In Udon Thani

We took a ten hour train ride from Bangkok to Udon Thani. From here we are going to take a bus to Lao. We arrived after dark and as we walked out of the train station, the first sight was a huge night market, with a bright orange McDonald’s sign shining over it all. Naturally, we had to get an ice cream cone for 7 Baht (less than 25 cents). After we got off the train we saw people climbing all over the train, including the roof, with flashlights, checking it out and probably looking for bombs.

This town is the major commercial hub for NE Thailand and since the bombings in the Southern Thailand, the country has been on high alert. The paper is reporting that the explosion in Hat Yai was a car bomb parked in the Lee Plaza Hotel’s underground parking lot, which caused an even bigger gas explosion. We instantly recognized the area because it showed McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken neon signs next to the bombing. I’m sure the ATM which I used to get Thai Baht to go on our cruise suffered heavy damage as it was right next to the explosion.

During the Vietnam War, this town had U.S. air bases nearby. B-52s flew from this are to bomb North Vietnam. Our friend Doug was partially based here during the war, and Laura’s brother in law, George, flew in and out of here. The town still has a very large number of farangs here, who seem to be mostly pot-bellied men with their Thai wives. This is a booming economic area of Thailand. Our hotel is right next to the largest shopping center in town and is also on the street known as Soi Farang because of all the bars and sex tourism opportunities on it. The guidebook used the term “sex tourism opportunities”, which I thought was a great euphemism.

When you travel on the train in Thailand, at the stops people get on to sell you food. For supper on the train we bought a whole skewered chicken. It had been pressed flat and skewered on two flat sticks then cooked over charcoal. It was really good. Here, when you buy a cooked whole chicken, you get a whole chicken. The chicken came with both feet and the head attached.

For our last lunch in Bangkok we ate at Mos Burger, which labels itself as “Japanese Fine Burger & Coffee”. Their slogan is “Making People happy Through Food”. The best thing about Mos Burger is that they serve a lot of their burgers on buns made of pressed white rice, so Laura can eat the bun. This time they added Lettuce Burgers to their menu. These burgers are served between two large pieces of lettuce, with no bun at all. Laura was quite happy with her lettuce burger.

After the Mos Burger we went to Patty’s Fiesta for margaritas during happy hour. Laura had previously talked to the tall, deep-throated, short-skirted adam-appled, waitress named Fen about the cost of drinks during happy hour. So, this time we went. The restaurant has been on Silom Road for thirteen years and has nightly Mexican music performed by a Filipino band. And, like most Mexican restaurants, it has a religious statue in a corner of the bar, although this statue is a very garlanded Ganesh rather than Jesus, and Fen, lit joss sticks to place in front of it, rather than candles. This is Fen.

Benjamin and Dagmar were staying at our hotel. He is from London and she's from Austria.