Bangkok, Thursday and Friday

By this time, things had gotten pretty dicey. We didn't see Dave for more than a few minutes Monday through Wednesday. The lack of true human interaction had gotten to me by Thursday, and we struggled a bit. I'd stopped journaling, and my patience wore thin. But we did manage to taxi out through Bangkok's legendary traffic.

After the standard readying, the girls and I jumped a cab to the Dusit Zoo. We lounged in the back, as Bangkok's taxis are much comfier than Shanghai's. The taxis in Bangkok were all Corollas, and Shanghais are VW Santanas. They just sound nicer, don't they? As we lounged, the driver hit the gas and L-- flew right off the seat and flat onto the floor. This shook her up a bit, with the positive result of getting her to sit still for the next few minutes. The moment she wiggled again, she flew right onto the floor once more. The two-fer made her a lover of the seat belt, so we rode in relative safety for the first time in months.

There seems to be some debate over zoos, whether they are depressing or so nice that the guests never see the animals. I'm afraid I'm no judge either way, but it probably says something that in this zoo we were able to see loads of animals. We passed monkeys, ponies, lions and tigers, deer and pands, zebras and giraffes. L-- enjoyed all of them, and still talks about the animals a week later. The taxi ride back went by a different route, and only took 20 minutes. Bangkok traffic.

In the evening, I got another taxi ride. Dave had the evening off and told me to go out on my own. So with the girls in bed, I braved the traffic once more and headed to Suan Lum Night Market.

In many ways, Bangkok seemed like any other modern city. But in one way, Bangkok stood out from all other cities. The shopping was incredible. The Chatuchak Market on Saturday, and now the Suan Lum Night Market this evening. Beautiful silks, pashminas, boutiques and more for sale at outrageous prices. This one stayed open until after midnight, which was loads of fun. Walking through the warm night air, seeing each stall lit up with strings of bright colored lights, watching people stop for dinner, the market had a completely different air about it.

Friday, the girls and I stayed at the hotel and relaxed. Dave's seminar ended by 4:00 and we were able to begin our weekend as a family. Dinner, ice-cream and the swimming pool completed our day.