Home Sweet Bangkok
Last night we went to an Irish pub in our neighborhood. To my left was an impeccably dressed and red-lip-sticked Thai woman in her late fifties. She was a prostitute. To JR’s right was an overweight American man with a stuffed bra and a pixie-cut wig who introduced himself as “Karen”. Before long a Yugoslavian pilot joined in, and we had a party. A transvestite, a prostitute, a pilot and us. We clanged our pints of Singha beer and had conversations spanning normal bar banter, politics family & traveling. The Thai woman has decided to adopt me as her daughter, and the transvestite admitted to JR that his kids don’t speak to him. This is why Bangkok is such a special place. Where else in the world would this hodge podge group of individuals gather in the same place, a place that accepted all of them equally? (Granted, I did secretly wince when saying “So Karen, where are you from”…I wanted to adjust the socks in his bra like my mother corrects crooked picture frames in doctor’s offices)
Bangkok is a savvy modern metropolis with an old village surviving in the alleyways. Our apartment building is amongst tall office buildings, malls and entertainment options to suit the tastes of both the refined and smutty. The surrounding labyrinth of alleyways transforms into a bustling market during the work week, creating an aromatic cloud of hot noodle soups and curries. We weren’t planning on settling down anywhere, but the fatigue of four and a half months of constant travel had taken a toll on our bodies and nerves, so we signed a 2 month lease for a large studio. Now we’ll have a homebase to launch short 1-bag trips throughout Thailand, and a comfortable place to return to without traversing the city and haggling a rate.
The past few weeks have been spent becoming acquainted with our temporary home and exploring the city. Our friend Dan whom we traveled with in India & Nepal crashed on our couch for a week, and proved to be a worthy partner in crime. Together we explored Bangkok’s malls, markets, street food stalls and watering holes in the scorching heat, and returned gratefully to our air conditioned apartment and pool.
Two weeks ago we paid our second visit to the shopping mecca heaven of Chatuchek Market, a place where the procurement of underwear, soup spoons, and caged bunnies wearing costumes is all possible. A very weird thing happened at the Chatuchek market this trip. After paying witness to a singing transvestite dressed up as a clown/catholic school girl (normal) I ran into a friend from high school.
We ran into Dana and her husband Jacob in Kathmandu, and randomly seeing them again in Bangkok was extremely bizarre to say the least. Considering we both went to Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge Michigan…population probably around 20,000…this is certainly not a scenario you expect to unfold in two Asian cities. Perhaps I should alert the Grand Ledge Independent, this would be front page news. Headline “GLHS Alumni Run Into Eachother in China…or Asia or whatever” next to “County Drain Commission Votes Down Storm Project” and “Seniors to Host Pancake Supper to Benefit The Baseball Team”.
Last weekend we ventured out of ‘The ‘Kok’ to Kanchanaburi. No wild stories, just nature…so I’ll just cut the copy and post the pictures.
Now that we have an address, we’ll be accepting gifts from home if anyone is in the mood. Cash, cases of red zinfandel and La Pasadita burritos on dry ice are just some ideas.
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Tags: Thailand, Travel
brooke.pearson8
ok…i draw the line on mom bashing kiddo. Straightening pictures is Feng Shui….a far cry from straightening falsies! nrnrLove you and can’t wait to visit your apartment and straighten the pictures! xoxo marm
Oh, and BTW….your home town is actually made up of around 8,000 Comet Fans. A bit smaller than you remember? I will submit the picture of you and Dana to the G.L. Independent….”Home town girls hanging with the clown/ school girl” whoo hoo! xo marm
Love your stories- I am always checking for new ones and get very disappointed when they are not there!! You make my day!!
Hi Brooke and JR.
Remember me? José from the Irish Xchange?
The Dutch woman……… think think……. 🙂
What a nice website you have.
Are you still at the moment in Bangkok?
I went back to the Netherlands last Sunday.
But I hope to be back somewhere in July.
As you are then still in Bangkok we will see eachother again in the Irish Xchange.
In meanwhile I will read your site from time to time.
Bye bye
you’re much more refined than i… i would’ve been transforming that transvestite like we were on some new reality tv show..
cheers guys!