A bathing suit, a scythe, and a picture of the king.

BAAN PHE, THAILAND

Since landing in Bangkok late thursday night, I have been whisked around by my good friend Paul, and have hardly had my feet touch the ground. It is an altogether different experience to arrive in a foreign country and have someone waiting to show you around, and even to have an apartment in which to stay. I haven't had to navigate the city or the language for that matter, which certainly makes life easy. But it also means that I feel largely oblivious in some ways. But then it is exactly my third day in the country, two and a half of which have been spent at the beach.

And there is nothing like a beach town to make you feel like you could be anywhere. Palm trees and sand look suspiciously alike no matter where on the globe they are. This weekend I waded in the water at Ban Phe, at a lovely little resort away from town. My pasty white skin, a relic of my six months in Antarctica, now bears the bright red stain of the Thai sun, in spite of the cloudy skies.

While in Ban Phe, we visited the local aquarium where I saw the largest grouper I have ever seen in my whole long life. Having known grouper only as a meal, I have to note that this one could feed a small village.

We also stopped to visit a couple markets: one that featured every imaginable fish and sea critter in dehydrated form. Flattened squids that, when hung from a vendor's rack, looked a bit like jellyfish. The smell was overwhelming as we wandered among the tiny shrimp and silvery fish, shriveled and crispy in their cellophane wrappers. Shell curtains, wind chimes, and picture frames filled the stalls not selling the critters who once inhabited said shells.

Another market boasted one of everything. Quite literally, I am certain. Dishes, furniture, and plastic bowls of every shape and size. Laundry detergent, cookware, electrical supplies, and shoes. Ceramic banks in the shape of rabbits, and cats, and something that vaguely resembled a legless pig. Mothballs, machetes, flip-flops, and headphones. Tricycles, plumbing supplies, altars, and jewelry. Hammocks, pocket-knives, light bulbs and stationary. Straw hats, swimwear, makeup, and diapers. And of course, framed pictures of the king. What more could one ever need?