Tuk-Tuks in Thailand...and What's a What?!

Day 3 in Thailand (although it will seem like two to all of you, as we're 15 hours ahead over here...)---Today we took our first ride in a tuk-tuk, a fun little motorized cart with a kind driver who sped us from one wat (a Buddhist temple) to the next, and stopped by a suit-maker's shop...just because they apparently always take tourists there. We've already seen at least a half-dozen wats, and counting...
Thailand is an amazing place. Hotter than hades, and more friendly than almost any place I've ever been. Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers are all smiles, and everyone on the street wants to sell you their wares...whether hand-made bags, tiny Buddhas, bags full of sweet tea or juice, mini pancakes made on a street-side griddle...The fruit looks amazing, but who knows what water they're washing it in...=) Thus far we've seen so much, and we're learning to happily function in the heat a bit better each day. Some unexpected findings include the fact that there's a 7-11 on what seems like every corner, that they indeed have Starbucks, and Subway, and KFC, and Au Bon Pain, for god's sake. Even Gloria Jean's Coffee, which we grew up walking by in the food court of the Brea Mall (we took a pic of the sign for you, mom!). As we are obviously super white people know we're foreigners, or "farang," and as we look so much alike people are constantly ask if we're twins...or they just smile at us and say "Same Same..." We found "Same Same" t-shirts on the crazy backpacker lane we're staying on in our little hotel, and we're coming home with a matching set. Staying on Thanon (Street) Khao San is a little like staying on DP in Santa Barbara, really. Amy feels right at home here.=) Tons of Europeans, Australians and others sitting out on the street and drinking massive amounts of beer, pretty much all night...the people who look bleary-eyed when we walk past them toward breakfast in the morning are the ones who just haven't gotten the chance to go to bed yet...=)
The first day here we took in some of the most famous cultural sites---the Grand Palace (former home of monarchs) and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where a much-prized but very small green Buddha sits perched atop a pile of gold decoration (this is one of the most important Buddhist sites in Thailand). We took a long boat down the Chao Praya river and got to not only see some famous wats from an awesome vantage point but also a slice of Thai life on the water. Yesterday we gave ourselves a bit of a break and went on an outdoor tour of Jim Thompson's house---a beautiful teak house constructed by an American expatriate who reinvigorated the Thai silk industry after WWII---before winding our way through two HUGE malls in a newer part of town. The upscale mall was wholly "western" (Amy keeps laughing at me for calling things this...=))...it almost looked like something straight out of West L.A...except its foodcourt was full of amazing Thai food...and the more regular mall was completely out of control. I've never seen so many goods and so many people in such a small space. The street fair way of life here has a way of almost visually overloading people who are from elsewhere...in every mall, on every street corner, there is so much to see and potentially purchase, so many smells and so much movement...we're just beginning to be able to take more of it in...=)
That's it for this post, I'm thinking...Amy is the more techno-savvy one, and I'm hoping she can figure out how to post pics for you soon, as I just played around with it and can't figure it out!...Tomorrow we're off to northern Thailand, to Chiang Mai, to be exact. As we're not bad-ass backpackers, and our white skin makes us a little less jungle-friendly than some, we've decided to ix-nay tromping through Cambodia to see Angkhor Wat. Something for another trip...But Chiang Mai is supposed to be the cultural capital of Thailand...where hill tribes sell their crafts, where Thai massage, language and cooking classes are taught...and they have elephant camps that I've been told are very cool.=) Peace out, everyone. "Kawpkhunka" (thank you in Thai) for reading.=) Beth