They Love Adidas Here

Hello, World Tour Fans.

Again, apologies for the relative lack of blogging. In Cambodia my biggest problem was Internet speed, but I was also fairly busy.

Anyway, here's an update on what's going on. Saturday morning I bid farewell to Sophanit and Lulu and Cambodia, the country that had been so friendly for a week. I hopped on a short flight to Bangkok to see the city for a day before moving on.

Bangkok was, to put it mildly, not my favorite destination. It's been described as the New York City of Asia, but I would say it's New York City on crack. Take NYC and add more traffic, more pollution, more street vendors hawking random stuff, more guys bugging you to buy anything, more scams, and legal prostitution. Thus you have Bangkok.

It was too late when I got there to see any real sights, but I did manage to get a glance at the Golden Mount and the Giant Swing, which did not seem to do any swinging-related activities. I then tried the Night Bazaar, which should be billed as the World's Largest Collection of People Selling Things You Don't Need. My quest to replace the rain jacket I lost was getting nowhere there.

My cab back to the hostel ripped me off as it was raining -- he claimed the meter didn't work and that it would cost 200 baht, or about $7. Since I'd just crossed the city for 70 baht, I knew it was a crock and called him on it. He again pretended that the meter didn't work but agreed to charge me 100 baht.

I got out of the cab in the light rain, continuing to marvel that a country where it rains so much doesn't sell a single rain jacket. Out of curiosity, I wandered down the street where I was staying, in the middle of a business district. Brightly lit side alleys seemed interesting until I realized what was there -- brothels, or "clubs" as they called them. Now I was fascinated.

These appeared to be either strip clubs where bikini-clad women gyrated boredly under black lights until a man paid for them or more private places where a few women sat out front. What was most bizarre were the menus, however. If you haven't been to Bangkok, this is one cultural spectacle that will blow you away. The men in front of the brothels hold out English menus listing what women would do if you paid a certain amount. I didn't linger long enough to check any out in detail, but I did notice one: "Pussy in Fish." Any guesses?

I was grateful the next day to climb aboard my Thai Airways flight and move on to China. My destination, Kunming, was surprising. While it was huge and densely populated and polluted, it was also modern and clean and welcoming. The buildings were tidy and traffic was actually orderly. Entire lanes on either side of a major boulevard were dedicated to bikes and scooters only. And the weather was terrific -- warm but not humid, a welcome contrast to Southeast Asia.

I was able to easily find a high-tech rain jacket (made by a Chinese company blatantly copying North Face) for only $25, solving a major problem. The street where my hotel is located is oddly lined with a multitude of sporting goods stores. Apparently, they really, really like tennis and soccer. And Adidas.

Tomorrow, I meet my tour group.