Reflections on Bangkok

Bangkok is awesome. We made it to the Thai capital on Tuesday after 28 hours of travel. It took three flights, including a 12-hour plane ride from Seattle to Taipei (Taiwan). The first thing I noticed in Thailand was the heat. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, the 90+ degree temperature and humidity just about knocked me over. My last semester in Oregon was sun-deprived and this change was extreme, but I love it now that it's tolerable. Most places have air conditioning, including our hotel. This luxury is wonderful beyond words.

My favorite part about Thailand so far is probably the food. It is unbelievably better than the Thai food I thought I knew in the US and it's much spicier. I have finally found a culture that likes it's food as spicy as I do! Street food in Bangkok is both amazing and cheap and brings many spices and flavors together. There are a lot of delicious meats, stir frys, and soup combos that are blowing my mind. With the weaker baht currency you can get just about anything for less than a dollar and a full plate of food won't cost more than two. I've found there is nothing like eating really spicy food on a hot day. It's quite an experience to be sitting outside in the heat and sweating profusely while you're digesting fire. Fruits are also popular as well and there are lots of different tropical varieties. The most (in)famous is the durian, which the locals say "tastes like heaven and smells like s**t". Vendors cover it up so it doesn't reek up the streets and there are signs that tell us not to bring it into buildings. It reminds me of mushy onions and old cheese.

One big part of Thai culture is massages and foot massages are perhaps the most popular. Lauren and I went to get one together this afternoon and it was awesome. While her masseuse was gentle on her feet and legs, mine was really rough. I learned how soft my legs were and many knots my feet had, but through the pain I enjoyed it. The best part: an hour massage only cost me 220 baht, just over $7. The girls tried to speak English to us and were hilarious. One said I looked like an army soldier because I was "big sexy man". I have had some interesting encounters and Lauren calls me Asian meat. Another type of massage is from fish. You put your feet in a tank of feet eating fish that like to nibble on dead skin. They swim over and suck on your toes until they are smooth and clean. I found this to be a unique experience that tickled like crazy, but I won't do it again after hearing why they aren't allowed in the US.

The transportation in Bangkok is fairly modernized because it is such a big city with 10 million people. There is a sky train and new subway system, but the old school way to get around is in a tuk tuk, a three-wheeled motoried taxi that flies through the streets. These are really mobile and fun, and the drivers have great personalities. Taxis are popular too, but they can scam tourists. The other day, I went to hand a taxi driver some change and he dropped it under the seat. Then he got mad and made us pay him more while the meter was still running. Here vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

Thai is an interesting language to say the least. The alphabet has 44 consonants and 15 vowels and looks like a bunch of squiggly lines. It is hard to speak but I have picked up words here and there. I know a handful of Thai phrases including 'how much does it cost?', 'I like spicy food', and 'it's very delicious'. I like to try and learn new words, but I am still very much a farang (gringo). I also learned a few Mandarin words when we were in Taiwan.

So far we have visited the urban downtown, some temples, and the riverfront. We also went to a resort with elephants. There are a lot of street markets too and I've been bargaining for good deals. At night it is easy to see the effects of the prevailing sex trade industry. There are some sketchy streets and just about anywhere people will try to get you involved. This is really sad to see as such a big part of the culture.

Tomorrow is our last day in Bangkok. We are going to the Saturday market in the morning and then travelling south to Dolphin Bay. This is on the coast and we'll be spending a lot of time at the beach. I am stoked for this.

แล้วพบกันใหม่ (Laaeo phohp gan mai)
Until we meet again!