Bangkok Breeze Through

Though Bangkok will not make any 'top' list for the year, it has been an interesting enough place to spend a few days while getting acclimated to the fairly significant time-zone difference to SE Asia. 

The city is generally dingy and un-charming, but we've found a few highlights in our time on the ground: spending a few hours cruising around the local neighborhoods in a long-tail boat was a pretty nice way to just settle into our first morning here – the Grand Palace, though very busy with tourists, was just incredibly beautiful and intricate – cooking lessons at The Blue Elephant almost have me convinced that I could prepare a Thai meal for friends when I get home – and under $10 an hour for a body-bending Thai massage is something that I'd be thrilled to find stateside. We are on our last evening here before we depart for our (almost) two weeks in Myanmar, and I think I'll find one more budget massage and am looking forward to another fantastic dinner here with the folks & Kristin.

Quick layover in Tokyo to discover the Japanese have it dialed

Kasem Bridge just up river from our hotel is reminiscent of some recent designs in the states

Breaky at the beautiful and oasis of Praya Palazzo

Our very cool long-tail driver

Cruising the narrow canals in the boat

Stray dogs abound

Boats are definitely a main means of transport here

Quick visit at an orchid farm

A mini-long tail hauling both garbage & ass 

Some confused architecture here in Bangkok – LA meets Boston meets The East

Long boats lined up in the locks

An evening drink at The Dome

With magnificent downtown city views from 64 floors up

K & me up above Bangkok

An old building among the new is the location for our cooking class

Local Thai women making Thai iced coffee & tea at the market

Mom getting local with her Thai iced tea out of a plastic bag – a bag that will no doubt end up in the Phraya River

Good looking, inexpensive fruits at the local market

Mixed in with odd looking fruit

And crabs bound in reeds

This machine takes coconut meat, and distills down to coconut milk

Other tasty treats on street corners

Master chef teaching us the art of Thai cooking 

Kristin & mom prepping at their stations

Minced fish red curry getting wrapped up in a banana leaf for grilling

Me and mom showing off our new art

Super tasty wok fried pork

However beautiful my presentation is does not compare to the master

The meal I pulled together – may be repeated, may be the one and only time

Kristin in her rental shirt, ready to vist the Grand Palace

Early arrival and beautiful skies for our visit to the Grand Palace

Though a very touristy place, the grounds are also used for many government activities

Beautiful sculptures

And ornate decorations

Are everywhere

Many images repeated

Kristin became part of the tourist attraction when she settled in to draw

Endless beautiful Eastern art 

Silhouetted  buddha

Striking architecture under striking light

Klamath Chrome

Arriving late in the evening Saturday night from El Sal, I woke early Sunday to load up and grab Dave for one of the quickest turnarounds of my year. We jumped on the road a ways North in CA to spend few days floating and fishing the Klamath river. With warm temps and no rain, October can prove to be a fantastic time in the area, chasing a few adult steelhead, mixed in with a nice run run of half pounders – a steelhead that only spends a few months at sea before returning to their native stream. 

Dave and I put on at Coon and spend three days floating, camping and having some relaxing fun on the 20 miles to Green Riffle. Dave caught fish each day, which is a huge win for someone learning the art of the flycast. I managed to land one adult and a ton of feisty half pounders. The campsite at Rock Creek was a definite highlight as one of the more beautiful riverside sites I've enjoyed – our firepan sat inches from the water on the diamond-shaped peninsula created at the confluence. 

A special few days just getting to hang with D-Sok.

Happy to be back here after a full year

Hooked into some fun fish on the first day – here just a stone's throw from camp

The only adult we landed

Dave was getting into them, too

Teaching Dave how to release them safely

Grill-master Sok on fajita duty

Stars up over our little tent

Our little camp in the AM as the fog starts to burn off – I had already been fishing for four hours

We were not alone on this trip

Dave getting one final chromer in as we leave our fish-rich, first camp

Nice half-pounder, Dave

Didn't make it too far before we found this nice swing spot

Gorgeous reflections for our lunch stop

Camp spot for night two was at Rock Creek 

With a steak dinner

Accompanied by our preferred drink, of course

And a great fire

Some great stars were out before the huge moon came up for what seemed like daylight 

Pushing off from camp for the final day on the river

We were about to roll through this little rapid but I couldn't help and pull over to fish some good looking water

Where we pulled at least 10 nice half pounders

And hooked up on many more

Dave with a nice one

And another – big trip for D-Sok

After a 20-mile road bike shuttle, we packed up and hit the road for the long haul South