City, Culture, Bangkok!

It seems we are in Thailand

Thai Airways, Kim’s new favorite airline, treated us like royalty, a treatment we’re becoming used to. Chairs so plush they don’t require reclining, choices of delicious Thai food like coconut chicken curry with a side of smoked whitefish, and dozens of blockbuster movies to watch and games to play on our own private screens. After five hours in the sky, we had never been less eager to hear the landing gear grind down.

Our hotel had sent us Addie, Thailand’s most energetic and friendly taxi driver. As a bonus, Addie was standing in the terminal with a sign that said “DANIE BRAHA” in bold capitals, which is one of the warmest ways to walk out of customs; into the smiles of your own customized, albeit misspelled personal billboard. Everything we read about Bangkok could not prepare us for such a charming, friendly, richly-cultured and deliciously-fed city.

Bangkok is a city in the way that New York is a city, Melbourne is a city, London is a city, and in the way that Phoenix is not a city, Ft. Lauderdale is not a city and other "clean cities” with Costcos are not cities. Bangkok is urban. There are no houses in the city, just stacks of apartments leaking air conditioner water onto the sidewalks below—how cities are supposed to be. We, the “farang” (white people) tourists are the minority, and the Thais, more or less, allow us to step in and enjoy their unique style; on a limited visa. And the Thais are cool people; many of them, cooler than us.

After ogling the handcrafted décor of our funky hotel, we strapped our Chacos and dashed out for 4th meal. Our gushingly excited hotel staff pointed us to Khao San Road. After a fifteen minute stroll through the dark city (it was 10:30 by now), we were unprepared for this road, which, upon stepping upon, is like suddenly stepping onto that scene in Star Wars with all the different aliens mingling in bars, playing music and dancing. In other words: mayhem, chaos, fun, weirdness. Khao San Road is the place that Bangkok has dedicated to quarantine backpackers (18-25 year old white kids); in a similar way that Vancouver has dedicated a tiny area of its city to junkies. It’s a great strategy that tends to function well in keeping all of one type of the population in one easily managed area. Khao San Road is a main street within a maze of alleys, all loudly hawking knock-off t-shirts, Western food and cheap booze.

We are now heading south, on an overnight train to Trang, to visit Jenny Kane and see some Muslim-rubber-tree-farmer-Thailand to balance our cosmopolitan week. We'll keep you posted!

Love, Dan&Kim

Jenny posted on 2007-10-28 at 8:45 pm

home isn't the same without you two....it's rainy here AGAIN. HOpe to see you in the north! love jen

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David posted on 2007-10-24 at 10:11 am

Glad to see this wasn't a big post about all the "lady-boys" you had made friends with...sonuds like you're having a great time.

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katerina posted on 2007-10-14 at 11:02 pm

if you're already in thailand, does that mean you're almost home?!?!? as much as i thoroughly enjoying checking to see if there's a new posting of your most recent adventures, you are greatly missed!.......ok, i take it all back, you're not even kind of almost home, i didn't mean to say it or even make you think of it.......time is irrelevant, live it up & keep giving us a tiny lil' taste of what magic you are reveling in!!

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Mom posted on 2007-10-14 at 11:11 am

I know you just got this posted.Bangkok sounds wild. I remember the scene in Star Wars what a crazy street to encounter.hope you took some pics on that.well Keep us informed.I know I'm enjoying seeing you and Kim and seeing that both of you look great and having fun.With love,hugs and kisses.Mom. oxoxoxo

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