the inadequecy of words indelibly impressed on my brain....

a couple days pass with almost too much to even start to describe...

bangkok is hot and smelly, though for the most part good smells. our first night we stayed at the J.W. Marriott. it is a tad bit disconcerting to drive up to your hotel only to have armed security guards look under your taxi for bombs (this jw was bombed a few years ago), but once we cleared the bomb squad the jw is almost too nice. very posh and very free thanks to jessica's marriott points...fruit baskets, hordorves, amazing breakfast (croissants to die for - though we did try all the thai favorites also). the jw was particularly smelly, but all good. certainly a night of spoiling before the adventure began.

the market at kho san rd. provided our first foray into street meat...pad thai from a cart and mango sticky rice (i must learn to duplicate) and crazy spicy squid on a skewer (thankfully jessica wasn't quite brave enough to try that one since it was quite hot even for me). Jessica hit some tailors and we collectively hit more wats than one thought possible. (wat = temple) the Thai are certainly a temple building people - holiness to the lord on the doorknobs, and lamposts, and bushes... a ride through some of Bangkok's canals proved my favorite venture. Jessica, Suzanne and I had a long boat to ourselves (who knew we needed a 60 foot boat for three) to feel the wind (one cannot underestimate it's value on a horrible humid day) and peer into the lives of the Thai's in Bangkok. Bangkok was called the Venice of the East. the canals are borded by thousands of peoples homes of all class and style and i felt like we were hanging out in their backyards. the canal ride also included a stop at a snake farm. the snake farm (while disturbing to see the animals in those kind of conditions) provided a couple close encounters with some slithering friends (photos to follow) and thankfully hasn't given suzanne nightmares yet.
late monday we headed to siem reap, cambodia. i don't believe i have the words to capture the whole of my angkor wat experience. i know the photos will not do justice. if you can, go.

it was awe inspiring to climb (stairs in many places at 70 degrees) these amazing temple complexes built and hidden to most of the world for so long. again every inch of building it seemed was covered with the most amazing intricacies of artistic flourishes of divine praise. our favorite driver, maren, took us everywhere and gave us brief respites from the impressively hot and humid sun in his air-conditioned camry with massachusetts plates. (he was so very nice and very intruiguing though a discussion of pol pot became very disturbing - the holocaust happened, right?) i don't remember being quite so hot in a very long time and i am almost certian i have never sweated that much.

tonight we're back in bangkok and off to chaing mai (the mountains) in the morning. treks, trains, and elephants await!