Thailand Trip (Day 25)

Day 25:
It turns out that even though we thought that we were a bit off of the main road, the loud music still was a bit loud... also being near the staircase did not help when the drunk masses began rolling in late at night. Overall, we did get a decent night's sleep since we were so tired. Given the proximity to the noise, we decided to change locations. We had heard about a street near Kao San that curved around a temple. It was still a lively backpacker's street, but only one side of the road was filled with bars and guesthouse (the other was the temple compound). The new place that we found is called Merry V and has a lot of character. The rooms are basic, but are clean, cheap, and have nice AC systems. It is also conveniently located near some great street vendors. Our friend Wenzeng Chong was in town (Bangkok) for a few days on vacation from Singapore, so we decide to meet up with him and his girlfriend. We met Chong, a Singaporean, at MSU in supply chain classes. He has since graduated and is doing his required military service in Singapore now. In the afternoon we visited several religious sites of Bangkok, including a giant standing Buddha and a reclining Buddha that is over 850 years old. At the standing Buddha there was a ceremony for the changing of the dress (Buddha wears a rainy, summer, and cool
season garment) and admission was free. We also bought two cages of birds to release in the temple for good luck (though a loose cat caught and ate one of the birds). It was neat visiting the temples and watching the monks. Especially the ones on cell phones and such. In the afternoon we headed to the guesthouse to meet Chong and Jerlyn (his girlfriend). We headed out to dinner and had some delicious Thai food and beer. It was great to catch up as we have not seen each other for half a year. In the evening we explored Bangkok's nightlife with Chong and Jerlyn and had a wild tuk-tuk ride back to Kao San. The driver asked Jerlyn if she was scared (since she was holding on pretty tight to the ceiling bars and they don't have tuk-tuks in Singapore). She said no, he laughed and said "50% the time you ride with me you die!" Odd sense of humor, he also told us that the railway station was Kao San road, but we knew better. Other highlights included two slight wheelies as we took off from the stoplights (which he commented "one wheelie- ten Bhat"), and passing a cab on the other side of the road. We arrived safely though and enjoyed a great nights sleep at Merry V.