Sawadeeka, Thailand!

Mark had to make a quick business trip up to Bangkok last week, so Julie was able to piggyback on the trip and visit Thailand for the first time. Spending one night in Bangkok and then flying down to Krabi, Julie got a great introduction to Thai society and Mark had a nice refresher.

Bangkok is famous for its odd, little markets. The goods range from real junk to kind of junky to pretty good stuff. This usually includes a ton of counterfeit material, but it should also be said that Thai silk is some of the best in the world. If you look hard enough, you can find some gorgeous stuff.

Here is a collection of the "junk", I mean, "treasures" that we found on our only night in Bangkok. Just skip this part if you are a man.

- A hot-off-the-press pair of Victoria Beckham Rock and Republic jeans for $12. The Thai woman working in the booth looked at Julie and said, "You need 31". In other words, you are a fatty!

- A Chloe Paddington knock-off handbag for $20. Really the only indication that the bag was to resemble a Chloe was the paper "Chloe" tag attached. Who cares?

- A silver, Tiffany chain complete with the little, blue bag for $15.

- Really random, big elephant pants. Don't ask. Julie gets pressured into buying things!

- Unfortunately we missed out on sampling the crickets!

Some pictures from the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Constructed in 1782, all of the Thai kings lived inside the walls up until the mid-1900's. The famous Emerald Buddha (it's actually made of jade) is inside the palace, and they actually change his costume based on the season. Really beautiful!

Krabi (meaning sword) is a province on the coastline of the Andaman Sea. The region is almost directly behind the island of Phuket. Several movies have benefited from the beauty of this area of Thailand including a James Bond film and The Beach with Leonard DiCaprio.

The Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 did affect the area, but the only evidence of the catastrophe that we found were newly posted evacuation signs and some memorialized debris on some of the ancillary islands in the Krabi Province.

Thais are known for their superior level of customer service, but it was insane at the resort in Krabi. No water glass ever went empty, people arrived at your door so fast after you called for assistance that you could swear they had to be hiding in the bushes, and we received a friendly bow and a "Sawadeeka" upon each encounter with a staff member. Many U.S. hospitality-oriented businesses could learn a lot!

(L to R) 1. Yes, this gibbon we spotted on our sea kayaking trip is a male! 2. Julie holding a gypsy bone from the cave where we spotted the gibbons. 3. Sea Kayaking through a forest of mangrove trees. No crocodiles spotted here in years!!! 4. Mark at Hong Island, an island about 15 minutes away from our resort by long-tailed boat 5. Snorkeling on Hong Island. The little, yellow fish liked bread and biting Julie's legs. 6. Monitor Lizard seen on Hong Island. They can apparently count and self-reproduce and are related to the Komodo Dragon! 7. Wreckage of long-tailed boats that still remain on Hong Island after the Tsunami of 2004. 8. Our long-tailed boat that took us to 3 different islands. 9. Eating our last Thai meal in Krabi. Julie's favorite dishes from the trip were the Spicy Green Papaya Salad and Garlic and Peppercorn Soft Shell Crab. Mark loved to eat the "Asian" breakfast every morning which was usually fish and noodles.