Flying Solo in SE Asia

My third day in Bangkok included a trip to one of the city's crazy huge shopping malls to purchase a card reader for my camera, followed by a laid back afternoon planning my next step and a trip to Lumpini Park at dusk, when thousands of Bangkokians flock there to exercise. It was pretty amazing. This entire huge park filled with people running, biking, skating, playing sports and, most impressively, several clusters of group aerobics classes where everyone from young to old participates. The US should really take a cue from this. I bet it would do a lot to reduce our obesity rate. After the park began to clear out, I checked out the nearby night bazaar, which essentially was a more upscale, indoor version of the weekend market. Interesting, but I was too tired to linger there for long.

Yesterday was my last day in Bangkok before heading for Hanoi and then the mountains of Sa Pa. I spent it at Wat Pho, the home of the famous reclining Buddha--really beautiful and amazing how intricate the designs were, even on pillars eight stories high. Although the city's been cool, I was ready to move on. The juxtaposition of rich and poor, opulence and dinginess here is intriguing, but it can wear on you quickly. And although the streets there are cleaner than those in many US cities, the constant vehicle exhaust can make you develop a smoker's cough quickly. Bangkok is a place I'm glad I've seen, but definitely not one of those cities that speaks to my soul. On to Hanoi, where I've heard the poverty can be even more pronounced, but the culture more enticing. We'll see...