In any case, I arrived in Bangkok safe and sound. Very tired however, as the gentleman in the seat next to me on the airplane was knocked out on sleeping meds and kept putting his feet in my lap. Ewww gross. I think I slept about 3 hours on the whole 14 hour flight. Those homeopathic sleeping pills were not all that great:) The shorter jaunt from Taipei to BKK was much better- had the whole row to myself, so I stretched out and took a nice nap.
Bangkok is such a crazy mix. On one block there's a huge modern skyscraper, on the next there's an old ornate temple. My brand new hotel looks over a filthy canal with a meshwork of bamboo poles forming a bridge over the water.
Modern and ancient, swanky and filthy, aircon rooms and hot humid streets. Welcome to Bangkok.
The greatest moments are when you're walking down the road, dodging tuk-tuks, taxis, tour buses and the ubiquitous soi dogs (street dogs; I really really dislike them, they scare me, even though I know they only get mean at night, I don't know why), getting lost and sweaty and thirsty and sticky, frustration mounting, when you catch sight of something absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Whether it's a random carving of dancers on a building, or the elaborate archways over temple entrances, or vibrant colors painted on a wall in the midst of all the brown smogginess.... it just makes the heat and frustration fall away, and leaves you with a wow.
I felt very comfortable here today, as though I'd been here yesterday. No trepidation about walking through traffic when crossing the road, it just came back to me how to do it (fearlessly and without hesitation or you're screwed:). Was reacquainted with how slow and undependable the internet is, how when you haggle with vendors they don't lower the price just because you walk away, how kids getting out of school immediately pull out their tucked-in starched white shirts from their starched blue skirts and shorts, how much it stings when mosquitos bite you along the bottom of your feet, how car and foot traffic moves on the left side of the road, and how freaking good a cold liter of water can taste. Oh yes, and let's not forget the glorious buttspray. I love the buttspray, best invention ever.
And the Thai fellow next to me just reminded me of how we all say "Oh my Buddha" instead of "Oh my God." Love it.I stayed near to Khao San Road, backpacker haven of Thailand.
Also, the food is SOOO good. I had one of two dishes I know how to order in Thai- pak kana, which is fried greens. WIth every meal you have a condiment tray with sugar, soy sauce, chilis, and vinegar. You put all four all over your meal. So yummy!!
And while repeat travelling most definitely has its advantages, it also has at least one downfall. It occurred to me today that i felt the same as if I had just driven back into Orange County; there was no nervous anticipation, no sense of discovery. Not that I'm not so super stoked to be here, it's just different. In a warm fuzzy kind of way for me, especially when I think about heading to Siem Reap and being picked up by a dear friend, not a random moto driver, and taken to a real home, not an anonymous guest house.
Tomorrow I must buy some black sandals and track down once and for all this tattoo guy, as I had no luck with that today. Mosquitos are biting my feet and i must retire up to my sweet aircon hotel room so that I can take a suck on my inhaler, give some visine to my eyeballs, and sleep for 10 hours in chilled bliss. :)
Best,
Stephaney (soon to be Pani once again!:)
