hello again

The month-long hiatus in postings is over: Thailand doesn't censure blogs! I'm writing from rainy Bangkok after catching an overnight bus from Yangshuo to Macau, and then flying from Macau to Thailand.

Macau was more interesting than Hong Kong: where Hong Kong felt like a wealthy Chinese city with discordant British street names, Macau still had a European legacy in the architecture, street planning, mestizos (those of mixed races), and Portuguese expats. In terms of financial importance, Macau serves as a gambling and sin city destination for China and Hong Kong, and pales in comparison to Hong Kong's financial and business center status. Overall both cities can amuse during a layover or visa run, but I wouldn't recommend them as destinations in and of themselves.

Today I walked around Bangkok. Kho San is as touristy as backpacker areas get: banana pancake stalls everywhere. Walking around Bangkok proved far more interesting and I eventually found my way to Lumphi Park in the heart of Bangkok. I tagged along for a lap with a group of roadrunners doing a marathon along the perimeter of the park and then joined an al fresco complementary aerobics class with a techno beat.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Krabi and the crags at Railay.