Bangkok Furious

**This is a really long post!  Get a snack and a beverage before you sit down to read it. 

After Peter and I left Tonsai beach, we took a long night bus ride from Krabi to Bangkok.  We arrived in Bangkok at 5:30 in the morning and then finally made it to a guesthouse at 7:30.  We crashed immediately and took good power naps.  Then, it was off to the AYC office to meet with Tar- my new friend who I've exchanged nearly 50 emails with since May.  AYC is the name of the organization I am teaching English with.  It was really nice to put a name to a face and thank her personally for all the hardwork and time she has dedicated to me.

But first, a little story. 

I was riding home from a frisbee tournament with a few folks, one of them being my former roommate and good frisbee gal pal Beth Tau.  The carload of us somehow got on the subject of those silly "Tokyo Drift" movies.  We knew there was a series of them, but we couldn't remember all their names, so we began brainstorming.  I shouted out Bangkok Fury, and we all laughed our butts off because it really was not one of the titles of the movies, but it sure as heck could have been. 

And now, in Bangkok, the title could not be more fitting for the way this city moves.  Bangkok, furious.
The tuk tuk drivers are capable of handling their 3 wheel vehicles like the cart on the American Eagle rollercoaster ride at Six Flags.  Sharp turns that leave you grabbing onto your Jesus handles and clutching your partner in this flight for life.  Lights flashing, horns blaring, cigarettes hanging out of the side of their mouth, it can be insane.  But, this particular ride was simply a tourist gimmick.  Pete and I were leaving from the Night Bazaar (which was really cool and had some great shopping) and heading to a bar and we were haggling with a few tuk tuk drivers.  The one that won gave us the ride of our lives.  Tuk tuks can get you somewhere quickly, but it's not always such a white knuckle experience. 

Bangkok is the definition of a city that never sleeps.  Cars, tuk tuks, motorbikes, big buses and songthaews always fill the 6 lanes of city streets.  Street food vendors fill the sidewalks until all hours of the night and there are always people out and about.  In some parts of town, there can be three levels of traffic- the street, a highway, and another highway above that.

I'm not writing this post after I've been here a few days, and the initial shock has worn off.  But, for more clarity, I'd like to add my journal entry that I wrote at the end of our first real day in Bangkok- the day we arrived in Bangkok at 5:30 in the morning.

September 8, 2010 Wednesday
Actually Sept 9, Writing late again-
BANGKOK FURIOUS.
Holy hell what a day.  20 hours ago we arrived in Bangkok.  I can't even find the words to capture this day's events succinctly, but maybe a timeline will help.  This day was so packed, and Bangkok is furiouysly busy.  There were moments of such ridiculous farnang (westerner)/thai culture clash that pure laughter ensued, awe at the sights and sounds, and near panic over the fact that soon I am left to my own devices without my traveling buddy petey.  Then, the moments of clarity that come after understanding that by operating on the 'one piece of the puzzle at a time' principle, everything will be fine, albeit with some confusion and anxiety. 

Petey told me a good metaphor for this next chapter to come:
"I have to eat this entire elephant.  How on earth will I eat this entire elephant? 
One bite at a time".
Wise words pete, thanks.  I'll try to think big picture and live in the moment at the same time.

So here's a timeline of today, September 8, 2010
5:30am- arrive bangkok off bus from krabi (about 12 hours)
6:45am- arrive at Ban Dakkoon, our guesthouse and wait 45 minutes for manager to show up
7:30am- manager arrives, gives super sweet coffee and gives a room key
7:45am- settle in.  proceed to journal and read and cry quietly thinking pete won't notice. i'm overtired and anxious about his leaving. 
8:30am- pass out for power naps
10:30am- wake up feeling groggy. it's very sunny out right now.
12:00pm- get directions from manager and proceed to walk the 1kilometer to the AYC building (the organization I'm teaching with)
12:50pm-enter AYC building and hop onto elevator. A woman turns and says to me- "I think we've been exchanging messages!"  Oh my goodness- it's Tar!  My contact with AYC I've had since May! Unreal.
1:00pm- after sweating profusley, get water and proceed to a conference room.  The AYC office is very official and everyone is very welcoming.
1pm-2:30pm- Fill out AYC application form, meet with Tar, ask questions.  Realize NON B paperwork is still in the works (not really what I planned when I was heading into the office- I thought they would all be ready for me to pick up! not so fast.)
Begin to panic a little bit. Drink water to steady myself.  Take deep breaths.
Tar is very calm and broaches this subject as if it all very usual...for things to be so undecided when I'm supposed begin teaching a little less that 2 months.  I'm relieved by her demeanor and reassurance. 

3:00pm-Walk away from AYC feeling really hungry.  We stopped at a sidewalk eatery.  Chicken and rice, soup and coke.  Good lunch.  Look out at the woman who is sweeping the sidewalk to brush the leaves into the street and thinking about how fruitless this task can be at times...on such a busy street all those leaves and debris are bound to wind up back on the sidewalk further down the road...

3:30pm- Head to the "Big C" Supermarket to purchase a cell phone as per Tar's suggestion.  Purchased a nice little black Samsung and Sim Card.  All this through hand signals, gestures, and numbering signs.  The department store employees didn't speak much English.  A "Big C" is a chain of department stores- similar to a super Target.  You can get anything there!  I made some test phone calls, and just like that- Gina is connected! So I'm starting to feel a little better about things.  Being connected is a good feeling.

 * Because Pete and I didn't fully understand how the phone works or if I could call internationally, I recently found more out.  So you can purchase more time on your cell phone at any convenience shop or 7-11.  You can purchase minutes for your cell phone at a 7-11 but you can't get a decent slurpee at a Thai 7-11.  Outrageous.  Anyways- I can make international calls, but it simply drains my account really quickly.  It's not expensive to buy minutes, and you can buy in a variety of increments: 60 baht, 100 baht, 200 baht (~2 USD, ~3 USD, ~5 USD) whatever you'd like really. 

We walked around the mall and purchased some more things, lost each other at bathrooms, but rejoined at the "Black Canyon Coffee" and had celebratory cappucinos.  Not bad.  Laughed hysterically at the fact that my new phone can receive 'fake calls' if you're on a date or in a metting that you really want to get out of!

6:00pm- Make it back to our residence- the Ban Dakkoon and brainstorm evening plans.  Settle on the Suam Luam Nigh Bazaar nearLumphini Park and hopefully some drinks at a rooftop bar.

7:45ish- Arrive at the Banyan Tree Hotel (super swanky hotel and restaurant) where the rooftop bar is only to find we were not dressed to code!  Of course.  Dirtbag travellers.

8:30 or so- Reach the night market and puruse the many food stalls.  Decide on some sea food and Chang beer.  Listen to and watch live Thai pop music complete with cheerleader type dance performance.

9:00-Lychee smoothie in hand we venture into the stalls of the night bazaar.  Inside are many vendors selling all sorts of things.  Clothes, jewelry, touristy stuff, wood carvings, furniture, loads of t-shirts, purses, pillows...you name it.  We purchased some gifts and all in all ended up spending nearly and hour and a half in the bazaar.

10:30- Venture back to the streets- Head home or go back to plan A of having drinks on some rooftop bar?

Aggressive tuk tuk driver manages to get into his crazy light show tuk tuk for a silly inflated price and we experience a BANGKOK TUK TUK RIDE complete with light show and ridiculous BANGKOK FURY type driving.  It was a roller coaster ride for sure.

We made it to Lebua Hotel where the 'Sky Bar' and 'Distil' are located where we proceed to run into a couple we met while scuba diving in Ko Pha Ngan.  Unbelievable.  How you manage to meet up with someone you met on an island when you're in BAngkok is pure luck.  Bangkok is huge.

Realize again we are underdressed, but we do meet the standard for some other bar they have in the hotel tower.  The drinks were expensive, but the pillows, music and atmosphere were nice.  It felt like we weren't really in Bangkok at that point. It was a nice last night for me and Pete.

Taxi ride home- around midnight- The drivers outside the hotel say 'Ban Dak Koon' over and over again, as if it's something really funny, or a silly phrase.  We didn't get it.  "Why you stay so far away?!"  They pass my brochure with the map on it amongst one another and turn it this way and that, trying to figure out where it is.  Finally a cabbie surfaces who "knows all of Bangkok!" and he tells us that 'Dak Koon" means the treet of the flower- the flower that is used in all the garlands for holidays and festivals.  And 'Ban' means guesthouse or residence.  Ahhh, it all makes sense now. When we pulled up to our place he saw one of these trees outside of our place, and he jumped out of his taxi, bolted over to the tree, and started jumping up and down to point out the flower!  He was so excited to have found the dak koon I guess!

So, it's amazing to think this was all one day.  We came back, packed up, and finally, finally we get to bed for some solid sleep.