My Trip To The Big City [long]

[buadhai]

Although I have visited Bangkok dozens of times in the last 30 years, this was to be my first since retiring and settling in Korat. I have to admit that my initial excitement was somewhat tempered by the failure of the air con to keep up with the Isaan sun and the bus load of warm bodies. In any event my fellow passengers proved to be an interesting and varied lot. The gentleman just opposite me felt the need to wai every single Buddha image along the way. A not insignificant task, especially in the area where the highway leaves the Korat plateau for the broad plain below. At one point my fellow passenger actually wai'd a cement plant. I'm not sure if this was an error of the overly pious, or if he owes some special debt of gratitude to Siam City Cement.

We stayed at the Ambassador on Suk Soi 11. I have to thank Ken, also of Kolat, for recommending this hotel. It is convenient, the public areas quite elegant, the rooms adequate if lacking in amenities (no coffee or free drinking water) and the price is right. The (included) buffet breakfast was quite good as well.

Upon check in we observed this rather odd encounter. A guest was changing rooms for some reason or other. He asked if he could just move his bags from room 617 to 624. (Room numbers have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Clerk: No, go to your room.

Guest: But I want to go out. Can't I just move my bags?

Clerk: No you can't go out. Just go to your room, now. We're fully booked.

One of our goals to to initiate a teller point of sale transaction at Bangkok Bank. We had previously been told that this was possible, both by e-mail and by the Bangkok Bank staff in Korat. Ooops. No can do. I call this the TIT Uncertainty Principal. It turns out that you cannot know how to get something done in Thailand until you have actually done it; which method may not work next time -- even a few moments later.

I'm distressed to report that word of the newly reinforced liquor sales law has yet to reach many drinking establishments in our fair capital. We were unable to buy a bottle of wine at Foodland, Soi 5, at 4:00 in the afternoon. However, we were able to enjoy a draft beer and banana margarita (banana?) at Gulliver's, just across the soi a few minutes later. Of course, The Shed over on Soi 7 seemed to be in full swing all day long as did the lively establishments on Soi 7/1. (At least according to the touts stationed just outside of Subway.) Don't feel bad Mr. Farang Connection. I'm sure the Boys in Brown from Lumpini Station will be visiting these errant establishments "real soon now".

Another task at hand was to purchase a bicycle for myself. I had communicated via e-mail with ProBike, over near Lumpini Park. They suggested I come in and have a look at their hybrid bikes. It took me a while to find the place as I am not that familiar with the Rajadamri area. (I did stumble across a small Villa supermarket where I was surprised to find that the denizens of the Rajadamri high-rise condos are willing to spend eight baht a liter more for their pomelo juice than it costs here in Korat.) In any event ProBike didn't have anything in my size so that trek (pun intended) was for nought. (Other than the information gleaned on the prices paid by the wealthy.)

We also managed to purchase the new Mac OS, "Tiger". It's a lovely upgrade and includes "Spotlight", a wonderful combination of file system meta-data and content indexing that makes finding anything on your hard drive a breeze. Truly stunning. I understand that Microsoft's new OS, dubbed "Longwait", will have similar capabilities. Longwait is expected some time during the second quarter of this century.

We had two lovely evening meals. The first night we dined at Baan Khanita, over on Soi 23. I had eaten at the branch on Soi Ruamrudee, but never at the original location. The service was superb and the food just about the best I've ever had. No matter that the bill came to about fifty times what it would cost to feed the family at the Lotus food court. It's simply nice to know that gourmet Thai cooking is just a three and a half hour bus trip away!

The following day we ate at what seems to be a trendy pizza joint called Lemoncello on Soi 11, just across from the President. It has a genuine brick pizza oven and chefs who know how to twirl the pizza dough up in the air. A good show and good pizza. (Oddly, I ran into an old friend from Saipan there. He had been running the tourist submarine on Phuket which, sadly, is going out of business and will be returned to the Mariana Islands.) The service at Lemoncello was so quick that we had eaten and were out of there before the evening was half over.

So, I took my GF over to Vxxdxx at NEP to show her the career she'd missed by continuing her education and going abroad to work. Upon entering I immediately observed that she'd have to put on ten kilos or so to qualify as a Vxxdxx pole dancer. My those women are big. Almost as big as the customers. (What customers? you might rightly ask.) I'm amazed I spent time in such places in my youth. I found it loud, boring and somewhat embarrassing. Not to mention pricey. 125 baht for a beer? What's that all about? Might as well go over to The Shed where the beer is half price, the music a bit more tasteful and where the flab is mostly concealed by tight jeans and polyester tube tops.

Finally, it was time to go home. I gamely suggested we try the train. This was greeted by sneers of derision by ten year old Pim. Unfortunately, Pim clearly remembers the last time Khun Mike insisted on the train. That was a tortuous 12 hour journey from Chiangmai to Bangkok on a train ironically named "The Sprinter". No, I'm afraid young Pim is off trains for life. She does make exception for Bangkok's Rot Fai Fah (BTS); probably because it generally travels forward, unlike The Sprinter which seems to spend equal time going sideways and up and down.

Weekend after this we're off to Pattaya. Haven't been since 1989. Understand it's changed a bit....

[bino]

I call this the TIT Uncertainty Principal. It turns out that you cannot know how to get something done in Thailand until you have actually done it; which method may not work next time -- even a few moments later.

Got that 100% right!

Amazing Thailand....... never ceases to amaze me.

[Jack Jones]

Weekend after this we're off to Pattaya. Haven't been since 1989. Understand it's changed a bit....

Now that will be an interesting report juding by the take on Bangkok. Look forward to it.