Christmas in Asia and the rest of Bangkok...

Christmas! Odd, non-traditional xmas in Bangkok. We got a Thai massage, which was amazing. Definitely the best massage I have ever had. We also saw Madagascar 2 at the only IMAX in Thailand. It was a huuuge screen and so much cheaper than seeing a regular movie back in the states. It was also the first time the Burgess family had seen an IMAX movie since apparently they don't have those in Australia yet? Crazy. I take for granted that I live within driving distance of like 5 IMAX screens.

The next day was the start of the real sightseeing. Early start to go to the

Bridge over the rvier Kwai and the Tiger Temple. The cemetary was so sad - all the Commonwealth soldiers and those POWs who died building the Death Railway. The museum was small, but still effective and sad. On the other side of the bridge, we ran into a sad

elephant chained to a tree for tourists to feed. It seemed like it was being kept as a pet by locals. We fed it and it seemed to be happy enough, but sadly this was my only experience with elephants in all of Asia. We just ran out of time and didn't properly plan for it to get done. Oh well, another reason for me to go back someday!

The tiger temple was really cool, though I highly doubt those tigers aren't drugged. No way they're just naturally that sleepy and calm.

The next day we went to the ancient capital of Ayuthaya.

It was interesting to see such ancient ruins mixed right in with the modern city that has grown around it. Angkor Wat was isolated and you felt like you had stepped back in time since nothing modern has encroached upon it except the people. This was very different, right next to the ruins was a modern street and school. There were so many Wats in SE Asia though, I'm kind of over it.

The last day in Bangkok was spent at the floating markets. They're organized chaos, with the rivers filled to the brim with boats of people in transit and people with goods. It was so touristy, but there were also some locals doing their personal shopping so it seemed pretty legitimate. We walked around the markets and tried some great food like spring rolls, chinese

buns, and banana fritters (all of which were made on small boats on the river). I also got a cute purse for only $3 thanks to my honed bargaining skills.

After that, Kelly and I did a lot of shopping in the local mall. So weird to see a real mall just have tables, booths, and stores, all selling obviously counterfeit goods. There are no laws here about that, I guess.

We caught our sleeper train to Koh Samui! It was a different set up than the China/Vietnam ones - no private rooms, chairs that fold out to beds, and food served to you. It wasn't the best first impression, but it ended up being really comfortable. Plus, we were right next to a really cute family w/ 3 young boys who kept things entertaining. They played hide & seek with us and kept calling someone on their phone to try to speak english with us. It was adorable! Definitely helped to pass the time on what ended up being a nearly 24 hour journey to get to Koh Samui and the best New Years Eve party of my life.