Day 4 - Wednesday, February 16 - Bangkok

Today was deemed LAZY DAY!

Today I ate!

Today I ate some more!

Today I ate yet again!

I woke up at about 6:30A and decided I wasn't going to do much of anythnig today. Realized every day doesn't have to be jam packed. After all, I have 6 weeks of this and nobody is telling me where to be and when. I'm beinning to feel at home here at Shanti. I'm beginning to feel Thai.

Went to the breakfast area at about 7:30 and chatted it up with a German couple who were waiting for a cab. They are heading to Burma today and then back to Munich at the end of the month.

Had breakfast at about 9:30 - homemade mueslie with homemade yogurt and fresh fruit. It was really fresh and really good. I'm talking so fresh that I think the yogurt was the milk that never made it back in the fridge after the last person took it out last night.

I vegged around Shanti (the lodge) for most of the morning. Talked to Rochelle in the internet cafe for a bit. She is the 18 year old daughter of Kim, the owner. Kim is originally from South Africa, married a Thai man, and now lives here in Bangkok. She and her husband own and run the Shanti Lodge, and the internet Cafe / travel agency next door.

Rochelle has been living in Phuket but recently moved back to Bangkok to "run" the internet cafe and the "travel agency". She books peoples day trips / airline and bus tickets to other parts of Thailand, as well as other countries, and hooks you up with the latest and greatest best deals. Just today, she was telling someone of this great deal she can get for them in March - a $4 PLANE ticket from Bangkok to Phuket.

At about 1PM, I decided to head to Khao San Road to change some money and buy a little duffel bag of sorts. I went through all my stuff this AM and will be leaving a bag behind in the Shanti Lodge storage room. I am no way in need of all the stuff I currently have. They charge 5 baht a day to leave stuff....that is THIRTEEN CENTS A DAY!

Hopped in a Tuk Tuk to Khao San Road and was feeling the need for some street food. After all, it was nearing lunch time. The first stop was a little lady selling rice with some stir fry vegetables over it. She stir fries them right on her cart on this huge awesome wok that looks like has been in her family since the reign of King Rama V. Quite tasty and only 20 baht (52 cents) for a little styrofoam containers worth. Certainly enough for lunch.

Later down the road, after looking at thousands of "North Face" backpacks and duffel bags, I stumbled across a lady making fresh Pad Thai. I guess this was my mid day snack and for another 20 baht, I savored every bite of this delectable dish. All these little street carts usually have a tiny little plastic table (i.e. what you would find in a kindergarden classroom) and a few stools set up in case you want to "dine" with the cook rather than walk and eat.

Walked some more and tagged a few shops that I will be heading back to when I arrive back here. There is a LOT OF CRAP to buy and I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself when the shopping time comes. By this time, another hour had passed and it was certainly time to eat again.

Down some alley, after passing the 86th money exchange place, 3496th gift stall and shop, and the 294th tailor shop yearing to make a custome made suit for any passer byer who would dare enter, I found the motherload. A 106 year old lady sitting by a little grill with some tasty looking skewers smouldering on top. I could make out most of the meats. Chicken? Beef? Pork? Hmmmmm, WAS that indeed pork I was looking at. I really couldn't be sure. I pointed at the first row of skewers and she said, "chicken". I pointed and the second row and said, "Beef"?. She replied, "no beef". Oh, hmmmm, interesting, it sure looks like beef to me. She said, "chicken". She then pointed at skewer #1 and said, "chicken", pointed to skewer # 2 and said, "chicken", and pointed at skewer # 3 and said, "chicken". I pointed and said, "ALL CHICKEN"? She pointed to skewer # 1 and said, "chicken", pointed to #2 and said, "chicken inside, liver" and then to skewer # 3 and said, "chicken inside - kidney". There you have it. It was as simple as broken english spoken by a 106 year old Thai lady. I wasn't so sure about the kidneys but boy did I feast on a skewer of chicken and a skewer of chicken inside - liver. YUMMMMMM! I just imagined I was eating it on a piece of matzoh and called it Passover!

I was pretty satisfied and still made sure I had room for a pre-dinner snack.

It was time to retreat back to Shanti. Decided to take a water taxi home as it was nearing really bad traffic time. Besides, it's so simple, it's only 10 baht, and I hadn't walked through my market yet today. The pier is only a few minute walk from Khao San Road but I stumbled across this really cool cobblestone lined alley / street with tons of Guest Houses / shops / stalls / and even a few proper "restaurants". It was a really cool place. I detoured and walked around a bit and came across "The Green House Guest House" which is where Brad and Annie from yesterday's Chinatown trek were staying. They weren't in, so I ventured onward.

Came across this rustic looking pub/bar/restaurant caled "Hungry", probably owned by a westerner who re-located here. Stopped in for a beverage. Of course, I had to have a little green papaya salad to end the day with. It was the same salad that I had last night at the Beer Buree and the same salad that Julie Jones told me about I think. It's really refreshing and UNBELIEVABLY spicy at the same time. Without the use of a mirror, I wasn't quite sure I still had lips or a tongue left. I was now full and dinner was not in the cards for me. Although each of my snacks today were small and Thai sized, I managed to eat enough for a pretty good size lunch - you know the sized lunch that makes you not that hungry for dinner.

Found the pier, got on the boat and whilst I was walking through my market (I believe the market has been re-named "The Hammer Group Market"), I heard a familiar noise. A noise I hadn't really been aware of since I arrived. The noise was coming from my pocket. Could it be? My World Cell Phone, provided by none other than Mike Gearin himself, was RINGING. It was the first day I was carrying it expecting a call from Aunt Barbara and Uncle Philip who, yet in the same city, were experiencing it on a different level. I was invited to dinner at The Oriental Hotel with them. Being that this was the same hotel I was denied access to in the middle of the day for my casual attire, I certainly didn't have proper wear for dinner. We made a plan to meet at the Peninsula for a drink after their dinner at 10:30PM.

Arrived back to Shanti at 4:50P - just in time to book my trip to the "floating market" with Rochelle in the Internet Cafe. See link below:

http://www.virtourist.com/asia/bangkok/14.htm

Hung out, read, relaxed, and fell asleep. Woke up suddenly at 9:50P and rushed to get ready. Showered and put on my finest clothes for drinks at the Peninsula which consisted of sneakers, clean socks (first pair I've worn since I arrived), my wash and wear nylon type of travel pants that zip off at the knee to convert them into shorts, and a clean shirt. I walked through the lodge feeling as if I were going to a wedding.

The cab driver was, well.....a typical cab driver. After I said, "Peninsula Hotel?" and he said "yes", I thought all was fine. As we were driving he started talking to me in Thai and realized he had no clue where that was. I was already late and was slightly anxious to get there as quick as possible. I wanted to be pissed off but how could I be? What would that accomplish? He wouldn't understand, I would get annoyed, and I would raise my blood pressure certainly higher than it needed to be for no reason. Finally. I managed to make him understand where it was by repeating over and over, "Peninsula Hotel", Oriental Hotel" and made gestures of tall buildings and water. As we crossed the river, I saw the hotel in the distance, pointed and with sheer excitement said, "yes, yes, yes, Peninsula Hotel".

They were waiting for me in the lobby, I ordered a beer and we chatted. We tried to catch up as best we could, I explained my trip to them and they expalined their cruise to me. Two different worlds colliding at once. I'm glad I stuck around Bangkok a little longer to see them. There arne't many people I would change my plans for, but ever since I was born (or old enough to remember, my Aunt Barbara help a special place in my life). I don't see them often, so the chance to see them here, of all places, was certainly special. It was getting late so we said good-bye and I hopped in a cab. The doorman explained to the cab driver exaclty where I was going and I got there without any problems.

Tucked myself in, and set my alarm for 6:30AM for the Floating Market tour.