Planet Amy Jo

Hi all - Still reporting from Chiang Mai for two more days. I went gift shopping yesterday so I have some items to send home to my family. I was told about a market near the airport that offers higher quality wares than one can find in the usual markets. I picked up a few nice things, but the best part of the shopping trip is that several of the booths in the market are staffed by "ladyboys." You can barely tell some of them are men: perfect makeup, nice clothes, beautiful hair. Until they start bargaining with you. Then they're all man about it while they refresh their lip gloss.

My group went out to a few bars last night. Included a couple of British guys who are so young that it's difficult for me not to call them Harry Potter. One of them claims to have played rugby against Prince William at "uni." I tried to play it off like that wasn't very exciting to me, but it didn't work. Anything about Prince William is exciting! The bars are packed to the rafters with Western men and their young Asian hookers. Very interesting to watch how it all works. Then we tried to go dancing, but the area of town we wanted is flooded right now.

Train back to Bangkok on Friday night, then heading into Cambodia early next week. And my Vietnam visa is due in my hand tomorrow morning. I can't believe I've been in Asia going on 10 weeks, although it feels like much longer since I've been home. I only have about another four weeks here until I have to get myself to Germany to see Becky, Justin and their kids. I want to get there by Halloween so I can dress up my nephew as a witch. I think that would be cuter than Spiderman but his parents might not let me.