Thailand: Visa runs and Buddhist Temples

We've finally reached the most modern country in Southeast Asia. We stopped in Bangkok for a few days, which was a culture shock. Khao San Road is infamous for its abundance of crazy nightlife and philandering tourists that come to take advantage of the industry there. Walking in the neighborhood was like walking around any Western city. There was hardly a local person in sight. We caught a movie there (Public Enemies, not bad), and then took a night train to Chiang Mai in the North. We've been here for four days preparing for the 10-day meditation retreat that starts tomorrow. Yesterday we made the popular visa run to the Myanmar border to extend our stay in Thailand by 15 days (our permit would have expired while we were attending the retreat). We crossed the border for a few hours and upon return to Thailand, received a new 15 days of travel. We'll do the same thing once we get out of the retreat and head south to the beautiful beaches. We'll be out of touch with the world until the 10th of August. Until then, everyone take care.