Travel Diary

We needed to arise early to see a few sights before checking out. Downstairs, they were serving breakfast. It was a pretty simple setup, but any food was a treat.

Since the Grand Palace opened at 8:30am, we traveled on down there to wait. The impatient sun already sat high in the sky and reflected spectacularly off the golden palace roofs. The weather was also warm again, though not as hot as the day before.

We'd hoped they would open a little early, but no such luck. Thus, there was nothing much to do except stand around for a spell until 8:30am. When that time came, they let us in. A small crowd had already formed, so we walked quickly to reach the ticket window before it got too busy. Our taxi was scheduled for 9:45am; there was no time to lose.

Another concern was Terry's chosen apparel. The palace had strict rules about clothing since it was also a religious place. Terry's pants didn't quite reach the ground; however, no guards or workers said anything and we proceeded onward. It wouldn't have been the end of times had they intervened. The outside sign says that they loan you clothes in case you don't meet the guidelines. I've heard of restaurants loaning coats, but pants and shirts? Too cool.

Reaching the window, we saw the shocking price. I think it was only equivalent to $15, but that was too much. We weren't going to be there very long and it was pointless to pay so much and miss most of the Palace. We exited the place, having not even greeted the king, or emperor, or whomever is in charge of the establishment.

Nearby was a small temple so we checked that out. It was quaint, but fun to explore. The only main rule was shoes being taken off before entering the smaller temples. We then made our way back to the hotel.

Upon reaching the hotel, we grabbed some snacks at 7-11 for the flight home. Air Asia serves nothing free aboard the flight, though I suppose it's all part of the cheap price. Fair enough. Provided they don't start charging for air, I can accept such terms.

When the taxi came, we were taken to the train station. The traffic was crowded again, but not as bad as when we came out to the hotel the previous day. What was surprising was the cab fare: 150 baht. Granted, it was only $5USD, but I knew it was too high. However, the meter hadn't been running since it was a prearranged pickup. As well, we hadn't asked about the cost ahead of time. I guess I probably should have. I only found about 120 baht in change and Terry found 10. We were searching for more when the driver accepted that price and headed out. Obviously, we didn't tip. It was a little frustrating. Again, it was probably only a dollar too high, but it was about principal. However, in hind sight, it was an arranged pickup so the price may have been fair. Impossible to ever know for sure.

Before heading up to the station, we grabbed a chai tea from a local sidewalk vendor. It was a great price and a fine snack.

At the train station, we found out that it wasn't the "express" to the airport, which is what we wanted. This was more of a bonus though, since the cost was vastly reduced. The express was 150 baht ($5) and about only ten minutes cheaper than the regular train. The regular train was only 40 baht ($1.33). Hard to argue with that. We also had a lot of extra time before the flight left. No rush was even necessary. Ten minutes would not be a problem.

Only the passport check was the big wait at the airport. This took about 45 minutes and was a seemingly endless wait. Once through, the rest was fast. No free WIFI could be found which was disappointing. The only way to acquire the free one was to get the login and password at an information desk which we never actually saw. Even then, it was only for 15 minutes. It wasn't a major issue. One more flight and we'd be home in Taipei again--with Internet galore!

Waiting for the plane, we met another westerner, an American who worked for Microsoft in Seattle. He was a lawyer for them and had been with the company over 25 years. We surmised that he was quite rich, which would explain his freedom to take a few weeks off to volunteer in a small impoverished country. Apparently, he'd been without email for two weeks. And we thought three days were bad. It's so wonderful to meet people around the world.

The flight was not filled so we had extra room again. I even noticed a guy sprawled out across all three eats in the back--lucky stiff. The flight was over three hours, but the time went fast and we were once again in Taiwan.

Exiting the plane, we found the cold air to be a most unwelcome treat. I was prepared though, having stowed my sweater, hat, and gloves in my backpack. We got our bags and exchanged all remaining money back into the Taiwan Dollar. Apparently, the finance exchange would not accept any Vietnamese bill under 100,000 Dong ($5). I suppose that was fair since my 5000-Dong bill would have only been worth under $.25.

Grabbing a taxi, we took a long drive back into the city. At home, Lesly and the kids were waiting. It was nice to be back in my temporary home.

I tried to do some writing, but to no avail. I was dead tired.

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