KFC

 December Saturday 16th, 2023. I decided to order KFC for lunch. It was very tasty. 

Sauna and dinner

December Thursday 14th, 2023. After a short nap at home and as the sun is setting we are off to the sauna. Some good food at the sauna and a couple slider after we got home.

Central Bangna Plaza

December Thursday 14th, 2023. On my way out of the condo I spoke to the security guards at the condo. Ken and Ben, who were very nice and welcoming. I took a taxi to Central Bangna Plaza by myself. The first couple taxis did not want to take me there and the one that took me was upset I did not have smaller bills. 

I ate lunch with my internet friend Fha. I had some delicious Thai food and a pineapple smoothie.

Before I can home I picked up some red bull as well as diah and laundry soap from Big C mart. I got a taxi home and 

Paradise Park shopping mall

December Wednesday 13th, 2023. Keeping my promise to shave, as off my beard while I am in Thailand, I have shaved almost everything off. Everything except a mustache and soul patch ... I must say the Zappa looks great on Frank, but it looks absolutely terrible on me. I am not sure it will last the day. 

AEW took me to Paradise Park shopping mall to get an early dinner and to buy some food to take back to the house. I ordered 2 Thai dishes: garlic pork and basil pork, each with a fried egg and rice. While AEW had a spicy squid dish and the worst tasting iced thia tea drink I think I have ever tasted.

The city at night from the kitchen window. All of the hustle and bustle of a big city. I have never been fond of city life in Ohio, preferring the country to suburbia or downtown living, but Bangkok is a beautiful, friendly, and welcoming city. I am really loving my second visit to this amazing place.

Central Bangna Mall

December Tuesday 11th, 2023. AEW and I drove to Central Bangna shopping mall to buy some clothes, look at the anime shop, bookstore, nose rings, and eat dinner. We had Honmomo Sushi for dinner and then Stone Cold Creamery for dessert. Honmomo Sushi was delicious, other than the tuna tartar, which was terrible. The taste was off ... I think they brushed an oil on it. Regardless, I could not eat it. They were the first restaurant I have been to in a while that has had hand rolls, also called temaki, and salmon skin on the menu.

Swimming and dinner

December Monday 11th, 2023.  AEW finished working and we went to the swimming pool on the forth floor. The pool is pretty awesome. while not very wide, the length is substantial. After swimming for about  hours we searched for a restaurant nearby to eat. 

I picked, El Torro, a Brazilian steak house, with an American price tag. Google search for steak near me said it was 1.6 km, but the actual distance on google maps was 20+ km. I definitely got my fill of "the meats"; however, AEW was both disgusted by the rare steak and infuriated at the total price of the buffet. I forgot to take pictures of the food so I took a screen shot of the google search for the restaurant.

Hopefully, we can go again with Mint before I head home, or another Brazilian steak house. I am curios to see what Mint thinks of the food.

BTS Train, shopping, and walking

December Monday 11th, 2023. I started my day trying to find the train station close to the condo, off Thai highway 3344. Which I thought was across the street according to AEW, but I could not find it on google. Also nothing in the area looked like one of the busy train stations I was on last year. When I asked for help from a stranger on the street with the assistance of google translate, I was told to go down Udon Suk road several km to get to the Sky Train. This was about a block away from the condo and to my later surprise was right at the steps for the sky train station a block from the condo.

After a few km of walking in 95°f weather, I gave up walking and eventually found a taxi at a gas station who was on duty. He happily drove me to the Udom Suk green train station, which was 6-7 km from home. I was a little frustrated and unhappy as I though AEW had misrepresented "across the street".

Those of you who know me, might know my aversion and general distain of public transportation. I have only used it a few times in my life, and I do not enjoy it at all. Additionally, I asked for help from the staff and they told me the wrong train to get on. It took me a while to figure out the rabbit card and actually get on the correct train. Several people on the train seamed to be making fun off the "farang" and as you can see I was filled with great joy. Not really. 

I made a new friend, Anna, who helped me keep the scammer, beggars, and bar girls (I think) away from me. Just outside Nana Station. This area is very downtown and looks more like the Bangkok you see in tv shows and movies representing the city verses most of what I saw last year. Which was more fringe of the city and rural. She also helped me in my search for a Levi's store as I tore one of the  pairs of jeans I brought with me. The jeans were twice what I was expecting to pay, but I need more jeans and they were comparable to US non-sale prices. So more than I would normally spend.

My ride back on the train was easier, but definitely way more crowded. I did meet a beautiful young lady from China ob the train. She had the coolest temporary butterfly tattoos. I love butterflies as well as dragonflies, big time, and have wanted tattoos since I was 5. I remain tattoo-less to this day ... but maybe I will get some in Thailand this year. Anyway, it was her last day in Thailand and she was heading home.

When I hot off at my exit, I decided to try and walk home. Google maps took me down back streets and alleys until I came to a dead end and got yelled at by some man to go away, about the same time I realized the street was coming to a dead end. After he shooed me away, all of the peacefully sleeping guard dogs proceeded to growl and bark at me as I left.

I finally made it back to Udon Suk street and walked another 6.5 km back to the condo. Most people ignored me, a few seemed to avoid me, while others smiled and nodded to me, or asked where I was from and wanted to ask about my trip. I made sure to get water on my walk back and probably drank 5 or more liters of water while walking. By the time I was 1km from home, my bag with my Levi jeans and bottled water broke. This made carrying my clothes and water much more challenging. When I finally got to the condo, I was soaked in sweat, pants,shirt, socks,and underwear. It was like I just took a shower fully clothed. Every muscle in my body aches, but it was a great day, and I now know where the sky train station is located near home as well as how to transit the metro system.

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Sauna

December Sunday 10th, 2023. After the market, we went to the Sauna for a few hours, ate some food, then ordered ramen after we got back home. While at the sauna I had a conversation with a gentleman from Manchester. I believe he said he has been in Thailand for 25 years. He talked about stem cell therapy, but we really focused on how uniquely awesome this sauna is and how superior this sauna is compared to all of the other saunas in Bangkok