12.23.01

Holy shit!  Bangkok!  What a zoo.  We arrived to 28 degrees celsius (from the Kanto chill) and beaming (I mean BEAMING) sun.  No a/c tunnel getting off this plane.  Just a little bus to bring us to the terminal that tons of vacationers crammed into.  The airport employees look so chilled.  Foreigners here are for the mostpart pathetic and tearing through the country (Japan's history of colonial violence and its high cost of living put Yanks, Brits and Canucks on their best behaviour): FARANG.  There's much deserved hostility towards us from the Thai people.  I was struck by the poverty when I first arrived.  TukTuks in their motorcycle taxis spurting diesel fumes into the city air, old cars lined bumper-to-bumper on the sweltering streets, diseased dogs walking alongside the street vendors, children selling fruit.  And of course the ubiquitous fact (and big tourist draw) that we can live decently off less than $20US/day between 2 of us.

But it certainly isn't all doom and gloom.  The air is imbued with a sense of relaxation, otherworldliness and gorgeous tropical weather.  The people look laid-back and less stressed than in the West and Japan.  The architecture is jaw-droppingly original.  The room we're renting for four bucks/night has 10 foot ceilings and overlooks dozens of ornate, traditionally designed roof tops.

The political and religious history of Thailand is rich, diverse and resillient.  The Thai people successfully fought off British colonialism in the 19th c. and have since managed to retain their cultural autonomy.  Buddhism remains very strong as the national religion.

Today's plan...?  Market, haircut, maybe Grand Palace...  off to read the guide book.

LATER THAT DAY...

back in the "Bella Balla" after a wild and crazy day.  We checked out the Grand Palace.  What an absolutely ornate set of buildings.  We took tons of shots of just about every angle of glittering gold.  We rode in a tuk tuk tonight (God bless their souls, major lung disease like nothing i could imagine).  The ride brought us all the way across the city for 100baht (2 bucks).  of course we were getting majorly ripped, farang rate, but let's get real here.

We booked a bus ride to Chiang Mai--overnight-- and a night in a hotel.  We also reserved a night at the Oriental Hotel, in Bangkok, said by many to be the nicest hotel in the world!-- for January 6th.  Epiphany baby.  It's definitely out there by Thai standards, but no more than a mid-range hotel (with none of the glitz and fixins) would cost in TO, let alone Tokyo where what we're going to pay for the Oriental would get you into a youth hostel at this time of year.  'Tis the way of the world.

Of course I'm struck by the contrast of the haves and the have nots.

Last night, a bird, that I thought was an annoying  farang, screeched at 30 second intervals all through the night.  For as long as I shall live, that sound will be with me.  Ask me for an impression when next you see me ;)  And of course the dogs, tearing around in search of scraps.
 

12.24.01

Chillin' (uh, not an appropriate term in this country) at the Hua Lumphong Train Station in Bangkok.  We tried to get train tix yesterday for Chiang Mai, but any decent seats were sold out.  So instead we went outside and got "tukked", as we call it.  TukTuk is an exclusive term reserved for the motorbike cabs that stop farang on every corner, drumming up business. But we've adapted the term as a blanket way to refer to all instances of being hassled for sales.  From restaurants, to tours, to shops, .... exhausting and overwhelming in the scorching, reeking weather.

Anyway, we got "tukked" into taking a bus tour (supposedly VIP) to Chiang Mai.  The slick-talking young frontman of the gig enticed us with pictures of frolicking farang on various elephant-riding, hill-tribe-trekking adventures.  Someone should tell them that the discriminating foreigners seek to escape their own voracious kind in lands of such exotic enticements.  We opted out of the 3-day jungle package and instead signed on (against all guide-book advice) to a somewhat dodgy-looking bus ride/hotel for one night deal.  We are looking around the office to see if it is possible to dismantle it by five o'clock tomorrow when we are to meet the special taxi to the bus....I really hope it's legit....

Rod has been ill all day.  We're not quite sure what the problem is.  Likely related to the thick brew of lemon tea he drank against his instincts yesterday.  The heat is getting to our brains.  There is no way to escape it!!!  He has hard core diarrhea and intense nausea.  He's been shivering silently all day, sleeping inordinate amounts of time.  I'm buying the safest food I can (Mr. Donuts muffins and the like... (our other options are ma and pops thai food, kfc, and dairy queen)) only to end up eating it myself, because he doesn't feel up to it.  He's now resting beside me on the wooden bench of the station.  Quite the place this Bangkok.

On the "home-away-from" home-front, Japan sunk what is thought to be a North Korean ship yesterday.  Likely killing about 15 people.  The world is a tumultuous place.
 

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