I have gotten so used to
riding motorbikes to work that I sometimes even ride without holding on. Like
the cool kids =) I’ve made friends with my drivers and they wait for me in the
morning and drop me either at the school or the coffee shop (conveniently
pronunced “gofeee” in Thai). When I was on the injured list, one driver even drove
up on the sidewalk to ask me if I needed a ride due to my hobbling around. I
have learned a few more Thai phrases including, how are you, I’m fine, it tastes
very good, what’s your name, and most importantly can I have a discount?
However, just because I know them, does not mean they always work. Half the
time, my pronunciation is so bad they just laugh at me, but they do appreciate
the effort!
Early in September my friend and I decided we needed our first
beach vacation. Koh Samet is what’s known as Bangkok’s vacation beach because
it is the closest. We left work, headed to the bus station (thank goodness for
google telling us which window to buy the ticket) and 4 hours later we were
dropped at a pier. On the bus, we happened to meet three nice Canadians and two
German girls. We all bought a ride on a speedboat and off we went. One thing I have learned in Thailand is that
there are no real rules in Thailand. They don’t care about your safety for fear
of being sued like they do in America. They figure if you are stupid enough to
do something, then you better be safe enough to survive! We sped off into the
pitch black night attempting to hold a conversation, but was quickly interrupted
by the boat flying into the air at every blind wave we hit. We decided
conversation could wait as we hunkered down and held on for dear life. Thank
goodness it was a short ride! We floated up to shore like celebrities as
others were enjoying their beachfront dinner. Having bonding
over our lives, we decided to team up with the Germans for a cheaper room. We
ended up with adjoining rooms and spent the weekend laying on the beach,
getting massages, sharing buckets, and dancing til all hours of the morning. We
made friends with some locals who showed us the private beaches and shared some
good Thai food! Koh Samet: we will definitely see you again!
All in all it was a fabulous weekend that led to a less than
fabulous week. The consequences of moving to a new place, starting a new job, not sleeping enough,
and living off of street food finally hit me. I had developed quite the sweat
rash on my arm, was still limping on the ankle, and was starting to feel run
down and sick. So I decided to lay low for a while and start eating more
veggies and taking some vitamin C. For the last few weekends in September, we
had to take a Thai culture class all day anyway so that kept me occupied.
A few weekends later I was feeling a bit better, so I decided to
go for a night out with a friend from work. We went to this amazing sushi restaurant
called In the Mood for Love! It was delicious and then we hit the bars in
Sukhumvit with some of her friends. I guess I was in the mood for love because I
happened to be talking to this very attractive guy from South Africa when in
conversation, he asked my age. Now, I did just turn 31, but 30 rolls off the
tongue so much easier. His jaw literally hit the ground as he repeated, “you’re
30” at least 10 times. I guess I can understand his reaction, as five seconds earlier I was thoroughly enjoying dancing to "call me maybe" on the dance floor. I said I wasn’t sure what the big deal
was, to which he responded, "I’m 23!" Ohhhh...yeah, when I was 23, the
idea of 30 did seem a world away, but how about that for an ego boost ;) I decided next
time I lie about my age, I might as well skip the 3 and just go with 29. Funny,
because a few weeks later, I was approached by a French guy this time
(who looked to be about 23) so I just simply smiled and told him I thought he
was too old for me.
I have gone back to Chatachuck market a few times since living
here and I have found the most amazing earring stand. Every now and then you
can stumble across something great in there! The only down side is that the
earrings are expensive, even by American standards. However, they are good
quality and I really like them so I bought a pair anyway. I sat and ate at a
Thai stall with no English menu and found some incredibly delicious coconut ice
cream that they serve you in the coconut shell, and believe it or not friends,
I found a bluegrass band!!
I had a scare one day when I had to go to the police station to
get fingerprinted. Not because I am a criminal, but I had to do a background
check for work. The guy asked me for a copy of my passport, which I did not have,
so he explained where the copy center was. Of course, I only nodded and smiled
and then wandered around aimlessly looking for someone who might speak English.
A nicely dressed man stepped out of an office so I politely asked him if he
knew where I could get a copy of my passport. He studied it and me, asked the
reason, and then took it inside before I could stop him. Now, I wanted to
believe that he was making a copy for me, but I couldn’t help but think I just
let a random man steal my passport. After an anxious 5 minutes, he returned
with my passport and a copy. He also gave me a business card as he was a lawyer
specializing in foreign affairs. Let’s hope I don’t ever need his services!
I have had some time to explore other parts of Bangkok as my
friend and I like to do touristy things on the weekends. We have been to Ko
Kret, which is a small island north of Bangkok known for its pottery and
desserts. We rented bikes and rode around the island on a narrow path with the
fear of falling in the marshes if we made a wrong turn and taking in a few odd sights...
We also saw some
temples including the largest reclining Budda at Wat Pho.
I have learned that banana roti
from a street stall is my favorite dessert food and I continue to get foot massages once a week. One
thing I feel the need to comment on is Asian women’s fashion
sense in shoes! I just don’t understand it. I saw a woman on the BTS the other
day wearing these cute cut off jean shorts with a quite revealing tank top, and
then on her feet were these enormous fuzzy black flip flops with a red fuzzy
butterfly! I am intrigued by the foot fashion and also the hair fashion here.
Women will be dressed very smart casual, looking all professional, but then
wear a big Mickey Mouse hair clip with their fuzzy butterfly shoes. I guess it’s
not the weirdest thing you could see in Bangkok. Speaking of, one of the
weirdest nights I have spent in Bangkok took place at McDonalds.
My coworker's husband is a deejay and we spent the night dancing to his
disco tunes after cruising aroud Khao San Road, which is nothing more than a
bunch of backpackers drinking buckets and buying cheap souvenirs (as could be
expected). Afterwards, we were invited to the “after party” at this sketchy
little venue up some random metal elevator. We entertained ourselves by playing the
celebrity game, naming people at the party for the celebrity they looked like. By the end of
the night we had seen Kim Kardashian, Tom Selleck, Debbie Gibson, and many more! We left
rather quickly and decided to get some late night McDonalds instead. Wow, apparently McDonalds is the new hotel, as the three
tables next to us had people sleeping in the booths. There was also a lady living at the McDonald’s as we watched her
take a shower in the sink and return to her booth to suspiciously watch people
passing while repeatively checking under her purse as if she was looking for
something. After watching for about 5 minutes, we realized she was not mentally
sane and felt rather bad for her. We ate our chicken sandwiches and headed
home! What an interesting place Bangkok is!
Which is why I try to get out of Bangkok every chance I can and was lucky
enough to go on another beach trip in October, this time to the most beautiful place in
the world: Railay Beach. It is a rock climber’s heaven and I spent a weekend
there climbing with one of the girls from work. It had been quite some time
since I had put on my harness and shoes, but I really enjoyed getting back into
it and look forward to spending more than a few weekends there.
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