lay-over

last post on my way home. i was dreading this trip back home due to the 12 hour layover in inchoen airport korea. what the hell was i gonna do at the airport? i took my time getting out of the airplane and into the terminal. they wouldn't let me into the transfer lounge because i didn't reserve it ahead of time. so i wondered around a bit to find some quite chairs to lay down and sleep. apparently this is common here in the international terminal. so, i got a few hours of in and out sleep. should be enough to hold me til i get back on the airplane. after my nap, got some food. still left with some 6-7 hours left to kill. there are a bunch of shops in the airport, mostly duty free and high end luxury brand stores. it's almost like a mall, except for the gate signs over head, you don't really notice the terminal gates because the are all behind the stores. they also have a korean cultural experience center where international tourist can do some crafts for free. 'course i'm all for free. i got to make this imprint of a lotus design from a stone slab. this may make up for the long layover. though still have a couple more hours to waste away...

saigon again

yay, back in saigon. bangkok was nice, but i really shouldn't be in a city by myself for more than 3-4 days. i get bored fast. plus, i think i lost 100 bucks :(

so flew back to saigon via airasia. the model themselves after ryanair. i flew with ryanair last year and it's fine if you just go with the clothes on you back. i was conscience of them possibly checking the weight and size of my carry-on. my backpack has a fanny pack that detaches from the main bag. so i was prepared if they were to check the bags. so when i noticed the were weighing the bags, i got out of line and detached my little side bag. oh yeah, i had put all the little and possibly heavy electonics (ie camera, iphone, unlocked cell phone) in my pockets already. luckily, when i went through, the bag lady was busy with someone else and i snuck past her. the game you gotta play on those ultra low fare airlines. got through the gate and proceed to the airplane, except it was a bus waiting, not an airplane. what?! apparently the bus shuttles people from the terminal gate to the airplane. i wouldn't be surprise airasia chose this option over a regular gate directly to an airplane via the sky walkway thingy for it might be cheaper. anyways, flight was quick with an ols creepy guy sitting next to me. he grabbed my upper arm and asked if i play sports. ugh. it so bugs me when people feel-up my arms.

so back in saigon with its busy streets filled with cars, scooters, smog and those crazy electrical lines.

red

yay! civil unrest, anarchy, revolution! loves it, hehe. i've been kinda bored around bangkok until i wandered into a red shirt demostration/protest thingy. it was interesting at first, all these people in red shirts coming out, blocking most of the street except for a trickling of cars coming through in single file. there were also police lined up with shields, but not full on riot gear. i secretly hoped something would happen, but thought they all would disperse when the rain starts. however, to my surprise when i came back after getting some food, there were more people even though it had rained. this time the street intersection was completely blocked with no cars going though. the police also wasn't in sight like before. as i went into the crowd, it felt more like a block party than a protest. there were the occasional chant of something in thai, i'm guessing it was somthing like "red, red, our shirts are red"? for the most part it was people walking around, taking pictures, random vendors selling food, bottled water, and of course red t-shirts. i wasn't properly dress for the party, i just went to crash it.  

air conditioned

so, it's hot and i'm tired of walking around in the heat. if not the heat, it pours and if i'm lucky i'm under some freeway or structure to wait for about half an hour to stay dry. so today i decide to go to the siam center. a big mall complex in the center of town. there's a big department store with everything from kids toys to brand clothes and make-up. the mall also have smallar name brand stores such as gucci, burberry and others. the food court has from american fast foods to high end-ish japanese restaurant. i'm so temped to eat at mcdonalds just cuz it just seems so wrong to do so in another nation. though i really want to use my credit card to do so. trying to budget my last thai baht cash, so can't squander it on micky d's. however they only do cash only, damn them. i end up getting something in their cafeteria like food court. though later i found a starbucks and they take credit cards, yay. so i order a tall americano and a banana muffin, all to my mastercard. they even have offer a pike place roast. not sure if that was what i drank but does anyone in thailand know what pike place is? any ways, the big complex also includes a movies multiplex, an aquarium, and what seems like a bowling alley from the map. all this and the whole place is well air conditioned. i even saw a lady who put a scarf over her shoulders prolly cuz it was too cold, but perfect for me. 

eh...

eh, it's okay here. rainy season, so cloudy, water little bit murky. not much to do here but hang out on beach and swim, did that. going try to head back to bangkok early. tried to change plane ticket back to saigon early, but essentially have to buy new ticket.

bus to samui

this was the bus i took on way to samui, island in southern thailand.

buddha od

went to another temple or something. i think i'm overdosing on buddha. lots of buddhas here. they do have a massive reclining/sleeping buddha. but pretty much the same as in phnom penh.