DREW'S DELIBERATIONS
Korea
On our way to Bangkok we had a twelve hour layover in Seoul which allowed us the opportunity to take a six hour guided tour of the city. Seoul is quite modern with 14 million people, many of which live in high-rise apartments. Korea imposes a high tariff on imported autos so all you see are Korean cars. There is still a palatable animosity between the Koreans and the Japanese from WWII, which also contributes to the lack of foreign autos. We toured the National Folk Museum, Kyongbokkung Palace, Chogyesa Temple and had a "real" Korean lunch before returning to the airport. I was defiantly aware of the police presence here. Armed men are never far from sight.
Bangkok
After spending a couple of days in Bangkok the term controlled chaos kept running through my mind. The streets are crowded with cars, zillions of motorbikes and three wheeled terrors called tuk-tuks. The motorbikes weave through traffic like an invading group of army ants. The high pitched revving of two stroke engines dominated the audio spectrum. At a red light the motorbikes all filter through to the front (even if this means going around the cars in oncoming lanes) and when the light turns green they are off in a swarm. Amazingly enough we have seen no accidents in our time here. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and using the bus system here. I did not like being in the tourist areas where I felt like a mark and got tired of fending off pushy cab drivers that want to take you to a place that is only two blocks away. We were able to eat, drink sleep and even shop a little for $30 a day. You could actually do it a good bit cheaper if you put your mind to it.
Ko Samet
Ko Samet is an island sotheast of Bangkok. The island is quit small and can easily be walked in an afternoon. We spent five days here doing what one does on a tropical island namely reading, eating, sleeping, swimming…you get the idea. This is officially the monsoon season but we had good weather except for the last day. We managed to get in a little snorkeling but the coral around the island has seen better days. When you get away from the manicured beaches the island is fairly dirty. Where is the incentive to keep clean what most people don't see?
That's it for now, our next installment will come from Nepal.
Nameste
© 1998 michele_drew@hotmail.com
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