Last day in Bangkok. The clock is ticking! I make plans to meet up with my Thai friend and guide extraordinaire Pii Koi for round two later that evening, but before then I must tackle more of the beast that is Bangkok. First stop is Siam, the city's financial district. Of course Pii Koi gives me expert directions on how to get there (what a doll). When I make it there the streets are lined with food and clothes stalls, most selling t-shirts sporting the signature "Shut Down Bangkok" protest motto in countless forms and designs.
I stop and devour a bowl of noodles for dollar, and afterwards try one of the most sensational things I've ever tasted - mango slices with sticky rice, crunchy little flakey flakes and sweet coconut milk. It was like eating a wonderfully pleasant dream. In my state of ecstasy I accidentally explode the coconut milk sauce all over my shorts, leaving a very unfortunate sight upon its drying.
Siam features a tunnel-like main street with humongous shoppings malls straddling it on either side and a tram rail up above. As I step into the Paragon Mall to try and clean up my cocojizz stain, I find myself surrounded by more fancy shops then I've ever encountered. This place is like four luxury shopping malls combined yet there seems to be no one there. How they keep it running I have no idea!
From Siam I hop on a tram to the riverside where transport boats whisk passengers up and down the Chao Phraya River. Public transport in Bangkok is surprisingly efficient and easy to use, except I buy into the "tourist boat" scam instead of opting for the cheaper express boat. Drat! Now I know.
I arrive at my river stop and catch a ferry to the other side where the wondrous Wat Arun awaits. This temple complex provides a much needed serene escape from the overstimulation of the city. It's featured structure is a towering stupa covered in beautifully painted broken tiles that were recycled for their current use after a Chinese trade ship delivering them to Bangkok wrecked. A "happy accident", as the great Bob Ross might say.
Monks stroll around the grounds in their orange robes and I come across a group of Thai students in uniform gathered round a huge black metal gong. They take turns kneeling before it, rubbing both hands up and down on its center to the point that it resonates a powerful, luscious tone. Some are able to coax the sound from it, others can't quite get it. The whole process gives off the sense that the gong itself chooses who it wants to sing for. I give it a shot with no one else around. It first starts vibrating with a quiet thrum and next I'm surprised it doesn't split right down the middle it's humming so intensely! I was thoroughly zenned out by the end of it all.
An incredibly steep climb brings me up the great tiled stupa. I stop to wonder how the hell this 80-something year old woman standing before me made it up there, and how on earth she plans to get back down. Where there's a will there's a way! I stop to sketch a temple below from my bird's eye view, remembering how the act of drawing gives me a sense of peace like nothing else.
Eventually I ease my way back down the stupa and ferry it to the other side of the river to meet up with Koi for the evening. Of course she's stylin' and enthusiastic as ever. We tread through back alleys past families watching TV and eating rice and noodle dishes in front of their homes. There's a deep sense of community here - a real close knit sort of deal. When we make it to the right restaurant Koi tells me how families in Thailand count on the young to support old, and the common practice I'm which daughters live with their parents until marriage. She breaks the mold in her own way, traveling by herself to places most wouldn't dare, and going out in the town with friends when most girls would stay home. She leads a life of her own - ya gotta respect that.
We have one of the best meals I've ever had in my life - and I'm not just saying that. It's Vietnamese food with Thai influence, shrimp pancakes in plum sauce, the classic Pad Thai, and my favorite: do-it-yourself slimy rice paper wraps with bits of pork, sour mango, young banana, cucumber, spicy pepper, garlic, Thai basil and thin rice noodles. So many good things in one little bundle. I'm getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it.
Eating at a very leisurely pace, we compare notes on our lives. She's spent a good amount of time hanging out with my cousins Dan and Aron in both CA and BKK. Stories are exchanged and I slowly eat myself into a delightful food coma. It's just too delicious to waste! Aroy mak mak mak mak (very very very very delicious).
After our killer meal Koi takes me around to her favorite nightlife spots. Heading down streets and alleys towards the first destination we pass by late night food carts in the most unlikely of places. Prostitutes stand by confidently and patiently, and right around the corner kids chase each other in circles. Business as usual in Bangkok.
The first joint requires a three story climb up to a rooftop bar complete with a stellar view of the city and one of the meanest Long Island Ice Teas out there. From there we head to see Khao San road at night. I thought it was wild during the day, man was I wrong. Some of the most entertaining people watching to be admired here. Drunkards and b-boys and ladyboys, oh my! We sip from a bucket filled with Thai whiskey and red bull, a specialty of Khao San road.
The last stop of the night is a nightclub featuring a rockin live band. They play some modern Thai favorites; the style is a combo of ska, punk, and alternative. Everyone there seems carefree and in love with the night. A teen Thai girl dances maniacally on stage with moves from a 60's era beach party movie. I'm not ready to leave the city yet!
Interactive panorama of Phra Nakam Bar and Gallery:
http://photosynth.net/view/e1d2ef3e-2278-4005-9bd0-3154e605e40f
Can we sneak a peking at the drawling??
ReplyDelete