These are 5 videos that I think describe Bangkok well. I lived there for about 6 months a couple years ago and am desperate to go back. Want to buy me a plane ticket? email me 
Cooking Pad Thai (with me and my roommate’s color commentary)
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Wat Phra Kaew (The Grand Palace)
A Tuk Tuk Ride
Going out in Bangkok
I’ve traveled pretty extensively in my life, and fortunately never been pick-pocketed while in either Asia or Europe. I’ve seen it happen to friends, and always been curious how pick-pocketers operate.
How a pickpocket works: Pickpockets work by taking advantage of a person who’s left them self vulnerable, or by creating a situation that distracts the person.
A pickpocket is the person you least expect. It could be the tourist snapping pictures beside you, the lady holding the baby, the business man reading the newspaper, or the student carrying their books. Their goal is to blend in with the surroundings- they want to be the last person you’d be suspicious of.
In a vulnerable situation, pickpockets simply need to position themselves close to you and wait. All it takes is you taking your eyes off your bag - if they were on it in the first place. Some examples of these situations:
If the pickpocket has to make physical contact (you aren’t inviting them to steal with a situation above), the pickpocket(s) will try to distract you. These are a couple of the best pickpockets in the world showing some techniques.
Some examples of distractions you may encounter:
Some tips to avoid being a target:
If it happens to you, be prepared!!!
I lived in Thailand in 2005, and on my last day their I ate every food that I had come to love in Bangkok. At the top of the list: Pad Thai. Since I’ve been home, nothing has compared to the Pad Thai I ate in Bangkok. Aside from being amazing, it was also cheap. For a mere 50 cents you could get a large portion, whereas in the States I’ve paid $11 - $15 for “good” pad thai. Nothing compares, guess I’ll have to go back for the real stuff again!
I love Google Maps. It’s absolutely mind-blowing to think that I can view almost any city-block or location around the world in seconds.
I’ve always been interested in the Palm Islands that Dubai created. I watched a couple Discovery Channel specials about them, and decided to check them out this morning. It looks like they are rapidly being developed!
A couple interesting facts:
173 million cubic feet of rock were used to make the “palm” of the island.
there is a six lane highway under the ocean that connects the crescent to the main “palm”. I found a cool time-lapse of the tunnel being created, check it out!
And the finished product:
photo courtesy of thepalm.ae
Check out the islands by map. Or check out the homepage for much more information.
I-5 is closed at Chehalis, until further notice. Yes, part of the largest, longest, most driven road on the west coast is shut down indefinitely. News reports are saying it will be this way until at least Thursday, but it could be longer than that.
The reason: I-5 is 10 ft. under water in places.
The solution: have people drive 7 hours to get past the flooding. On a one lane highway.
This closure is costing Washington’s economy millions a day- between trucking, train, commuter, traveler, and tourist, etc. delays. Every day the back-up on cargo and personnel is getting worse.
My problem - db clay is having a Trunk Sale at the Nordstrom headquarters in Seattle on Friday. A very cool and exciting deal for us- if we can get there! Garett is determined though, I think he’ll take a canoe if he has to. And he may-based on these photos.
In this life, we can't control much. But control isn't what this life is about. My life isn't about the destination- it's about the journey. With that said, this site is a reflection of the happenings of my life.
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