Bangkok Week 135 January 27, 2011 Alias: Jakarta Week 3 View fullsize Having some repairs done to a pair of work shoes at one of Bangkok's many shoe factories. View fullsize An ornate bungalow at Santichai Prakan Public Park, on the river. View fullsize Dedicated locals enjoy their evening aerobics class on a nice backdrop. View fullsize Phra Sumen Fort, constructed in 1783 to fortify the old city during the reign of King Rama I. View fullsize Said Old City! View fullsize Our fist desination: dinner at a famous "roti" joint called "Roti Mataba". View fullsize Famous for its roti breads paired with spicy muslim curries. But this is a salad. View fullsize The place was tiny, and packed. This is the second floor of the store's tiny shophouse. View fullsize Finally, some famous roti, too. In Jakarta, "roti" is the generic word for "bread". View fullsize Two equally sleepy locals. View fullsize As we approached the hot backpacker's haven, we passed many used bookstores. This guy finds a cheap John Grisham. View fullsize This place was absolutely hopping at night. We found where all of Bangkok's tourists live! View fullsize Classic Bangkok guidebook photos. View fullsize Every foreigner was packed onto one of 3 main streets. This one: the infamous Khao San. View fullsize Shocked out of words. View fullsize Deep-fried scorpions, anyone? View fullsize We found takers! Timid but tempted tourists wearily select their fare. View fullsize This guy has magnificient resolve, and a wonderful ability to filter out all chaos around him. View fullsize This girl looked totally uninterrested in being there. View fullsize Just one block away, ghost town! Everyone back in the "real world" has gone to bed. View fullsize Finally trying some of the goodies lugged all the way back from Canada. View fullsize Our rabbit friends from Paragon are all dressed for Chinese New Year! View fullsize They spare no details in the giant rabbits' costumes. View fullsize Check out the hat and hair! View fullsize Annual decorations. View fullsize How scandalous! View fullsize On Monday morning, a nightmarishly long queue just to queue up for immigration! They really don't want you to leave Bangkok, do they? View fullsize A Jakarta tuk-tuk! View fullsize A cluster of homes right in the middle of Jakarta's CBD. Do they realize the value of their properties? View fullsize A view toward the famous round-about and my Mandarin Oriental.
