It’s not even 10am and I’m finishing my first beer of the day.

Nyet, not because I’m a drunk, nor because I like the beer so much out here, but because the damn Russians wouldn’t leave me alone.

There they are, those damn Russians . Here the hotel staff is trying to get them to leave. 15 min later they did. Good job dude!I’m sitting poolside, again, having hit the hotel’s gym for a bit and gone for a swim and as I was sitting down on my beach chair the drunken Russians came cand grabbed me and hauled me over to sit with them and buy me a beer. They’re totally wasted drunk already. Yesterday it was the same when I was out here, I guess they’ve gotten an early start to their day today. They speak almost no English but love to just talk to you in Russian and who cares if anything is understood. They DID understand “Canada” and “hockey” though, to big smiles and hockey stick motions all around. I understood that they’re from St. Petersburg and that they’re drunk. That’s about it.

They were annoying talking to another couple guys earlier too and I was thinking to myself while watching them have beers bought for them as well, ‘don’t accept a beer’… but Jesus they just don’t take “nyet” for an answer. Typically the hotel staff have been trying to calm them down from their roughhousing by the pool (pushing eachother in with beers and cigarettes in hand, splashing people, etc) but to no avail. As soon as I’m done writing this I’m going inside to grab some breakfast to get rid of the beer buzz.

So I spent all of yesterday here at the hotel. Well, okay, I got my laundry done ($12 USD!!! And that wasn’t even the hotel’s laundry service!), but other than that I just chilled in my hotel room dickin’ around on the computer, playing some Civ, etc. It was nice. Today I feel like doing to the same, although I know I probably shouldn’t. Then again why not? I have more than two months here! Actually, we’re down to 9 weeks or so. Yep, I’ve been in Bangkok a whole week already.

Yesterday I got my passport delivered to the hotel. Honestly I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. If Emily had been here it would’ve been one of those things that stresses her out and makes her worried that we’d end up having to go to the embassy to declare a stolen passport. But I guess the TAT isn’t such a scam after all (well with their prices it’s still a scam: 9500 baht for three visas?). The visas look cool in my passport. I’ve never had a proper visa before, now I have three! I think the Cambodia one is the coolest looking.

Anyway, I know Tom wants me to go to see some temples and the river and stuff, so maybe I’ll head out and do that later. I still want to check out Siam Square for the shopping and maybe pick up a laptop case. I need to find some more room in my luggage though, I still feel like I’m carting around too much stuff.  Tomorrow the bus for Ko Change leaves at 8:40am!

Wow, beer seems to take the morning hunger pains away nicely.