Back in Bangkok. While I was away, it seems that someone turned up the heat, bigtime. The sun drenched days of Pai are but a luxurious memory in comparison. The sun is the least of the problems. When the sun isn't shining, the air is still heavy with heat, humidity and pollution. It's more like wading than walking in Bangkok.

I hear there are tons of things to do and see around Pai, but who has the energy to do them in this intense heat? From 10am to 5pm the sun blares, burns the dusty pavement into a glowing white, makes it unsafe to go out without a bottle of water in hand, beats down its intensity into a small ache in the center of my brain and saps my energy completely within a ten minute walk. So I go to the pool.

Last night the power went out. I walked back to my bungalow, streets pitch black lit by the candlelit tables of sidewalk restaurants and the headlamps of passing motorbikes. Without the town lights, the sky was splattered with stars, some bright and others a distant dusty powder, but hardly an inch just black and starless.

Arrived in Pai, a town four hours north of Chiang Mai that is relaxed and welcoming with jazz music drifting through its streets from open air bars. It rained ealier and afterward there was a rainbow and the air turned cool and fragrant as dusk settled in.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to be in a place that has constant electricity, free press and a wealth of ATM machines. I'm relieved to be able to kick back in a city and use my Visa and my MasterCard. But compared to other places I've been, what I've experienced in Thailand feels like South East Asia for beginners.

Boy am I ready to leave the city. A week is too long for any tourist in any city. Onto the jungles of Cambodia tomorrow.

At Kao San Road (tourist ghetto), we visited our favorite travel agent (her name is Joy) where Jenny found out that she would not be able to get her Vietnam visa until next Friday. Bugger.

Jenny arrived! First stop, Wat Pho. Wat Pho is the wat to end all wats in Bangkok. This is where the reclining Buddha lives - a giant gold buddha about 10 stories long, smooth gold and impressive.

Thanks to Lonely Planet, I did a few extra miles of walking along major highways to get to the Northern bus terminal where the busses for Ayutthaya depart every 20 minutes. Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand, and, according to Lonely Planet, a fantastic day trip.

The morning was breezy and hopeful. I had conquered the city the day before and had the blisters and scabs on my feet to show it. Today, I was going to conquer the bus system.

Disoriented and swaggering with jetlag, I went in search of a guidebook. Asia Books located in Siam City mall sounded good to me, so I hopped in a cab, said 'Siam' to the taxi driver ten times, varying the pronunciation each time until he repeated it back to me and we were off.

With a guidebook and a breakfast of coconut milk porridge with bananas, I no longer felt at the whim of the city. I was back in control, ready to conquer the city.

After 28 hours in transit, I have arrived in Bangkok and I am sweating. The first stop was Anchorage, Alaska where I was greeted with specimens of the local fauna -- black bears, brown bears, white bears and otters -- all stuffed and on display in natural settings within glass cases throughout the terminal.