My attempt at a blog

Too many e-mail addresses to remember is what I was thinking before I left. With promises to friends, family, neighbors and who knows who else to keep in touch about all my travels, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold up my end..... so this is the result, my travel blog. So, thanks for all those who are visiting this, and I hope that you continue to do so!
This post is mainly an attempt to see how this works, and if anyone even follows it at all. But I will give a quick update of my first 30 hours since arriving in Bangkok.

It is hot. I think the second I got my bags and walked outside to grab a cab I already started sweating. I don't mean, "oh its hot lets sit by the pool," I mean tropics hot.. humid.. sweaty (although it seems to be that everyone native here doesn't sweat and it's just me with a red face and dripping everywhere). My cab driver tried to find the chabad house for me, and ultimately failed. He dropped me off on a street near where the street I was supposed to go and I had to walk in the million degree heat with too many bags for about two blocks (seemed more like a mile) but finally arrived.

My tuk-tuk!

After settling in and a MUCH needed shower, I decided to do some exploring. The place where the chabad is located is right off Khao San Road.. or most known as a backpacker's paradise. The streets surrounding the areas are loaded with restaurants, coffee shops, internet cafes, guest houses and tons and tons of vendors (selling really cool clothing too!). Truth is though, this area is so different from what most of Thailand is really like. It's more like an aggregate of backpackers from all over the world. Just walking through the streets I was able to hear numerous different languages spoken. There are so many people that its hard for it to really be an intimate experience and really meet people on a personal level.

Some houses on the canal

After sleeping almost the rest of the day and night (I hate jet lag!) I woke up this morning excited to see Bangkok outside of Khao San area. I took a tuk-tuk ( a little motorized taxi) to take a water boat taxi. Of course I got a little mixed up and ended up on this private boat that took me on an hour long tour of the canals. It was really cool to see the ins and outs of homes and the floating markets (it's really true what they say- it really is the Venice of the East!). After being dropped of and walking around some more I decided I needed some air conditioning and headed back to home base.

Lady selling bananas on the river

While Khao San is a very cool place, I am definitely excited to get to orientation and eventually settle into Chachoengsao where I can really live and learn about the culture- being that Khao San has a very different culture of its own.