Dinner With A Sex Tourist

It was tough pulling myself out of bed in time for the 7:15 bus to Chiang Mai this morning, but I made it!   Bargaining with a tuk-tuk  driver to get to the bus station was one of the more humorous parts of the morning.   It’s disappointing to see that Americans have a terrible reputation around here.   Today is the third time I’ve watched a Thai  person’s face look completely crestfallen once I told them I was an American.   I would hope such reactions would insipre some introspection.

The bus ride was uneventful.   I’ve been savoring the one book I bought in the SF airport, but I know I probably can’t make it last forever.   Especially if I end up on a Mekong River trip!

Here a monk, there a monk, everywhere a monk, monk! Coming into contact with a woman means three days of absolutions. They steer a wide course around all women, including me!

After getting set up at a Chiang Mai guest house, reserving spaces in tomorrow’s cooking class (I think we’ll be the only two!), and chatting up some physical therapists from Seattle, Nicole and I went our seperate ways for the afternoon and evening.

The main Buddah  and others inside the Wat. It’s so beautiful, all the colored mirrors – green, teal, blue, gold, and red. And everything is coated in a golden glow. It’s amazing!
I, of course, had to start with a small nap.   Then it was off to the city’s most majestic temple for twenty  minutes of contemplation in front of the huge and beautiful Thai buddha.   Then, fancying something other than Thai food (hey – I eat it at least once a day!), I headed for an Italian place near a used book shop.   I can’t stand not knowing the language or being able to satisfy my curiosities about it, so I bought a phrasebook and plunked down at the Italian place.   My crab pasta and wine had just arrived when an American fifty-something man asked me how it was.   Since I’m always having to do “take away” after every meal, I invited him to order some anti-pasta and share my dish.

Turns out he’s a 53 year old  retired pharmacist from Pennsylvania  who used to teach at a few universities in the US.   Has children  in their early teens  in Michigan.   Is a sex tourist!   I held my own, pegged him with all my questions about the biz, and made my diapproval  very clear.   He was fairly  unaware of my stance and often told me more than I wanted to know, but I got my curiosity satisfied.   He says that the women there largely do it to support their families, and it’s more like a relationship than a business transaction.   They come after white men in friendly ways hoping to play host at all the dining hot spots and attractions and end up with a few thousand bhat  (about $60 – $90) whenever their family needs something (medical appointments, etc.).   Weird.

I excused myself rather definitively, leaving no room for protest, and headed off to leave a note for Nicole at our guesthouse before heading to the night bazaar.   After a mile or two, I arrived to some desperate vendors who don’t let up (very unlike all the other experiences I’ve had here) and ran out of time after only four or five blocks.   On the way home, I took a “short cut” that sent me almost a mile out of my way.   When will I ever learn to retrace my steps?!

Tomorrow is an entire day of Thai cooking class, and then on to… I don’t know.   Pai?   Chiang Rai?   Somewhere in between?

Have Bicycle, Will Travel!

The overnight bus was the classic argument for twenties traveling.   Not that traveling isn’t great at any age, but it’s wonderful to do it when you can afford to get poor sleep, be cramped for hours, and still hit the next day full force.

So, yes, the movie was blaring at full volume on the first leg.   Yes the lights were intermittently off and on all night.   Yes, it was freezing.   No, I wasn’t comfortable.   Yes, my leg fell asleep.   Yes, my butt  fell asleep.   Yes, I got a crick in my neck.   BUT – after a somewhat arduous adventure from Bangkok – including switching terminals on opposite sides of the cities and piecing together a few tickets when the direct route was sold  out – we made Suhkothai by 8:00 a.m.!   We checked in, had a quick cat nap, and were off to the ancient city!

Suhkothai (the ruins, not the current city) was the original capital of Thailand way back in the day, and the structures made of materials that hold up in tropical climates are the only signs of the city that remain.

One of the many ruins at the original capital of Thailand – Suhkothai.

Temples, buddhas, and more temples!   On the sangthew  ride there (a pick up with benches in the back and a canopy stretched over a frame), we met Jeff.   With his New Zealand hat, of course we thought he was a kiwi.   Turns out he’s from Iowa and has been teaching  English in the mostly untravelled  NE for over two years.   We spent the day biking around the old city visiting temple sights with him and getting all our questions about Thai culture and food answered from a “farang” (foreigner) perspective.

How we get around. Sangthew’s  aren’t always this full, but they can be! At least it has free air-conditioning! 😉

The bike riding felt great and is the preferred way to see miles and miles of ruins.   (I guess we could have rented motorbikes for ten times the price, but why?)   We probably biked a total of 10-15 miles today in the soaking heat stopping every 1/4 mile or so to explore a ruin in the jungle and countryside.

The classic Thai Buddha shown meditating (they have three poses – sitting (meditating), standing, and reclining.

The “free air-conditioning” felt wonderful, and the heat was only stifling toward the end of the trip when we happened upon a fruit juice stand next to the road.   Turns out the reason the proprietor spoke such great English is because she spend nine years in Australia where she also got her master’s degree in International Business.   She made me an awesome fruit shake of pineapple, banana, apple, lime, and dragon fruit!   It was my first introduction to dragonfruit, and I LOVED it!

My new favorite market treat. It looks like a beastly turnip having an 80’s flashback, but tastes delicious!

How it’s Different From Home, Part I

I’ve been waiting to write this blog for quite awhile, but haven’t found the internet time to fit it in.

The things I notice most:
1) Left hand traffic
2) Beds
3) Toilets
4) Shoe removal
5) Sex tourism couples

First thing first – left hand traffic.   Granted, I worked at the coal mine where I drove in left hand traffic patterns for countless twelve hour  shifts over a five year  period.   BUT, it’s still really strange to glance up to find the driver “missing”, or to turn onto  a road and feel like the car is going the wrong way.   Crossing the street is also a trickier proposition, as I generally look in the direction of  the nearest oncoming traffic and start walking.   I have to be very careful to look both ways before I take a single step!

The beds here, because it is horrendously hot, aren’t beds like at home.   It’s generally a more firm, shallow mattress laid out on a wooden platform with a sheet over it.   No top sheet, no comforter, no bed spread.   Each pillow comes with a light blanket if you so choose.   I thought it would be weird until I went to lay down my first night here.   Who wants anything more than a soft surface to lay on when it’s this hot!

The typical Asian bed (this is a shot of a room at the Jolly Frog where we’ve been staying).

Toilets here come in several varieties.   There are the standard U.S./European sit down and flush toilets.   Next come the same style without a water tank.   So sit down, yes.   But flushing means pouring in a few scoops of clean water from the bucket beside the toilet.   Finally, and most challenging for me, are the squat toilets.   Really, if you think about it, squat toilets really are a more effective, quicker way to do your business.   They’re mostly porcelain, just like sitting toilets.   However, they’re about five inches up off the floor with a toilet bowl in the middle.   The edges around the bowl are about five inches wide.   So you stand on the edges and squat over the bowl.   Then you either flush it if it has a flusher  (in airports, shopping malls, etc – yes) or toss a few scoops of clean water in and let gravity do the rest!   It’s been enlightening.   Also, to keep the public restrooms clean (like at bus stations, but not at malls), you are required  to change into a pair of clean flip flops (provided) before entering the restroom.   Which brings me to…

Toilet sans person…

This one is smaller than normal, but I thought it would be good to include a person in the photo for effect.

Shoe removal.   Many people practice shoe removal in the US to keep their homes clean.   I grew up in such a home.   Here, it feels a bit stranger because you’re always running around in sandals.   So shoe removal means being barefoot.   I’m sensitive about my feet getting dirty (weird, I know), so I generally don’t walk barefoot on ANY floor.   But, because they’re so obsessed with floor cleanliness here, the floors are always clean.   I have yet to have a bad experience!   And it’s kind of funny to walk down the sidewalk and see a pile of shoes in front of every business entrance! The weirdest thing for me has been having  to trade for “clean” shoes at public restrooms.   It kind of creeps me out have to don a “public” shoe that someone has used solely for the purpose of  relieving themselves (especially when doing so requires squatting – which can be a bit… splashy!).   But, overall, it’s just adding to the depth of my life experience.   I like it!

Finally – sex tourism.   Yucky.   Here, sex tourism doesn’t mean picking up a prostitute in the red light district and finding a hotel.   It’s more like an escort service in Thailand, where men basically rent women to be  their traveling partners, among other things.   It grosses me out, but every restaurant you go into has at least five white male/female Asian couples having dinner.   Yes, I realize that they could be a legit couple and I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.   But they’re not.   Usually evidenced  by overheard conversations in broken English – the world currency for language.

Speaking of which, I’ll end with a foot note.   I’m very lucky to be a native speaker of the English language.   It’s the language of tourism, especially here, and the only other language the locals know besides Thai.   Sure I have a few bumps communicating, but the Germans, Japanese, and other non-native-English-speaking travelers have twice the trouble.   What a boon for my traveling!

Elephant Chaffing & Becoming the Attraction

Happy All Saints Day!

Finally the sleeping schedule is nearing normalcy, and I got to sleep until nearly 7:30 this morning!   After some fantastic lounging and a light breakfast of toast and a fruit and yogurt shake (Lassi), we set off for the elephants!

Traveling and tourism always bring up a lot of ethical conflicts for me.   So, I asked our driver about how the elephants are treated  and if it maybe wasn’t a very good life for them hauling tourists around the jungle hills all day.   He assured me that the elephants had been previously employed in the timber industry – much harder  work than hauling tourists – and would now be retired without a home if not for the preserve.   I want to believe him!

After some standing around waiting our turn, watching a baby elephant play the kazoo and hula, and having my photo taken with a big male elephant, we climbed the tower to mount the elephants.   We were seated  by twos and threes onto  the elephant chairs where we rode through the jungle up and down the hills for about 1/2 an hour.   The best part of the ride for me was being in the canopy and coming face to face with my FAVORITE tropical fruit – the pinha!!   Never before had I dreamed of being able to identify  just what kind of tree this delicious piece of heaven came from.   MMMMM!!!

Mmmmmm… my absolute favorite tropical fruit. What’s it’s name in Thai? Don’t know!
You can’t even imagine how yummy this is. The sweet flesh melts in your mouth.

After riding the elephants in the hills, one at a time we were allowed to slide down off the chair and ride them “bareback” on our journey to the river.

I don’t know these guys, but this is what the elephant “saddle” is like…

Elephants do not have soft skin.   It is rough, leathery, and covered with wiry hair.   So despite my joy scratching the elephant behind the ears as we ambled toward the river, I managed (wearing my bikini bottom only) to accomplish  some serious chaffing.   Ouch!   We dismounted while the chairs were removed and rode them one at a time into the river so the elephants could cool off, and of course cool us off in the process.   Fun!

Joining the elephant for a dip! This was the best because the elephants seem to love it!
On the way back to the van, we became the attraction.   Having turned in my swimming top the night before (after a day of swimming) for washing, I didn’t have anything   but a bra and my swimming bottoms to wear.   Not a problem for an immodest individual  like myself.   At the elephant river, several Thais had congregated (especially men) to watch us swim in the river with the elephants and take photos of us.   I didn’t find this particularly offensive, as many Thais are fascinated by white skin.

As we were crossing the lawn through a group of about twenty people, several young women in their late teens gave us huge smiles and indicated that they’d like to take a photo of us.   When we said okay, they got really excited and then decided that they wanted photos WITH us.   So, we became the elephants as they all took turns having a photo with us.   We were busy being amused by this bizarre occurrence that it was only on the drive home that we realized we should have gotten out OUR cameras, too!   Our driver explained that they were from a place in Thailand that sees very few tourists and were so eager to take home photos of themselves with a caucasian.   Fun, fun!

Now we’re off to Sukothai – an ancient city north of Bangkok several hours.   Wish us luck on our first overnight bus ride!

Jungle Waterfalls & A Piece of History

So yesterday we landed in Kanchanaburi  (also “Kan”), and I am LOVING it.   The pace of the town is perfect – not too sleepy, but very laid back.   The surrounding area is filled  with national parks chock full of waterfalls, elephant rides, and history lessons.   Kanchanaburi  is home to the Bridge Over the River Kwai  – a key location  in WWII.   Thousands of allied prisoners along with thousands of Asians across the region were conscripted to build a rail line for the Japanese connecting Bangkok with India in the Japanese take-over of SE Asia.

The standard Thai bike taxi. I can’t believe both our American butts fit in there!

After a few hours on a bus from Bangkok, we arrived yesterday at the bus station (where I used my first Asian toilet, but I’ll save that for my “how it’s different from home” blog).   We haggled a bit with a few taxi drivers and ended up in a tiny chariot pulled by bike that dropped us at the Jolly Frog for 40 Baht.   Probably too much (about $1.15), but oh well!   Our hotel has a great view of the River Kwai, a quaint courtyard with hammocks, a walking path down to the river where there are floating lounges, and a nice outdoor restaurant.

The courtyard at our beloved “Jolly Frog” lodgings

We were starving, so we opted immediately for a place called “Fine.”   All the food here is GREAT, no matter where we eat, and this place was no exception.   After dropping off our duds for a washing (20 Baht – about 60 cents), we strolled through town checking out the scene and looking into cooking courses.   We made reservations for the tour we went on today, and then settled in for another Thai massage.   I was disappointed  to find my masseuse was the old woman who hadn’t returned my smile on the sidewalk in passing two hours previous. Thais are smilers, but she was an exception.   About half the time I felt relaxed and well-rubbed.   The other half was uncomfortable, ticklish, and sometimes painful.   Don’t think I’ll go back there again!

Thanks to Nicole’s (last night of) jet lag, we had some delicious tom yum soup and green curry for dinner and then hit the sack.   We lasted until nine!

The Jolly Frog doesn’t have hot water, which isn’t a huge issue when the ambient temperature never gets below 75 degrees.   It’s a lot easier to take a cold shower in the afternoon when it’s above 85, however!   I ordered a traditional Thai breakfast (rice soup with chicken) and was amused when the waitress tried to bring it to the only Thai woman in the place.

We met our tour guides out front at 8am and loaded up for the ride to Erawan  Falls.   It was about a mile and a quarter to the seventh fall at the top following the  tiered river all the way.   We clambered over tree roots and boulders, crossed slippery pools, climbed and descended rickety staircases in the jungle heat and were greeted  with one of the most breathtaking spectacles of my life.   I immediately stripped to my suit and jumped in the pale blue water.   Weeee!!!

The best staircase on the walk to the falls. Toward the top, they were just gnarled twigs nailed onto  gnarled branches to form a makeshift ladder!
My favorite fall. The photo of the view from the top doesn’t do it justice, so I guess you’ll just have to come see it with your own eyes! 🙂

On the way down, I indulged in three more swims (I have dreams about swimming – I love it so much), before we were fed lunch at one of the restaurant stalls – spicy rice and veggies for me!   Then it was on to the “Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum” and to Hellfire Pass itself.

Many parts of the WWII Japanese rail-line claimed thousands of lives, including the construction of  the bridge over the River Kwai.   However, the clearing of Hellfire Pass claimed more lives than any single installation on the rail line.   Because the Japanese didn’t have the skills or technology for tunneling, captured Allied prisoners had to cut down through dense jungle and limestone rock to clear a path for the train. (i.e. they had to clear a tunnel AND everything that would normally be above a tunnel – a mini canyon in the mountainside.) Hellfire Pass, so named for the fires that burned as prisoners were forced to work 18 hours of backbreaking labor at a stretch, is an incredible and shocking place.

The entry to the huge length of line cleared for the Japanese railway by Allied prisoners and local laborers.

The memorial museum was enlightening and shocking, but the audio tour walking down hellfire pass was truly illuminating.   Listening to the testimonials of the prisoners as the sharp stones underfoot pressed into my sandals, I could vividly imagine the horror of being forced to work barefoot and starving, with festering jungle sores all over my mostly naked body carrying heavy rocks for hours while guards beat me at their whim.   Oh. my. god. I also learned what Cholera is today, thanks to the tour – a nasty, horrible, and terrifying disease.   Moving on, we visited a cave along the rail line that was used  as a base camp for the Japanese Army and then rode the “Death Train” along tapioca fields before being bussed to the bridge over the River Kwai.   The bridge ended up being un-inspirational, after spending so much time before I left reading about it.

The famous Bridge Over the River Kwai. I thought it would be more magnificent. Or maybe more… wooden.

It’s been highly commercialized, and its steel structures and concrete pilings make it seem like far less a task than the awful Hellfire Pass. We returned to our hotel sweaty and still slightly damp from the falls.   After a shower, we dropped off our laundry and headed out to dinner at a fantastic Indian restaurant (hey – you can’t eat Thai EVERY night!).   Before coming here, we booked our elephant trekking and swimming trip for tomorrow.   Can’t wait!!

Bangkok Tour

What a jam-packed day in Bangkok!   Nicole, thanks to her jet-lag, was up at 3am, 5am, etc wide awake (since it was respectively 3pm, 5pm in Omaha).   I, however, slept soundly until 7am, at which time we launched our busy day.

The hostel breakfast is adequate (bread, croissants, banana muffins, toast, jelly, butter, (some weird green spread the texture of pudding) watermelon, pineapple.

Jim Thompson’s living room with historical pieces from Thailand, China, Belgium, Italy, and more!

First stop was the Jim Thompson house.   At first, I wasn’t interested because it didn’t seem like Thai culture.   Really, it is.   My Grandma J. would have loved it.

The main house in the Jim Thompson grounds, made in classic Thai style with teak wood.

Jim Thompson was an architect and soldier who stayed in Thailand and helped grow and connect the silk trade to the rest of the world reaping great economic benefits for the Thais.   He also collected Asian artifacts (the part my grandma would love), and his traditional Thai house is filled with 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th century paintings, statues, imports, and more.   It was incredible!

The flowers are everywhere! My father would love all the different flowers here!

I learned, among other things,: 1) Why no shoes: The Thai take their shoes off often when entering buildings (in fact, I had to take mine off to come into this internet cafe) because traditionally they eat sitting in a circle on the floor.   For this reason, it is very important to them that the floor stays clean. 2) Thai Buddhas (different from the Chinese Buddhas most Americans are used  to) have long ears because it symbolizes long life. 3) Traditional Thai construction of doorways dictates that you step over a threshold about 12 inches high.   Originally, this kept babies from crawling out of the house when houses were always located on the river and the baby could drown easily.

A classic street vendor in Bangkok where I take my meals as often as possible. YUM! and cheap!

Conveniently, it down-poured while we were on our tour in the house.   Afterward, while it was sprinkling, we had some delicious business (rice and veggies with lots of good sauce) from a street vendor before hopping   back on the skytrain  to our next destination – Wat Pho.   Wat means temple, of which there are several, probably about 40 large ones, in Bangkok.   Wat Pho is the biggest and has the biggest reclining Buddha (indicating the exact moment of enlightenment) in all of Thailand. We had to take a river taxi to get there, which was less charming than I had hoped.   I pictured a quaint river surrounded by jungle canopy.   Nope.   Just a big rushing slur of muddy water with lilies floating everywhere and skyscrapers right up to the  cement banks.   C’est  la vie!   The taxi was fast and much cooler than a city bus or walking!

The temple grounds at Wat Pho.

The single most remarkable thing about the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is its size!   Incredible!   After taking our shoes off, we were allowed to walk around the perimeter of the Buddha, almost half a football field in length!   The intricate painting of the walls was remarkable as well.   On the wat grounds, we saw hundreds of other Buddhas.   The intricate detail on everything from the roofs to the windows, the walkways, etc. was really amazing.

After we were wat-ted out (I can stare at mountains forever, but human-made objects hold my attention momentarily), we headed to the backpacker district.   We had chosen not to stay there because it is far away from all the public transport.   We walked the streets, bought some pineapple from a street vendor, window-shopped, and then headed inside for our first Thai massage  (by this time, Nicole was exhausted, it being 5am in Omaha).

About 1/5th of the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand!

The massage  (and the opportunity to rest for an hour) was wonderful.   It was different than  what you’d picture in the U.S.   Here, massages  are given in a roomful of mattress-sized cushions with your clothing on.   We got half reflexology  (foot) massage, and half Thai massage laying side by side on a raised platform.   The reflexology  was nice (and sometimes painful) – your basic foot massage.   The Thai massage is about pushing and pulling and poking and pressure points.   The move around your body a lot, but are always sitting next to you, between your legs, under your head, etc.   A lot of it was the kind of massage I am accustomed  to.   Some of it, however was surprising – like when the guy had me sit in front of him and somehow worked me from that position  to being face first up in the air on his feet like some kind of circus act.   It felt good, though, and it was fun!

Your basic Thai massage parlor depicting one of the basic massage moves. Stretchy, stretchy!

We headed back to the river afterwards, but decided to stop at Chinatown to make the most of our all-day boat pass.   Big mistake when tired.   It was dirty, heavily polluted (diesel fumes hanging in the air everywhere), smelled awful, dark, dirty, dirty, dirty, and gross.   After a mile lap around the neighborhood, we hopped our final  boat back to the skytrain and rode back to our hostel.   After some quick “Pad Thai”   (spicy noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, shrimp, egg, cabbage, lime, and peanuts) from a street vendor, we couldn’t help but collapse into our beds (yes, at 8 p.m.!)   I’ll try not to get used to getting so much rest! 🙂

Little Arabia

After Diana left for work this morning, I walked down to Tesco to get a few things.   She doesn’t have a “proper” shower, as she tells it.   No shower curtain, as is typical in countries outside of the US and Europe.   The whole bathroom it tiled, so it doesn’t matter if it gets wet.   I thought, as  a housewarming gift, I would get her a curtain to help the place feel more homey.

Greeting the morning with a visit to the local corporate distributor! No wonder I’m not feeling a lot of culture shock!

The Tesco  is like a Super Walmart.   Outside of the Tesco  but inside the same building (sort of like a mini mall), I bought the first thing that looked edible for breakfast – an Auntie Anne’s pretzel!   I wish I had waited longer.   At the other end of the strip was a food court with hot, real food.   C’est la vie!

My Thai is coming along alright.   I can say “hello” and “thank you.”   However, since they’re the only two phrases I know, I ofter  get them confused.   I’m sure it’s a hoot for the cashiers each time I depart  with a “hello!” instead of “korp  kun ka!”   So far gesturing, pointing, paper, and a tendency to see the humor in the situation has gotten me along quite well.

My first order of business, after arranging my things and showering up, was to find a hostel for Nicole and I to stay in.   She’s getting in quite  late tonight, but it was almost bedtime in the US for my mother, who has agreed to be  our intermediary since we have no direct method of contact.   I decided against looking for a place in the slightly cheaper backpacking district.   I heard it’s  loud, obnoxious, and chaotic – I’m sure it’s full of my least favorite traveller – those who are here for the booze and the nightlife.   Who spends $1,000 on a plane ticket to nurse a bottle and get cirhosis?

Anyway, the backpacking district is also inconveniently far from most forms of public transport, excepting  the really slow buses and the really expensive moto  taxis.   Which, I suppose, is why it’s cheaper than more  convenient places.   (Tanget:  “Why,” I asked Diana this morning, “are the moto taxi’s as expensive or more expensive than the more comfortable car taxis?”   Answer: they’re fast.   In a city that’s in almost constant grid lock, speed trumps comfort, I guess!

So, Nicole and I are now checked in to the dorm #21 at Suk 11 – a hostel in a great neighborhood really close to “Little Arabia.”   I hope I can find photos for you, since words can’t do this place justice.   It’s like a shabby disneyland version of Robinson Crusoe’s tree house.

What a great place! It’s so dark and disneyland  mysterious inside that you can’t capture the ambience in a photo. But it’s great atmosphere!

It’s all done up in dark wood like the Tiki Room, and the walkway between the rooms is an elevated  solid bridge with planks.   The whole place is covered  in jungle.   My favorite part about the place so far is the giant, beautiful,  waist hign urn in the hallway between every two rooms.   There are two plastic, not-so-beautiful buckets on top with “In case of fire” written on them.   How practical!

After a chat with mom my to pass the directions onto  Nicole, my grumbling stomach guided me towards “Al Hussein’s” in Little Arabia.   I had the best Vegetable Biryani and then bought some pineapple off the street.   Now it’s on to find postcards for my CASA kid and maybe to the park or chaotic Chinatown.   Do I need a nap?

Mmmm… lunch! I know, I know… what am I doing eating middle eastern food in Thailand? I can’t help it! It’s familiar, delicious, and in my neighborhood!

Diana Wasn’t Home…

It took me a bit to find Diana (the couchsurfing  host’s) house.   I took the skytrain  and followed the streets using educated guesses looking for 205.   I kept passing 201, crossing an intersection and then  seeing 283.    I showed a man standing  on the curb the address and he pointed me in the right direction.

The sky train – the fastest and best way to go long distances around Bangkok. No traffic! At $.30 – $1 a ride, or $4 for an all day pass, it’s great!

When I arrived, the door up to the apartments was  open, so I climbed to the second floor and knocked on  my hostess-to-be’s  door.   No answer. 🙁   So, I stationed  myself on the couch at the top of the  stairs and started pondering what I would do if the stay fell through.   Then I knocked again.   Still no  answer.   So, I went to inquire  at the front desk as to whether I might pay to stay here anyway for a night.   The woman spoke no English, and I no Thai, so after some funny exchanges, I finally wrote “Diana” and her apartment number on a piece of paper.   Score!   She got (the very british) Diana on the phone for me.   Our conversation went something like this:

Diana: “Hello?”

Me: “Hi – Diana?   Is this Diana”

D: “Yes.   This is Diana.”

M: “Oh, hi.   Are you coming home soon?”

D: “Hello?   I can’t hear you.   Who is this?”

M: “Hello?”  Diana?

D: “Yes.   Who is this.”

M: “This is Jema.”

D: “Who?”

M: “Jema.   From couchsurfing?

D: silence.   silence… silence… ” OH SHIT!   SHIT  SHIT SHIT  SHIT SHIT!   Oh I’m so sorry!   Oh the room is a total mess and my things are everywhere!   Oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

She  came home fifteen minutes later, apologizing until I begged her to stop.   I tried repeatedly to convince her that I was so thankful that she was still going to let me stay.   Since we’d both eaten, we took moto  taxis to the 7-11 by her friend’s house.   We became part of the river of rushing motos  squeezing through impossibly small gaps in traffic.   She laughed at me the whole way there since I apparently didn’t know how to hold on with my knees instead of my hands, like a local would.

We bought several beers and headed up the street to Matt and Julie’s apartment.   Diana teaches english at a local school, and she made friends with the newest crop of teachers that had arrived.   Matt and Julie are from Texas.   Sarah from Massachusets  and Hans from Germany live in the same building.   We sat around drinking beers, looking at pictures, telling stories, and ordering in KFC  until midnight.   Not exactly what I was expecting for my first evening in Bangkok, but it made for a supersoft “landing” and took the edge of the culture shock – of which I am feeling almost none.   I did feel a bit like I was in college.   The apartments here are pretty spartan – really just a single room with a bed, desk, table, fridge, and closet, and a bathroom behind a door in the corner.   Since there is no furniture, everyone sits on the bed, just like in a dorm room.

I fel straight asleep when we got back and slept soundly until around 6am.   Diana had warned me that I would wake up very early feeling completely rested until my inner clock adjusts over the next few days.

So far, everything is great!

Touchdown!

Imagine my surprise when, this morning (afternoon?   evening?) I went to write a purchase in my $$ journal, and I discovered I had lost a day.   I left late on the 25th, and suddenly it was the 27th!

Two plane rides and one airport bus have landed me smack in the center of Bangkok.   Traffic was awful from the airport, and it is a city like all others.   It reminds me a lot of Chicago with its skytrain  constantly running overhead.   It’s hot and muggy and I like it!   After being blasted with air conditioning for 25 hours straight, it feels good to be wrapped in a warm, cozy blanket of air!

I got my last flight bumped up, and went from an eight hour layover to three, but now am killing time in a mall that would rival Minnesota’s Mall of America.   My hostess-to-be, Diana, isn’t expecting me until after 5.   I also haven’t heard from her in a week, so there’s a good chance that I’m about to spend a few hours running in circles around Bangkok (if she doesn’t answer her door). 🙂

In general, a city is a city, no matter where you are.   However, things thus far that have reminded me I’m not in Kansas, as they say:

1) Painting the chain link fence gray.   There were several teams of folk with paint rollers a step away from highway traffic painting the chain link fences along the highways a lighter shade of grey.   Why?

2) People living between the jersey barriers (the big concrete barriers they use on interstates).   Lots of shacks set up on the small patches of land where different sections of interstate connect.

3) Motorcycles making their own lane between the stopped traffic with two inches to spare.   Yikes!

4) Concrete Sky Train pillars green-ifying  the city with  lattice work of house plants.   I’ll try to get a picture.

5)  Left hand traffic!   I think this is my first time in a place with left hand traffic.   My heart leapt into my throat as we pulled away from the curb at the airport and no one was driving!!!   Pedestrian traffic is left hand as well, which took a few awkward, jet lagged run ins  on the elevated walk way before that little fact dawned on me…

Okay… I have 3 minutes remaining in my session here.   I apologize for the dry blog – I’m really jet lagged.   Wish me luck in finding Soi 50 and the Golden House.   Cross your fingers that Diana is there!

I’m Ready!!!

I can’t believe the day is finally here!   Even more, I can’t believe I got everything done.   I’m so relieved.

At home, the only thing left to do is cast my absentee ballot.   I’ll do so on the car ride to San Fran today.   There are lots of issues and things to decide on, and I’m terrified of the coming election day.     Glad to be watching from afar!

Good bye, house! Good bye, Pat!

Now it’s the car ride south, spending all day with my best friend Magdalena (for whom it is slightly, but not totally convenient to be  delivering me to the airport – thanks Mags!), and then 25 hours on planes and in airports.   I’m headed to a couchsurfers apartment in Bangkok for my first night – a Venezuelan woman who seems really cool.   Okay… Mags is yelling that we’re late leaving (we are.   Sorry.   I’m bad at being on time.)

All my love! Jema 🙂