Sent on Jan. 21, 2003 from (the main train station)
Bangkok, Thailand.

Dont forget to reserve 500 Bahts ($12) for airport exit fee.

1. BANGKOK.  I visited Bangkok several times over the
years.  It is perhaps the most fun big city in the entire
SE Asia and so here is a rundown.  This city of some 8
million people is known to the Thais as KRUNGTHEP, or City
of Angels, as in Los Angeles.  The city is divided east and
west by the Chao Phraya River, that has the feel of a
narrower Bosphorus in Istanbul.  The western part has
nothing of interest, except the WAT ARUN--which better seen
at night from one of the river boats or from the other
side, and the THONBURI train and bus stations for rides to
the west and south, like the RIVER KWAI MEMORIAL that is
136 km to the west of Bangkok.

The combined compound of the GRAND PALACE and the Temple of
the EMERALD BUDDHA may be the most spectacular of such
buildings in SE Asia.  It is a must-see as also the WATER
MARKET.  You have 2 options as to the latter: 1) take the
boat from the TA PHRA CHAN LANDING across the street just
north of the Grand Palace, 2) travel to RATCHABURI province
and see the more authentic water market in DAMNOENSADUAK. 
Beyond these, in Bangkok, a visit to the following sites:
WAT (Temple) PHO (contains 95 pagodas), WAT ARUN (Temple of
Dawn), WAT BENCHAMABOPHIT (Marble Temple), VIMANMEK MANSION
(the biggest golden teak wood building in the world), and
the NATIONAL MUSEUM, said to be the largest in SE Asia.  Be
sure to leave room for at least one night of Bangkok
night life (of any kind that appeals to you).

Beyond these, get a city map and check for tours.  In my
case, I will repeat the water market and a river tour this
time, but the real purpose for being in Bangkok is that it
is the easiest way of reaching the MEKONG RIVER and LAOS up
north, and to visit the WW II Memorial made famous by the
movie THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER OF KWAI--more about this
later.

2. HINTS, ALSO HOW TO GET FROM BANGKOK TO LAOS.  Bangkok is
very safe. You can take the metro, bus or the train in
Bangkok even at night.  You can store the heavy parts of
your luggage at the airport--70Bahts ($1.25) per day per
item, or even cheaper at the train stations. You can then
ask a motorbike rider to take you around say for 60B
($1.25) for a distance of 8km.  For 25 Bahts (50 cents) the
various airport busses will drop you off almost anywhere in
the city, e.g., bus A1 from the airport to HUALAMPHONG
Train Station--for trains north--leaves you near the
station, which you can complete for 45 ($1) in a taxi. 
From Hualamphong Station you can take the train to NONGKHAI
(12-hour train ride at 278 ($7) for a second-class ticket),
the gate to the FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE to LAOS.  From NONGKHAI
the bridge is about 1km, which you can span in a TUK TUK
say for 10-20 Bahts (15 cents). At this end of the bridge
you will get an exit stamp from Thailand; pay 10 Bahts to a
bus to take you to the other end, pay at the LAOS gate $30
for a visa ($31 Sat, Sun, plus $1 extra if you do NOT have
a photo, as in Cambodia), and be in Laos.  Vientiane is
about 20km from the bridge.  Complete the distance in a
shared tuk tuk for 50 Bahts ($1), even at night.  (See Best
Hotel in Viantiene below.)

3. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER OF KWAI.  Actually, the real name of
the river is KHWAE YAI.  The memorial is about 136km (80
miles) to the west of Bangkok, in KANCHANABURI.  Some
16,000 Allies, plus hundreds of thousands of locals died
while building this bridge.  The graves of the former are
here, maintained as a memorial.  The bridge was a small but
strategic part of the Death Railway to from Siam (Thailand
now) to Burma (Myanmar now) and was in use 20 months before
the Allies bombed it in 1945.  The original bridge is gone,
of course, but the curved portions are original.

To get to Kanchanaburi, take the 7:40am train from the
THONBURI Train Station in Bangkok--for trains south and
west--, reach the Bridge at 10:56am, do your thing at the
memorial until the 14:48 train brings you back to Bangkok
at 17:40.  By the way, take the same train to NOKOR PATHOM
nearby--1.5 hours from Bangkok--which is said to be the
oldest city in Thailand. For return trip at nights, take
the one departing at 8pm, 2nd class sleeper (fan) for 398
Bahts ($9).  The bus from/to THONBURI station takes even
shorter and costs 62B ($1.25) in air cond. bus. (These
prices are even cheaper than in Morocco.)  AND they leave
every 20 min, unlike the 2 trains per day.  

4. LAOS.  I should start with the sad facts that Laos and
Cambodia rank as the most "BOMBED" cities in history,
thanks to the Vietnam War, and along with the DMZ in Korea,
they also have the most unexploded bombs in the
countryside.  Beyond that, I liked the pulse of Cambodia
much more than that of Laos, which is laid-back; the city
is spread-out and walker-unfriendly.  VIENTIANE is the
current capitol; LUANG PRABABG 350km to Northwest is the
old capitol. There are many small temples and pagoda in
Vientiene.  I liked best the WAT DONG PALAN near the Mekang
River and the city center.  Mark all the Wats shown in the
city--skip the ones a bit outside, as they all look
alike--hire a TUK TUK--a seating-shell attached to a
motorbike say for 2 hours--we paid 200 Bahts (Thai money
and US Dollars are also effective currencies, with 100
BAHTs = 25,000 Local currency = $2.5)--and visit all of
them.

5. FOR BEST HOTEL in VIENTIANE (not incl in Lonely Planet)
check into the Phet-Phim (P-P) Guest HOUSE
at Francois NGINN Road right on the
banks of the MEKONG River at city center.  They charge $3
to $4 for a single with fan, $10 with air. cond.  AND you
can arrange your return to the FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE and
NONGKHAI Thailand, or even bus to BANGKOK for 600 Bahts. 
If you want a slightly better hotel, try the ORCHID Guest
House very near: single (fan) $10, air=$12, double $15,
motorbike rental $8/day.