The rule of the day has been “Oh well, why not?” It has been applied to everything from a second round of beers to a side of crunchy spring rolls to a 30-minute foot massage. Bangkok – or at least the very small part that we have seen – is just such a hedonist’s paradise. There is definitely something for everyone: bars, shops, clubs, salons, massage parlors, and things that are a little more risqué. I got more than a handful of invites to “ping pong shows” and “banana shows,” things that I’m pretty sure aren’t as innocent as they sound. A few times I was even asked while walking hand-in-hand with Ashlee. The guy would ask it a little slyly and then wink at or nudge me, causing Ashlee to ask what was up. Real sly, guy.
Anyways, we had an excellent first day in Bangkok. While we didn’t do much cultural sight-seeing, we did see some interesting stuff down on KSR – namely the Western tourists who got suckered into buying pairs of “fisherman pants” – “you’ll look just like a local!” We also noticed that there is definitely an interesting mix of people out and about in the “backpacker’s ghetto” that is KSR: bedraggled backpackers, hip young families, aging Britons, and middle-aged men on the hunt for Thai companionship.
Ashlee got to spend a large chunk of the afternoon bargain-hunting through the stalls lining KSR. She came away with a new swimsuit and a handful of tank tops. We considered getting our sitemates back in Olgii a couple of tanktops of their own, but we realized it would be too mean to give them such a garment when it’s -20F.
While all this shopping was going on I managed to sneak off and have my first encounter with Bangkok’s “street food.” Basically every 15 feet or so on the major tourist streets someone has a cart set up to sell various Thai dishes: pad thai, pancakes, kebobs, chunks of fresh fruit, smoothies, and iced coffees. For just over a buck a nice lady whipped me up a fresh plate of pad thai. It was pretty tasty. When Ashlee met back up with me we also purchased half of a fresh pineapple which was cut into chunks for us to eat with the use of wooden skewers while avoiding whizzing motorcycles and mad tuk-tuk drivers.
Traffic here is pretty crazy – although it’s not as bad as UB. At least here there are nice sidewalks and functioning crosswalks. It doesn’t help, however, that Thailand uses the British road system in which cars drive on the “wrong” side of the street. Drivers for the most part seem to follow traffic rules, but it appears that motorcyclists get to make up their own.
Tuk-tuk drivers can also be pretty annoying. They constantly ask where you’re going and they are just bursting with unsolicited (and unwanted) advice – including the locations of the best gem shops, tailors, and the above-mentioned “ping pong shows.” The tuk-tuks themselves are pretty cool, though. I can’t believe how fast they go!
We had an excellent dinner tonight. We chose to eat on the patio of the many little restaurants lining the roads of old Bangkok. I think it was called Lotash Seed. It had a wonderful atmosphere: lights, live music, laughter, and the smell of amazing food cooking away. I went for a plate of “drunken noodles” and Ashlee got a spicy papaya and seafood salad. There were both awesome. I asked the chef to make my dish extra spicy. He looked a little skeptical and he ended up bringing me a small dish of diced red chilies on the side. I tried one very small piece of a chili and it was insanely hot. The cook found this very funny and he just shook his head. He said that it’s important for Thais to eat such spicy chilies because it helps them “sweat all the bad stuff out of their bodies.” Interesting.
On the way back from dinner we passed by a small shop advertising 30-minute foot massages for 100B – a little over $3. These places are all over. Applying the day’s philosophy of “Oh well, why not?” we stepped inside. Overall, it was a mixed experience for me. The massage itself was wonderful – I just felt weird paying some nice young woman $3 to rub oil all over my feet and legs for half an hour. Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t it a little degrading – especially considering the fact that Thais are even weirder about feet than I am? The other thing that was awkward was that Ashlee and I were laying side-by-side during the massage and the two ladies who were rubbing us down were busy chit-chatting in Thai. I began to wonder what they were talking about. Something about us? Something about me? Thinking this made me really warm and when I get warm my feet sweat. Thus I convinced myself that she spent the whole 30 minutes complaining about my sweaty feet – which made them sweat even more.
After the little footsy rub-down, I trotted out the old “Why not?” one last time after walking by a Swensen’s ice cream shop. Fudge sundae – why not?
That about wraps up the day. Tomorrow we’re going to do a little Buddhist sight-seeing.
PS – After eating my sundae, I had a small epiphany regarding my dietary indulgences, especially now that I’m poised to enter my “late” 20s: I saw a couple in their 30s who were quite pudgy. Is that my future? Oh no!
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