot sour soup in the food court. Makes anything we have in states look dumpy. Food beyond wonderful. Then back on the train, walk to the embassy and Stan in line again, this time in the sun. Wait another hour and then jam into the room and stand in line and receive our passports with our nice new $75 visas. Then back on the train, to the river taxi, half hour down river to our stop. Took 9 hours total. We were beat. Yesterday we did not feel well. The smog did not help. Still, we had to see about buying our tickets to Burma. High season. No cheap fares. The old days of just free spirit travel are over. Internet and email has changed everything. So tomorrow we leave for Yangon. We have no reservation, but have hope that all will be well in the long run. Since writing this note the Internet service has gone out 5 times which requires me to re-sign in. So frustrating. Not to mention all of my blogger directions are in Thai script. Hope I can post this. Internet service from Burma is not reliable so this may be it for a couple of weeks. We shall see. Aaahhh the joys of travel. Hurry and wait. Well, the tangerine juice is beyond delicious, the orchids abound, and the pool is refreshing. Sawaadee ka dear friends