Yay! I finally made it to Bangkok. I got in around midnight, picked up my bag and waited in the taxi line. Some guy in a cab yelled to me skip the line and come get in his cab, which seemed a bit dodgy but the line was *really* long. Even though I'd asked if he was going to run the meter and he'd said yes, he didn't turn it on and told me it would be 500 baht as we were driving off. Granted that's only about 10 bucks, but still. I made him turn around and deposit me back at the taxi line at a different terminal where there was no line, and I met this nice chain-smoking Austrian couple who shared a cab with me. 100 baht each... much better.

I found a dingy dark little guesthouse near Khao San Road, the main backpacker thoroughfare, at about 2 AM. I didn't much care about how nice it was at that point as I really just wanted to drop off my stuff and explore a bit. I headed out and was immediately hit by the smell of all sorts of food being cooked by street vendors right outside my place. Pad Thai, curry, crepes, seafood, all sorts of appalling looking insects... you name it. I paid about 15 cents for a bottle of water, $1 for a plate of Pad Thai, 30 cents for some fresh pineapple, and $2 for a tanktop. Oh boy, this place could be dangerous.

Today I slept until almost noon after wandering around til about 4:30 AM and awoke eager to see what Bangkok held for me in the daylight. Dozens and dozens of street vendors selling just about *everything* you could think of line every side of every sidewalk. In between, nothing but stores, travel agencies, massage places, beauty salons, guesthouses and internet cafes as far as the eye could see. I bought a watch, some fake Gucci sunglasses, flipflops, a money belt, a pair of Thai shorts, an electricity adaptor and some padlocks. Add all that to two nights' accomodation, the one-hour Thai massage I had this afternoon, all my food and beer, and I've spent less than $50. I could get *very* used to this.

I met Dan, Grant and Ben, three more friendly Canadian guys who were drinking beer on my guesthouse's patio. We talked and drank cheap Thai beer before heading over to get massages at a place Dan and Grant recommended since they are living here teaching English and seemed to know their way around. If you've never had a Thai massage, I highly recommend it. It's kind of a combination of massage and chiropractic adjustment and felt fantastic, all for the rock-bottom price of about $3.50.

Tomorrow I do believe I will keep up the pampering treatment and get a manicure/pedicure, facial, and haircut. Yep, life is tough.