Just Flew in From Thailand...

...and boy are my arms tired!
This is Steve Bangkok Banana broadcasting from the balmy Capitol of Thailand. This picture was taken just as I made contact with Squiddy and Melissa on MSN messenger. I was going to try to make a contraction of the words 'banana' and 'Bangkok', but let's face it, there are some words you just shouldn't do that with.

My flight was magic. I had a stop in Vancouver just before making the main leg of my trip to Tokyo so I called my Mom, Melba Toasty, and a very dear friend of mine who lives in Vancouver. I haven't talked to Judy in 4 years but just renewed that connection since I moved to Waterloo. I often refer to her as hummingbird. I was just talking to her from the plane when the movie screen started showing footage of hummingbirds in Thailand. The scene of these beautiful creatures going from flower to flower carried on for a couple of minutes. It was magical that I would see this just as I was talking to her.
The book I was reading on the plane made bombs go off in my head too. The book is 'The Da Vinci Code' and it deals with secrets hidden in the Mona Lisa, amongst other things. And it talked about the conch shell and it's spiritual significance. There were just reference after reference that related to my recent Blog posts.

I'm staying at the 'Four Sons Guesthouse' here in the Kao San district where all the international Backpackers hang out. One tip for travellers. Ted is a fantastic resource and I love him like a brother, but if he is telling you the names of places, make sure you adjust for his cockney accent. I kept asking for Kirsten Road instead of 'Kao San' Road. They look at you funny when you say it that way. But I got here and got the last hotel room in the whole district. It cost me way too much; 550 baht a night (stop groaning Ted) BUT I have air conditioning, a full bathroom, TV and a second bed (which is of no use to me I might add for those of you wondering).

This is the district I'm staying in. It's a combination of lush tropical beauty, noisy vendors, speeding taxis and three wheeled motorized rickshaws, the smells of beef and pork sizzling on barbecues, mixed with the smell of diesel from the passing cars. It's chaotic but it's beautiful. I love the feeling here. There are exotic birds singing, mixed with the incessant sound of roosters crowing (at 2am If I could have just found one of those suckers...)

This is a picture from my balcony this morning. I'm at treetop level so I got to see the sunrise through the trees. The amazing thing was how the sun seemed to rise in only a few minutes. It went from very dark to very sunny in a matter of a few minutes.

This is a statue in a courtyard near where I'm staying. It reminds me of the 'Namaste' picture from my post the other day.
I have a lot to talk about. I've made several pages of notes as I've travelled. There is just so much that it's hard to express it. I'm just hanging around today and getting acclimatized to everything.
For those of you who I've been talking to through MSN and Yahoo, keep looking for me. If you see me online, I'll give you my impressions as I sit here in the middle of this incredible Universe. I just wanted to end this by saying that the most wonderful feeling that I have been receiving is the waves of love from my dear friends. Thank you. I feel very protected here because of you.