Our first stop in Bangkok, as is the case for most backpackers, was Tha Khoasan, an infamous stretch of budget hotels, eager Indian fortunetellers and young Thai men selling tailor made suits. We felt right at home among the dirt, the hustle and the bustle.
We spent our first day in this Asian capital running errands, the first of which involved chasing Fedex around the city, ultimately ending in Silom Square. Wooman had shipped us our malaria medication (which we brilliantly forgot), and we were excited to see what else she would include in our care package. We ripped open the box, reached in, and found a smaller box with Cam’s pills and a bottle of Jen’s. No note, no love.
After Jen convinced Cam that her mom does, in fact, love her, we ate our sorrows away in the form of gourmet donuts. At the market that evening we purchased the most Asian fans we could find and waved them vigorously at each other and Ben’s face. When these failed to fulfill our coolest dreams, we took refuge in Bangkok’s IMAX theater and, in the words of our dear friend Hacobo, let Inception f*&k with our heads. After being in remote and rural Thailand, the Harujuku girls and Lambo dealership near the theater threw us for a loop. We were like kids in a candy (civilization) shop. We even debated purchasing some Kiehl’s face whitening cream to adopt true Thai custom. We try to tan, they try to bleach. Asia is basically millions of Michael Jacksons. Cue: crotch grab.
Dinner found Ben and Cam scarfing steamed duck, as Jen patiently waited for her vegetable stir-fry. As we left the restaurant we could feel dribbles of rain, which only meant one thing: run. We knew we only had approximately 47 seconds before the downpour/God’s rainbow of piss, so Ben and Cam waited out this little episode under an awning while watching the Asian servant successfully attempt to hail a cab. The next day was dedicated to visiting some of Bangkok’s more traditional sites, which included, among others, the Golden Mount. We’ve seen many-a-wat, but none like this. Perched atop a perfectly molded hill saturated by graves and tombstones, the golden Buddha on top looked out onto 360-degree views of the city. The bells below rang and monks chatted nonchalantly on their cell phones.
No comments:
Post a Comment