We're still here in Bangkok, in large part because of our inability to stay awake. Timing is everything when you're traveling. We strolled into town cool as can be. It honestly felt like we hadn't missed a beat. Like our time at home was basically long enough to grab some clean underwear and grab a new toothbrush. But I guess a lot more has happened than that. Most notably, Kristi's got a human growing inside of her. We made it! So, that's changed quite a few things and altered the way we might have done things otherwise. ie; visiting little nooks and crannies of countries where the risk of malaria is higher. This trip is shorter than our last one so we're not as careful with the penny pinching as we probably should be.
Soon after arriving in Bangkok we quickly formulated one of the best plans we've actually ever made, as far as travel plans go. We're the worst decision makers ever. We were to rest up that night, wake up, do a little wandering around, a little shopping, a lot of eating, get measured up to have a suit made, check out a muay thai match at one of the legendary boxing stadiums, wake up the next day, check out some more stuff and then head south for Koh Phangan, just in time for the world famous full moon party.
Now, what actually happened was a lot less choreographed and the reason I'm writing this from the same guesthouse we arrived at a few days ago. Napping. Napping turns me into a miserable human being, at best. But for some strange reason when you're backpacking it becomes necessary, especially when plowing through different time zones. We got back to the guesthouse at around three or so and then researched the best place to check out some muay thai. We ended up falling asleep and waking up at like 9:30. This set off a chain of horrific events. We were too late to catch the match, too late to book tickets outta here and getting measured for a suit would now set us back an entire extra day. They need a day with measurements and then fit you with a mock up the next day and build it while you are away. This also left us with just one day before the full moon party. It take from 6pm until 11am to get down there by bus and boat. It also left us smack in the middle of All Saint's Day. That means no liquor sales. This would not have been a problem on the bus ride but I'm wandering around Bangkok in the heat and humidity with no hope of touching a lager to my lips for 24 hours. It's uncalled for.
With a gross amount of sleep under our belts and wide awake at the wee hours of the morning and no real interest in wandering around the city, we tried to sleep our way seamlessly into the next day. With such a good wifi connection, this is a rarity to us in our travels, and this handy dandy little Spanish laptop, I killed most of the night researching tailors. I read for hours and hours the pros and cons and ins and outs of getting a suit made in Bangkok. After realizing how much crap goes into making a suit and all the decisions you have to make I wasn't sure I even wanted one anymore. People talked about suits as though they were pieces of space equipment that could one day save our planet. All I wanted was a nice suit at a decent price and to not be ripped off and have the thing fall apart as soon as I got it back home. It seemed in order for me to get this, I'd have to spend a little more than the $150 every odd person was quoting me for a cashmere two piece suit with two shirts and two ties.
I went back to sleep more frustrated than ever. We woke up in the morning with a decision to make. Stay, yet another, night in Bangkok so I could have a suit made or pack up and head south in time for the full moon party and whiskey buckets. Kristi didn't care either way. She's a little touchy about not being able to booze it up with me, especially in this heat. I decided I wouldn't just toss out my hours and hours of research and the chance to have a custom tailored suit at a ridiculously low price, just so I could go get covered in body paint and drown myself in said whiskey buckets. Fuck I'm getting old.
I made my final decision on the tailor and we hopped in a cab. Thirty five minutes later I was standing in down town Bangkok in my underwear with an older Thai gentleman's fingers fluttering ever so eloquently around my man parts. Forty five minutes after that we were off again. Kristi was feeling light headed from the heat so we ducked into one of the thousands of air conditioned 7/11's to cool off. We hopped into two or three different taxi's and were quickly told to exit. The traffic was too bad where we were going they told us. With a bride of an extra 95 bahts, we were on our way again. It took us just as long to get out of the down town as it would have to drive from one side of Edmonton to the other. The downtown is massive. Edmonton or Calgary's downtown could be plunked neatly into one tiny corner of Bangkok's up and coming neighbourhoods. The size of the billboards are as big as the buildings we have at home.
But the food. My god, the food! I should have been born Asian. The only thing about this heat is that it takes away my ability to shovel food down my gullet. Curry and stirfrys and soups and fruits and things on sticks. I could simply sit around all day eating and drinking. It sort of feels as though that's all we've done anyway.
I'll be glad to get out of Bangkok. Eight or 9 million people, or whatever it is, is too many.
No comments:
Post a Comment