After Andy and I returned from Hua Hin, he had about a day left in Thailand. He relaxed and I had to go to school. It was a little strange, and unceremonious as goodbyes go, but he left in a van from Rayong to the airport in Bangkok at 9PM on a Monday to catch a 5:45AM flight for the following morning to go back home. After we said goodbye and I watched his van pull away from the market near my apartment, I was extremeley sad. I didn't really know what to do with my emotions so everything sort of came out in a flood of tears the last two days he was here and after he left. I'd realized how comfortable it was to have the Western company when for so long I had been on my own and sort of making my own way. It was so refreshing to be able to share my stories and thougths with someone who really understands where those thoughts were coming from.
After a few weeks I was back on my feet and looking forward to the next exciting goings-on to lift my spirits. The weekend after Andy left I went to Bangkok to meet up with my friend Donna who I'd met a few months ago. Her boyfriend was visiting her so they were in the middle of their traveling time together. I went to Bangkok with one of my friends and co-workers Huang, one of the Chinese teachers at school. Her and I are the same age and we have a good time swapping stories about America and China. When we arrived at Victory Monument, she headed toward a hotel where a Chinese group wedding was taking place that she had to attend, and I headed toward Banglamphu- the backpackers stomping groups in Bangkok. I would meet up with Donna and her boyfriend Nathan later that evening.
The taxi dropped me off at Khao San Road, the main thoroughfare through Banglamphu, and I wandered in the direction of Donna's guesthouse. I hadn't been to Khao San Road. since I stayed in Bangkok on my own after Petey left- in September- so it was fun to be back to a place I knew. It was much nicer to be there in the day light hours. At night Khao San Road gets crazy packed and dance music starts blasting over every bars' speakers so your body just feels like its pulsating as you walk down the street. During the day it's a bit more relaxed and you can take a better look at what's being sold in the sidewalk stalls and shops.
After I checked into my guesthouse I walked to a nearby restuarant and ordered a pot of tea and read a book. I was nearly finished with 'Siddhartha' bye Herman Hesse, so I was eager to dive back into it. I've always struggled with being alone- I'm so painfully a people person that being alone is strange sometimes- so this was some of my planned 'alone' time. I realized I needed to relish in being alone and enjoy solitude- even if I might be surrounded by people. I flew through the pages and the tea in no time and soon it was time to meet with Donna and Nathan for dinner.
We had a lovely time at dinner and chatted until the later evening hours. We made plans to go to Chatuchak Market for Sunday and I was very excited about that. I had planned to go to Chatuchak- or 'JJ Market' when I was in Bangkok before, but alas, malarial/dengue fever symptoms kept me in bed in my guesthouse. It's hard to describe Chatuchak- it's so massive! You can buy anything there- from clothes to furniture to rabbits and dogs. The market is most active on Saturdays and Sundays, and some parts of the market are open during the week. There are many components to the market- part of is a mall, parts are outdoor stalls and tables with various wares, and some partially enclosed shops. A woman named Nancy Chandler has made two amazing maps that I know of for Thailand. One for Chiang Mai and the other for Bangkok. In the Bangkok map she made a map for Chatuchak Market- it's that intense and huge. It is best to go to the market with a plan of what you want to buy so you can go to the right areas and really take your time to browse. Of course walking around is just fine as well, but rest assured you will get very tired pretty quickly by just wandering.
Locals and foreigners fill the market and make for a diverse crowd. The market is so vast, truly. I wish I were a better writer/blogger at this point to better describe the experience, but it really is just something you need to see for yourself. As soon as you enter from the street you are overwhelmed with directions to go- left down this narrow little pathway with little tables and chairs crowded together to create a mini coffee shop? That diagonal path leading ahead and to the right to a posh jewelry store? To the right- the wide street with loads of shops on either side and handfuls of vendors with make-shift stalls in the mix of it all? The possibilities are endless. Once you pick a direction you may not find that same shop you started at. Soon you'll end up jumping over wet piles of food waste to get a closer look at a guinea pig, or craning your neck above the heads in front of you to see if the scarf table ahead has anything different from the last scarf vendor. Decisions decisions...
Here are just a few photos of the market to help you get a taste of what it's like.
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| Want some fresh coconut? The vendors will just pluck one off the pile for you, hack open the top which their machete and pop a straw in there for you. Yum. |
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| Packed shops back to back |
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| The bluegrass music restaurant and shop! |
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| Get yer cowboy boots! |
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| I'm not really sure if he was carrying any sort of tune, but he was cute and very enthusiastic about the pipes he was playing. I had to snap this photo. |
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| Chatuchak is so big- you can get a ride on the shuttle. |
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| Me and Donna parting ways |
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| All the entrances are labeled and numbered which sort of helps with navigation of the market... |
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