Bangkok, Thailand

Adam and I spent a long weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, and had a blast! It was such a cool trip. We got to see first class hotels and third world living all in the same day.
The 2hr flight there was so quick after flying all the way over here a few months ago! As we checked into our hotel, we learned the Thai way of greeting...folding your hands together and bowing - so cool! Our hotel was beautiful, and staff were there to wait on you hand and foot. One man even ran the elevators as his only job!
Since we were only going to be in Bangkok for a short time and we knew nothing about it, we booked some guided tours to make sure we saw the interesting sights of the city. On the first morning we took a boat ride down the river and into the canals. So many people live in these shacks built up on stilts right along the canals. Some even still use the river to wash their dishes...we have picture proof! At the end of the canal we stopped to check out a "zoo." It was kind of a sad place...run down and dirty. But we did get to hold a monkey and see snake fighting (2 of the 3 "must dos" on Adam's list!). After the river tour, our guide tried to smoothly talk us into buying at some of his favorite stores by telling us where we were going next was a "surprise." After stopping at the custom tailors and the sapphire jewelry store, we informed him that "surprise," we want to go back to the hotel - no more shopping for ridiculous items!
Next we took a taxi to one of the largest malls in Southeast Asia called Siam Paragon. It took 45mins in a cab, but only cost $7 US (approx 200 Baht). We quickly learned that traffic in Bangkok is TERRIBLE!
Friday evening we went to an original Muay Thai kickboxing fight (the 3rd "must do" on Adam's list), with VIP seats. During one of the fights, one fighter's shoulder dislocated twice and they just popped it back in right there in the ring! A few bloody noses and cuts to the face...Adam was happy we saw blood. After the fights we went to the huge Night Bazaar (night market) and shopped around for awhile. Adam tried some crocodile steak for dinner there as well. It was pretty good...tasted like tough chicken.
We spent Saturday morning on a temple tour. There are over 400 temples in Bangkok, mostly Buddhist; we saw three! All the architecture is so ornate and shiny.
That afternoon, we tried out the spa at our hotel. Adam got an original Thai massage...the lady was walking on his back! I opted for the gentler version, but parts of it were still painful!
On our last night, we went to a dinner theater show. The show depicted Thailand's history. The stage and props were amazing, as well as the costumes. The stage even had a "river" in it. It rained, people canoed through the water, and one man jumped in for a swim during the play. Very cool! Also, elephants are the symbol of Thailand, and in the middle of the play, 2 elephants were paraded through the aisle of the theater. How crazy is that? Before and after the show, the elephants were available to feed and ride.
All in all, it was an awesome weekend! So glad we went there!

2nd Largest Buddha in Thailand

Adam at the Lamborghini dealership in the mall

I can't believe I'm this close to an elephant!

What's the deal Singapore????

Ok, so if I go into another store and have to leave to find an ATM to pay with cash because they won't accept credit cards (after all my items are scanned and in bags!), I'm going to scream so loud that you all will hear me on the other side of the world!! Sorry for the tantrum, but really, what is the deal? I thought the world was trying to be more digitalized or whatever you call it. I can't even count the number of times this has happened to me. I guess I'm supposed to carry hundreds of dollars in cash on me so that I can pay for overpriced groceries...

On a happier note, Adam and I moved into our new apartment yesterday. For those of you who didn't know, we got evicted from our last place! Haha. Long story... We moved over here into a furnished apartment. A month into it, our landlord tells us that he is replacing all our furniture because the lady that leases the furniture wants it back for herself. Well, he replaced it all right. With his old college furniture. Ok, so it wasn't that terrible, but you would have to be a dwarf to use our coffee table. Adam was upset because it was of much lesser quality than the previous furniture, and the company was still paying the same price for it. He tried to get the landlord to replace some of it (for example, the "Japanese Queen sized bed" that Adam's feet hung off of), but the guy refused and told us that he would not renew the lease with us this October.
So, now we live right near the ocean in a furnished serviced apartment (which means we get a maid 3 days a week to change towels and do light cleaning). All in all it is a better deal:) Here are some pictures from our new place.

The pool is just a few steps off of our terrace:)

Other news...I have registered for a 10K race in October and am back into the running thing again.
We have found a church that we really like. It is huge (1200 members)! We met with the pastor this week and are going to be having bible study once a week with him. We met several other couples from church and joined them for lunch last week after the service. Next weekend we head to Bangkok, Thailand for a long weekend. It's so cool that it is only 2 1/2 hrs on a plane and we will be in Thailand.
We have also been watching a lot of the Olympics. Go team USA!

"Queen of the Lanes"

Yes, I was named "Queen of the Lanes" Friday night at a bowling tournament. Adam and I were on a team with two of his co-workers and bowled against other workers from the local shipyard where they build the oil rigs. Our team, the Transocean Tigers, did not win, but I sure won for highest score among females! Yep, I'm pretty proud of that shiny trophy:) I guess that one semester of bowling at IU came in handy.

Here are some other pics from our fun night out.

Adam warming up

Another STRIKE for the "Queen" :)