was nicer then the train we had taken to/from Sapa and we really enjoyed having a cabin to ourselves. Our memory of this train ride will most likely be clouded with lots of laughing as we sat around most of the night and just reminisced about the travels we had enjoyed the past few months. Also, we really enjoyed Chiang Mai and hope to return to the city again.In Bangkok we explored the city (which has over 7 million people living 
there by the way) for two days by feet, taxi, cyclo, skytrain, and their local bus system (cheap and great way to get around the city). We saw many sights including the Grand Palace, Wat 
Pho (which houses the temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (one of the most visited temples in Bangkok), and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. There were other sites as well but once we saw signs that Thailand was the host country for the Asian Cup (soccer here, football everywhere else) we took the skytrain to the nearest ticket counter and bought tickets to two games, one that evening and the other the next day. The first game was the tournament opener between Thailand and Iraq. We took a taxi to the new Rajamangala Stadium outside the city (about 40 minutes) and got settled in our seats only to realize we were sitting on the edge of the Thai / Iraq fanship border. it was 
an idela environment for us not to have a favorite team so we made friends on both sides and enjoyed a very competitive match in the pouring rain. Fans from both sides were singing and dancing, cheering their teams on to victory. Perhaps a moment we won't soon forget is when an Iraqi man and his son handed Matt their flag and asked him to cheer along with their group - of which Matt happily obliged. The match ended 1-1 and at the end of the match we were somehow able to grab a taxi back to our hotel.
there by the way) for two days by feet, taxi, cyclo, skytrain, and their local bus system (cheap and great way to get around the city). We saw many sights including the Grand Palace, Wat 
Pho (which houses the temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (one of the most visited temples in Bangkok), and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. There were other sites as well but once we saw signs that Thailand was the host country for the Asian Cup (soccer here, football everywhere else) we took the skytrain to the nearest ticket counter and bought tickets to two games, one that evening and the other the next day. The first game was the tournament opener between Thailand and Iraq. We took a taxi to the new Rajamangala Stadium outside the city (about 40 minutes) and got settled in our seats only to realize we were sitting on the edge of the Thai / Iraq fanship border. it was 
an idela environment for us not to have a favorite team so we made friends on both sides and enjoyed a very competitive match in the pouring rain. Fans from both sides were singing and dancing, cheering their teams on to victory. Perhaps a moment we won't soon forget is when an Iraqi man and his son handed Matt their flag and asked him to cheer along with their group - of which Matt happily obliged. The match ended 1-1 and at the end of the match we were somehow able to grab a taxi back to our hotel. At the hotel that night we were able to change our flight out of Bangkok to the next day where we would leave around 10pm and arrive into New Delhi, India the following morning. The we would take our flight from Delhi to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to Albuquerque. All within the next day or so....we knew we were in for some long flights and sleepless days/nights. thanks to Charlie, our ticket consolidator, we knew we would be alright.
We woke up the next morning and packed our things for that evenings long trip home. After breakfast we went for a swim in the hotel pool and then got our things together for another taxi ride to Rajamangala Stadium to 
see Oman (actually its the Sultanate of Oman) take on Australia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Oman, it is located on the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Matt was excited to see one of his Liverpool players, Harry Kewell (Australia) in action. Pre-game festivities included food, drinks (beer in a bag tied up with a rubber band), singing and the opportunity to meet up with people from all over the world who were fans of what Matt calls - the great game. Matt even found the Bangkok Liverpool Fanclub to cheer along with! By halftime two things had happened. First, the monsoon season was in full swing and compared to the night before we were very wet. But surprisingly, Oman had scored a late first half goal and held Australia scoreless and looked poised to pull off a major upset in the Asian Cup. At halftime, while we 
walked around the stadium facility, Matt started talking with a guy who ended up being a broadcaster for Oman National Radio who asked Matt to join him in the broadcast to share his point of view on the game. I guess Matt must have told him he was impressed with the way they were playing. Before you now it Matt is on Oman radio giving his analysis of the first half complete with statements like "Oman are playing with skill and precision, dominating the pitch both on the defensive side and throughout the midfield, it would be a travesty to see them not walk off the field glorious." Needless to say, the radio station ate it up and Matt savored every moment. Afterwords we were able to watch the game from the press box and keep a little drier. Australia fought hard in the second half and were lucky to secure a 1-1 draw compliments of a late goal from Tim Cahill. it was another good match and we had the time of our life!
see Oman (actually its the Sultanate of Oman) take on Australia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Oman, it is located on the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Matt was excited to see one of his Liverpool players, Harry Kewell (Australia) in action. Pre-game festivities included food, drinks (beer in a bag tied up with a rubber band), singing and the opportunity to meet up with people from all over the world who were fans of what Matt calls - the great game. Matt even found the Bangkok Liverpool Fanclub to cheer along with! By halftime two things had happened. First, the monsoon season was in full swing and compared to the night before we were very wet. But surprisingly, Oman had scored a late first half goal and held Australia scoreless and looked poised to pull off a major upset in the Asian Cup. At halftime, while we 
walked around the stadium facility, Matt started talking with a guy who ended up being a broadcaster for Oman National Radio who asked Matt to join him in the broadcast to share his point of view on the game. I guess Matt must have told him he was impressed with the way they were playing. Before you now it Matt is on Oman radio giving his analysis of the first half complete with statements like "Oman are playing with skill and precision, dominating the pitch both on the defensive side and throughout the midfield, it would be a travesty to see them not walk off the field glorious." Needless to say, the radio station ate it up and Matt savored every moment. Afterwords we were able to watch the game from the press box and keep a little drier. Australia fought hard in the second half and were lucky to secure a 1-1 draw compliments of a late goal from Tim Cahill. it was another good match and we had the time of our life! After almost an hour or so of trying to hail down a cab in the POURING RAIN we finally got one and rode back to the hotel, changed our clothes, and grabbed our cab for the aiport. It looked like we would be bringing our monsoon soaked sandals back with us to the US.
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