traveling with no agenda...

Jack and I booked our flight to Thailand!

We fly from Ottawa to Toronto to Tokyo and we land, approximately 25 hours later, in the city of Bangkok.

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. Supposedly it's a hectic, bustling, crazy city called Krung Thep Maha Nakhon by native Thais and is considered the gateway to the East. The English attempted to translate Bang khoh ("Island") and the city was dubbed "Bangkok".

We know we arrive in Bangkok and beyond that we have no plans. No booked hotels, no reservations, no expectations. :) We are open to discovering this magical land and seeing where our feet and our impulses and our fancy takes us.

I did buy a Lonely Planet, and have been gulping down pages and pages of excitement in the evenings before falling asleep.

• I've read that Thailand is a country in South-East Asia with coasts on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It borders Myanmar (Burma) to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Cambodia to the southeast and Malaysia to the south.
  
  
• I've read about the great beaches along the Andaman Sea, pristine white sand and blue water and the pleasure islands in the South where ever little bit of hedonism you can imagine is yours for the taking. Where there are excellent surfing spots and scuba diving locations. And full moon parties that take place in the dead of night.
  
  
• Ko Chang - once quiet island undergoing major tourism development
• Ko Pha Ngan site of the famous Full Moon Party : )
  
• Ko Phi Phi - backpacker favorite where The Beach was filmed
• Ko Samet - the nearest island beach escape from Bangkok
• Ko Samui - hippie mecca gone upmarket
• Ko Tao - where the world learns to scuba dive
• Phuket - the original Thai paradise island
• Rai Leh - stunning beach by the limestone cliffs of Krabi
  
  
• I've read about elephant rides and jungle treks in the Northern part of the country.
  
  
• I've read that you can travel by tuk-tuk, songthaew, as well as buses, cars, taxis, boats, and motorbikes.
  
  
• I've read about the incredible Thai cuisine. That the basic flavors of Thai food are the five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. That the common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, coriander, and fish sauce; and that the staple food in Thailand is rice. I read that Bangkok is filled with so many street vendors that you never have to set foot in a restaurant if you don't want to. That you can take cooking classes on the beach.
  
  
• I've scoured pages of descriptions of wats (temples) to experience the Theravada Buddhism religion, the predominant religion in Thailand, of which 95% of the population follow. Theravada promotes the concept of literally "Teaching of Analysis." This doctrine says that insight must come from the aspirant's experience, critical investigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith; however, the scriptures also emphasize heeding the advice of the wise, considering such advice and evaluation of one's own experiences to be the two tests by which practices should be judged.
  
  
• I read that a typical Wat Thai (loosely translated as "monastery" or "temple") has two enclosing walls that divide it from the secular world. The monks' or nuns' quarters are situated between the outer and inner walls. In larger temples, the inner wall may be lined with Buddha images and serve as places for meditation.
  
  
• I've read that Thai boxing (Muay Thai) is the national sport.
  
  
• I've read that you can have Thai massages, where the person getting the massage is put into yoga-like positions during the course of the massage. In the northern style there are a lot of stretching movements whereas the southern style emphasis is given to acupressure
  

• I've read that the traditional greeting known as the wai, where you press your hands together as is in prayer and bow slightly, is unique to Thailand and still widely practised. As a foreign visitor, you are not expected to know how to wai, nor to reciprocate when wai'd to; while you're unlikely to cause offense if you do, you may well look slightly ridiculous. If somebody makes a wai to you, a slight bow alone is more than sufficient for ordinary occasions.

OK, I am sure there is more, much much more to experience and share with you. These are some of the things that I am excited to experience. If that's how it all works out! : )

Bye for now. 6 sleeps to go!