A quick note from Akhil... We made it to Bangkok! The big, bustling Asian metropolis is nuts of course. Hot here, but not as bad as last summer. We walked all over yesterday, around the national gallery and grand palace. Today, we're taking it easy and browsing in air conditioned department stores! My Levi's are pretty much toast, which leaves me just one pair of khakis for two months, so I'm going to try and find something. Funny how wearing one pair of pants every day is a bit hard on them! Once, again, I think I'm a bit over the whole backpacker thing. Yesterday, we went to Khao San Rd. This is the ultimate backpacker hangout. In the 80's, it was just a street, in the early 90's, when I had stayed there, it was friendly and quaint. Now, it's like the Chiang Mai night market. You can barely walk down it and there's a McDonalds (see photo of the Asian "Ronald") and Burger King there too.



Completely out of control. The Lonely Planet effect strikes again. Globalization and the tourist economics have a radical effect on such places. I'm sure someone has done an interesting study on all of this.

Tomorrow, we're off to India to meet up with my folks - we're looking forward to it!