Gene's Visit

My brother Gene came to town this past weekend. His ship docked here for a few days, and he took leave. I'm sure he enjoyed having a room to himself with a big bed and his own bathroom! I enjoyed having my first overnight guest in my new place (hint, hint!).

It was a whirlwind weekend, filled with just about everything a person should experience when visiting Bangkok. We started with a reception onboard the ship, which was fantastic. I got to meet his co-workers and the Admiral, and had the chance to introduce Gene to the Embassy folks here that I know- the Ambassador, the DCM, etc. The only person I didn't introduce him to was the Prime Minister, so I guess that will have to wait for another trip (that assumes, of course, that this one is actually going to be in office for a while-we'll see about that!).

The next day I had to work in the morning, so Julio took Gene to get a haircut and to Pantip plaza, a haven of electronics (both real and "faux"), DVD's, computer equipment, etc etc etc. We had lunch, then Gene and I set off for the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, two "must sees" for anyone visiting the city. That night we started with Happy Hour at the Marine House, then went to RCA (an entertainment plaza) and drove go-karts.

These aren't your ordinary run-of-the-mill go-karts, either. The "small" ones have 160cc engines, and the bigger ones are 240ccs. It's tons of fun, but anyone who finishes without some sort of bruise must have super human strength. We moved on to a few other night spots, and finished the evening eating burgers at Nana Burger, a food cart that serves what some call the best burgers in Bangkok. While I don't necessarily agree totally with that statement, I will agree that they are the best burgers at 2 or 2:30 am after a night of drinking!

We slept in the next day, then did some geocaching in Lumpini Park. This is Gene's hobby, and he likes to do it in as many cities around the world as possible. Basically, you use a GPS to find small caches which people hide. There is a website where coordinates and hints can be found. After the hunt, we had lunch at a favorite restaurant, then went to the river to hire a long-tail boat for a canal tour. After an hour on the water, which included a "stop" at the mini-mart (or rather, a Thai woman pulling alongside us with her boat filled with drinks and souveniers), we took the train back to my part of town, where we stopped at my favorite massage place for Thai massages. The day ended with dinner, and Gene left around 10 that night to get back to his ship. I think I'm still exhausted from it all!

It was so fun to hang out with Gene and show him my neck of the woods.

Oh, and yes, that is Gene riding a mechanical bull. Only in Bangkok, right?????