We see walls of tires with bamboo spears jutting out on corners we used to pass by, gun fights in Lumphini Park, armed vehicles advancing on the Rachaprasong intersection, an area we passed through multiple times a day. It feels like our second home is under siege.

We hope all our friends in Thailand are safe: Poy, Ning, Mr. T, grandma, our friends at 7 Eleven, the little person who plays the Leprechaun at the Irish pub, the staff at the local restaurant near the tobacco factory, everyone who welcomed us and made our stay so memorable. We just wanted everyone to know we are thinking of you.

During our stay in Bangkok, the Red Shirts relocated into the downtown area shutting down the enormous commercial centers from Siam Discovery along Sukhumvit Road all the way to Central World. For those unfamiliar with Bangkok, it would be like rolling into New York and shutting down 5th Avenue. Protesters were zipping up and down the streets broadcasting opposition slogans from loudspeakers mounted on their cars as everyone from 10-year-old kids to eighty-year-old grandmas made their way to the protest area. Dressed in red, the crowds continued to grow for several days until a sea of people filled the streets. It was quite a spectacular site.

Initially, the atmosphere of the protests was quite festive; it almost felt as though a huge street party was taking place with music and BBQ stands – the protest food was great. Thomas and I walked through the area several times taking it all in. But clearly millions of dollars a day in revenue were being lost as everything from supermalls to luxury hotels were forced to close. Tourists and business people began to flee the center of the city fearing potential conflict between the Red Shirts and the authorities. As the days moved on, the tensions grew as the protesters became restless and government forces felt increasing pressure to reopen downtown Bangkok. We started to steer clear of the area realizing problems were brewing.

Although many of the international news broadcasts were critical of the occupation of the city center, we only encountered support and approval of the Red Shirts. All of the Thais we talked to seemed to feel the protests were a necessary push towards a more democratic government. While news outlets often refer to the protestors as supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, most of the people we talked to did not really support the ex-prime minister but rather opposed the way the current government came into power. To bring yourself up to speed on the politics behind the current protests, check out the Wikipedia article on the subject which breaks it down relatively well.

Responding to the call of my inner Indiana Jones, I cautiously eased from seat to seat eager to avoid suspcious native eyes. Was I about to uncover one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 21st century? Were the people of Thailand secretly hiding their ancient Egyptian roots?

Seat after seat, tiny rips and holes confirmed my suspicion that this rickety old Thai bus was in fact the ultimate Egypto-Thai relic covered in magnificent hieroglyphic messages from the past. If my theory is correct, this may actually be proof of the existence of Atlantis. It just may be that we, Tony and Thomas, will go down in history as having made the greatest historical discovery of all times!

There are two ways of looking at retirement: a scary void in your life or unlimited time to follow your passion. For Sally and Peter, their passion seems to have always been traveling. And even now, at ages 65 and 70, they are fully embracing their freedom. Yes, the baby boomer generation is quickly aging, but they seem to be aging gracefully, and I love that we are seeing more and more backpackers in their sixties, seventies and even eighties doing their thing. They definitely set an example for all of us “young ones” who missed the hippie trail by quite a few years.

We first got to talk to the Milwaukee couple at the Scandinavian Bakery in Luang Prabang, Laos where they told us all about their travels through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in the 70’s. It seems that public transportation then was even worse than it is now. (Hard to imagine in India.) Fed up with power-tripping bus drivers, they decided that exploring the world by bicycle was the only way to go. They’ve been doing just that ever since. And it shows. Looking at the photo, would you ever guess that Tony is 30 years younger?

Retirement and old age are no excuse for settling down (especially if you are healthy and have some pocket money to spend). So what if your children need you to babysit? We, the younger generation of travelers, need you too. We need to hear your stories, we want to learn from your experience, and we need to know that seeing the world and having adventures shouldn’t stop when you turn 60. Sally and Peter represent a new generation of older backpackers who still take to the road. As the baby boomers and hippie trailers age, we’ll hopefully be seeing more and more senior travelers dragging their bikes through the mud or balancing precariously on top of a speeding bus.

After we randomly bumped into Peter and Sally a few more times, our last encounter being in Chiang Rai, Thailand, we said our good-byes. They were off to Borneo for a month-long bike trip while we were headed for the Philippines via Bangkok. Having biked the Philippines multiple times, they gave us some last-minute advice on the best beaches. Clearly, amid all that biking, Sally and Peter have also made time for some R&R – and deservedly so.

Those of you who have been following our blog in Laos, might remember from my post on Xieng Khuan that I have a particular passion for monuments designed by oddball geniuses. So when we crossed the border from western Laos into northern Thailand near the town of Chiang Rai, we made a beeline for the outrageous White Temple, officially known as the Wat Rong Khun, created by artist/philosopher Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Rumors and descriptions of this bizarre, modern temple have been swirling around us the entire time we have been in Southeast Asia. The snow-white edifice features gargoyle-like decorative statues, pools of white coy, and gardens of writhing human hand statues reaching up from hell below.

But the White Temple’s piece de resistance is its enormous mural of an earthly hell featuring crumbling twin towers, comic book characters, Neo from the Matrix, and even a demon that looks suspiciously like Jabba the Hutt. The temple’s provocative murals challenge Western culture, our materialistic instincts, our obsession with violent imagery and humanity’s war-like ways. I came to the White Temple ready to love its quirky edginess and its philosophical blend of Buddhism and popular culture.

But I didn’t love it.

As I moved through the temple, I began to feel an overwhelming vibe of… well… of religio-bullshit. In pictures, the temple appears strikingly monochromatic, a challenge to the colorful palette of traditional Thai Buddhist architecture. Up close, it felt more like Disneyland. I enjoyed the playful gargoyles and the eerie garden of hands (especially the hand with the red fingernail which is flipping off the world). But unlike Xieng Khuan in Laos, which oozes genuine madness and devotion, the White Temple felt contrived.

Most disturbing was the mural of an earthly hell. From descriptions of the murals provocative content, I expected a fearless examination of the world’s evils and humanity’s obsessive struggle with irrelevant philosophies. I was ready to dive in. But as I studied the mural, I realized the depiction of the collapsing World Trade Center contained no references to the event’s causes other than Bush’s and Blair’s demonic heads emerging from the right tower. I searched the mural for references to Islamic fundamentalism or even the attackers. There were none. Initially, I couldn’t really explain the absence.

In the mural’s examination of worldly evil, I searched for depictions of the invasion of Tibet or oppression in Myanmar. None. All references to consumerism and excessive materialism were Western (or occasionally Japanese). No depictions of China, Thailand, Vietnam – all of which have become obsessively materialistic. And then it struck me – Kositpipat’s approach to controversy and provocative thought was, well, cowardly.

He refuses to make references to Islamic fundamentalism or 9/11 attackers because he fears making his glorious temple a target for terrorists. (Southern Thailand is currently waging an ongoing struggle against Muslim separatist groups, so this fear is warranted.) Moreover, any controversial references to China and Southeast Asia might offend visitors from these nations, most of whom are filling his donation boxes to the rim.

Perhaps, the most hypocritical aspect of the temple was the extensive reference to the evils of materialism and consumerism in a complex where visitors enter through a large temple tourist market with souvenirs, fast food, and tacky tourist paraphernalia. Adjoining the temple, Kositpipat offers his over-priced works of art for sale as originals or not-so-limited prints, calenders, diaries, day books, mouse pads… the list goes on. Many of these products feature sappy Buddhist quotes about the dangers of loving money and Kositpipat’s own personal views on the unimportance of wealth. I assume he makes a fortune off of this crap.

Indeed, it felt as though Kositpipat is Asia’s own version of consumer Christian artist extraordinaire Thomas Kinkade. The more I looked at the temple, the more it reminded me of one of Kinkade’s real estate developments for lovers of his art. And, yet, I would highly recommend that all visitors to Chiang Rai head straight for the temple. It may be many things, but boring it ain’t.

Feel free to disregard my opinionated comments here as simply another American who is offended by the 9/11 references in the Buddhist murals. I’m sure many will assume that is the case. Those who know me will immediately recognize that has little to do with my feelings about the temple. It is much more the atmosphere of cheesy, marketed religion for simpletons. I hate that. It says “Opinion” in the graphic at the top of the page for a reason. Have at me in the comments section if you think I’ve been unfair.