Intro to Thailand

January 23 and we have spent our first full day in Thailand. After a morning visit to Bangkok's flower market, which rivals (perhaps exceeds) Amsterdam's and where 4 dozen roses will set you back a dollar (no typos), we spent the remainder of the day in a small boat traveling through the network of rivers and canals that lace the city and provides a setting for the waterfront homes of many of the city's 10M residents. Lunch was served in one of those homes, a traditional Thai dwelling constructed of teak with furniture of rosewood and mahogany. The Thai housewife who hosted us spoke exceptional English and preceded the lunch with a lesson on cooking red curry, including preparing the curry paste from scratch.

Tomorrow brings our first Thai massage, 2 hours of reflexology and acupressure—no oil and you must wear clothes for this one. The restaurant we plan for tomorrow evening holds great promise, but we shall see.