Chinese Consulate, going once

April 18

After breakfast at our hotel, we take a quick dip in the pool before getting cleaned up and heading out to the Chinese Consulate to apply for our Visas.  We take an open-air taxi to the designated spot which is on the outskirts of town only to discover that the hours are between 9:00 -11:30.  The security guard gives us all of the applications we will need and we are told to come by tomorrow.  We decide to explore this side of town and start walking alongside the moat that encircles (or rather en-squares) the town.  We soon come upon a small grocery store and stock up on some supplies like lotion and shampoo that we are running low on.  We continue walking for what seems like forever in the mid-day heat and as we begin to search for a lunch spot, we discover a small alleyway with a hidden gem of a café.  We eat a most enjoyable lunch at the Peppermint Café and as we walk home, Annie and I split off from the group to look in a couple of stores, while the boys go back to the hotel to take a swim.  We get back and immediately join them and then go to the room for a while to rest.  After a couple of hours, Sam, Paulie and I go out to get a couple of books and we find a great street that is lined with book resellers and we spend a lot of time enjoying browsing through the stacks and listening to the bluegrass music on the stereo.  We then head towards the Sompet market where we hope to purchase some Thai spices and other unknown items.  We meet an ancient old medicine man who had been featured recently in a magazine on Thailand.  He proudly shows us his article and we end up finding some amazing items to take back home.  Afterward, we continue our walking along the quay and end up at a hotdog stand with freshly prepared French fries.  I have a very refreshing beer and we get back home to the hungry cries of Annie and Hudson.  We have some trouble agreeing on a place for dinner and since it is a bit late many of the places we would normally go to are already closed.  We end up finding a great café, or Kafe, as it is called.  After dinner, we walk along the moat again, this time in the glow of the night lights illuminating the old, brick wall of the 700 year old city