Wow... I am on vacation (said in a Ralph Wiggam like voice)...

So much has happened, and actually, not happened, over the past few days that I really feel bad for not writing sooner... oh well... I'll try to remember all the details and not bore you too much...

Anna and I arrived safely into the Bangkok airport, and had no problems changing money or catching a cab. We got to our guest house, The Shanti Lodge, and found it to be a great place! Anna and I immediately had a drink and questioned the staff as to the soonest we could schedule a massage... Turns out they have an opening the next morning... I make the decision to have 20 massages during my 14 day stay in Thailand... hey, I have always said that you have to have goals!!

The next day, Thursday the 10th, I awoke at 5:30am, and waited around for a few hours until my 10:00am massage. Administered by a old Thai woman, the massage took two hours and tested my goal of having twenty massages in 14 days... Thai massage hurts! It seems to be a mixture of swedish and shiatsu massages, with emphasis on restricting and releasing blood flow. Since it was a two hour massage though, I count this one as two massages (18 left)

Now it is about noon, and I am somewhat relaxed, but think there might be something else out there for me... Anna and I decide to check-out Wat-Po (not sure about the spelling, because at this point, I still have read or planned anything), which is a temple or shine or something really big, old and cool looking in some part of Bangkok (like I said, I am on vacation, I am not really here for a cultural schooling). Anyway, they also have a massage school there and offer massages as well... so we're off to Wat-Po!

We arrive and walk almost directly to the massage school. I decide to get the 45 minute foot reflexology massage, as well as the half hour thai massage... Anna goes exploring and taking pictures.

If I keep going into this much description about such inane topics, this entry will rival War and Peace...

Massage=more pain, but eventual feeling of pedia-pleasure... Two more massages (16 left -- still first day in Thailand)

But of course, Wat-Po is basically an outdoor attraction and Thailand is friggin' hot, so we decide to journey-on to the mall... we hear they have everything... including massages (wink)...

Next thing I know we have travelled to a new city, but the Thai call it a mall... it is fucking huge!!! We walk around for an hour or so, partake in some heavenly Dunkin' Donuts, then stumble upon a massage/nail salon... one hour head and shoulders massage for $6.00? One hour foot massage for $6.00?... SIGN ME UP!!!

Anna decided to go with the manicure and pedicure for a total of $10.00, which resulted in me having to actually think for a second... in the end though, I think she went with the right color nail polish...

We had a great time, I got two more massages, and had the extreme pleasure of having six massages in one day (14 left -- STILL first day in Thailand).

That night, just went back to the Shanti Lodge and drank... ended-up having a great conversation with one of the staff who is a very nice, sarcastic, beautiful woman... her name is Joy. We talked until 3:30am, and I found-out just what life is like for the working class in Thailand. I find that she reminds me of my mother... she works incredibly hard, but is intensely compassionate... after working 12-14 hours a day, six days a week, for the past two years, you think she might be jaded... not at all... it is a VERY humbling discussion. In the end, we decide that she will come with me to get massage at the mall sometime tomorrow evening... I am falling asleep as we are finishing our conversation (were we really finished, or was the fact that I was falling asleep making the conversation end?).

I adjourn back to my room, where I find a couple dead cockroaches... I fucking hate cockroaches, but at least they are dead. Then I have the brilliant idea to try to cover-up the window box above my door so the light in the hallway won't light my room all night... however, since it was 3:30 in the moring, I didn't think it might be wise to turn-off the fan running just above the window box... just the tip of my ring-finger hits the fan and immediately I have blood all over my finger and suddenly the Thai massages don't seem so painful... I put a band-aid on my now throbbing finger, laugh at myself, and crash...

Friday... played sloth ALL DAMN DAY... did absolutely nothing, and ordered Pizza Hut in the afternoon with a very cool girl who works in the email room, her name is Pesch.

At 5:30pm, Joy and I got a call from Anna telling us not to wait for her to go get massages at the mall. Joy and I take-off to the mall and immediately hit her favorite chinese restaurant there... it was very good actually, but not like chinese food I have EVER had... no rice, just soup you cook at your table... I was happy to experience something new! After that, we bolted down to the massage place because Joy had to hury back to work... We signed-up for 45 minute facials (my first facial ever), and it was fun and relaxing. During dinner, Joy had mentioned that she used to take care of an old woman who lived very near the mall, and that she wanted to stop by and visit her after the massage... so we were off to see the old woman... she is 90.

Wow, this was pretty cool. She lived in a small house and had two care takers because I guess she can no longer walk. Her mental and physical status however, were great. On the walk over to the house, we bought some rose garlands and Joy showed me how to place them on the buddist statue as a gift and sign of respect... very cool experience... again humbled. We didn't stay long because Joy was now late for work. But I was sincerely pleased that I had become friends with her so quickly... it is truly a much different experience than the typical tourist route.

Back at the lodge, I had a beer or two and talked a bit more with Joy... I am shocked to find out that despite the fact that she looks about 28 years old, she says she is 35... Sleepy from this long day of heat and lazyness, I went to bed. When I returned to my room though, I found out that apparently the Cockroach Gazette had just published an article about how great it is to die in Jason's room... 7 dead cockroaches in my bathroom, 3 in my bedroom, and two live ones crawling along the ceiling... I am not staying here tonight!!!

I find Joy, and explan the situation... she makes fun of me for a bit, then gives me the only available room... it has no bathroom, but AC... In Thailand, always take the AC before the bathroom... I slept extremely well, and actually had to turn off the AC in the morning because I was too cold (if you have ever been to Thailand you would know how strange that sounds).

Now it's Saturday, the 12th, and Anna and I went to the largest outdoor flea market in Bangkok with a nice young married couple we met at the Shanti Lodge. It was a very hot and crowded but fasinating place. We all had a good time and bought a few gifts for friends or relatives back home. After spending many hours in the heat, Anna and I were ready for some AC and we wanted to see a movie in the cool Thailand theaters.

The writing is very sloppy this entry... I think because I am not feeling the words that I am saying, but trying to document what I have been doing...

Anyway, we went back to the mall to see Spy Kids, which was actually a very well made and funny movie! For any pot smokers in the audience, this movie is "highly" reccommended.

The theater was very, very nice! We had assigned plush seats that reclined, and had to stand and pay respects to the king prior to the film... pretty unique... I am glad I went, and want to go again!

Getting very tired of writing poorly... must resort to bullet points for the remainder of entry:

McDonalds has Pineapple Pies and Banana Pies... Pineapple is awesome!!

Today, Sunday the 13th, and I am having the Lodge do some laundry for me... very cool!!

Trying not to sweat too much

"Worst journal ever" (said in Comic Book Guy like voice)...