Day 1: Thai boxing and reclining Buddha

The on-arrival visa procedures are easy and straightforward. In fact, they have a 3min per person deadline to finish it up. The visa officer even wished us happy new year, the vibe was good. We have a rule that we travel with only one small backpack and nothing else - it's a wonderful rule that allowed us to be free to go wherever during the whole trip.

We walked to the Thai government's tourist booth in the airport and asked the very helpful lady there one main question - show us a place where most people don't go to. She pointed us to Chang Rai, which we decided to go to (but didn't). We then called mammut and family who were vacationing in Bangkok and met them at Erawan. We later took them up on their kind offer and freshened up in their hotel suite and we were ready for Bangkok.

After lunch, we got into the first tuk tuk that came our way. We started a conversation and decided to go for Thai boxing that night. He took us to a really local tourist agency and we purchased ring tickets for Thai boxing, we then took a private boat on the canal (the tuk tuk driver's suggestion) that took us from the southern part of town to war pho and grand palace area. The palace was closed around the time we reached and so we went to war pho temple. It has one of the longest reclining Buddhas in the world. It was fun losing Pradeep at the temple - especially with no working cell phones or hotel rooms. I simply thought like he would and went back and waited around the area that we lost each other.

Wat Pho is a huge temple complex, a university of Buddhist learning. It being new years day, there were a lot of people and several dances, shows and activities. I took pics with two giant walking dolls!

We walked a lot- the whole day. I found Thai people to be mostly friendly and very helpful to travelers. We met a German who directed us to a very touristy street (the starbucks girl had suggested this street to pradeep) where we had pad Thai on the street - pretty good actually. We got tired of walking and got into a tuk tuk who helped us find a hotel and then he took us to the Thai boxing stadium.

At the boxing stadium, we mostly kids punch each other out. It's free style boxing and you gotta be really into this thing I guess. One of the kids who was initially doing pretty well was totally knocked out and was carried away on a stretcher. Guess that was it for me. I also recall seeing an American guy totally infatuated with someone who seemed like a Thai escort - I wondered if I must hand him a note at said 'wake up'. I didn't.

I slept well that night.