Bangkok
Getting to Laos generally involves flying into Bangkok first, and we decided to spend a couple of nights on either side of our trip into Laos just digging the scene here. Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world - full of so many juxtapositions - an incredible diversity of cultures and lifestyles. The city itself is sprawling, and it takes a long time to get around by taxi or boat. This is a view of Wat Arun from the Chao Praya river express boat. We spent most of our time in Bangkok in the old city around Banglampu, and were amazed at the contrast when we ventured out to the more modern and upscale neighborhoods such as Sukhumvit.