Thailand last few days
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2008
1
15
18
Trip End
Jul 02, 2008
Bangkok,
Thailand
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
We then decided to stop at the super market to grab some beers there and chill out on the patio at the hotel and watch the night traffic for a while. We both had another cigar(if you can call it that). Black and milds were the only cigars we could find, so we settled for those. About 9 or so, we were up to going out since we didn't have plans except to get back to Bangkok the next day. Nate wanted to hit up the Irish pub, so we went there for a couple of guiness, which actually turned out to be pretty cool b/c the Federer/Nadal match was going on. So we watched that while we drank our guiness and I also had a Kilkenny.
Since the Irish pubs are pretty expensive, after 2 beers we decided to head out. Ended up at the same bar from the night before, playing pool and hanging out. The owner was crazy happy that we were back for some reason, she gave us a free beer at the end of the night again, this time for being "loyal" customers. She also gave us a shot of some sort of candy alcohol that she had made up. I think it was rice wine/liquor with some sort of purple sugar in it. It was strong but not too bad.
The bar was quite the experience for that night. There were some more girls at the bar from the previous night. Assuming they were "working". Being from the Midwest, this whole sex industry just baffles my mind. I don't understand it, but at the same time, for them, it's a way of life. One of the "extra" girls was playing pool with us, and mind you neither nate or I had any interest, at all, in taking anyone home. But right in the middle of the pool game, another girl came up to her, said something, and my opponent had just changed. The girl that i was playing in pool, headed out to a table just outside the bar. About 5 min. later, she came back and said something in Thai to the rest of them, and they all gave out a giddy cheer. Then she grabbed her handbag and then left. Both nate and i looked at each other in disbelief. We knew it existed and what not, but when the other 3 or so girls were so giddy that their friend had just sold herself, kind of a kidney punch from reality. Basically that it is their way of life here, crazy as it seems to me being from Iowa, but it's just intertwined in their culture.
After we assessed the situation, nate and i decided to stay in the bar. The area wasn't a red light district, but the presence of the sex industry was there. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the first time i've felt the sex industry's presence on this trip. It is the first time i've seen them all happy about a fellow "worker" going home with a guy.
So we got back to playing pool and watching a Yankee/Red sox game that must have been from the previous day. When all of a sudden, we hear this woman yelling opposite the bar from us. I look over and she rears back and tried to slap her husband/boyfriend. Apparently this sort of thing has happened before because he saw it comming a mile away, so no contact was made. The owner of the bar didn't even tell them to settle down or anything, she just came over and started talking to us and let the event take it's course. The guy settled her down, but she still looked pretty mad. It was kind of funny but i don't think this was a first time thing for them b/c she had a shiner that was about a week or so old. Sounded like they were from germany or eastern european, so more cluture exposure for Nate and I.
After that, nate and i decided we've had enough culture exposure and wanted to leave. This is when the owner, offered us another beer, on the house for being loyal customers. We didn't want to be rude, so we accepted, drank that beer and then went back to the hotel. It was around 1 and we weren't ready for sleep. We each had 1 can of beer, so we went back to our patio plan and talked till those beers were finished and headed to bed.
The next morning, we got up and ready to leave. I was done before nate, so i went over to International News Coffee for breakfast while he was finishing up. He came over after he was done and grabbed breakfast. We decided that after our bus experience, we didn't want to experience that again, so we would take the train. We took a taxi up to the train station and they proceeded to tell us that the next train for bangkok wasn't going to be there till 4 and it was 11. Luckily there was a guy that spoke pretty good english and told us about these "mini bus" taxis to bangkok. So we figured that was a good way to get back, since it wouldn't take near as long and they leave just about every hour.
We started to walk to find the place, sunburnt backs w/ our backpacks, fun stuff. We walked all over the place and it took us about an hour and a few stops to ask where it was. After we got there, the ticket was only 200 baht, which is about 6/7 dollars. There were were 12 people packed inside this Toyota conversion van that had a benzene engine. We didn't realize that it was a benzene engine untill we stopped to fill it up and saw the pumps. Both nate and I thought that was pretty cool b/c you never see anything like it in the states. We thought it was cool until we realized that they have to stop about every 70 km to fill back up. Then we realized why we don't have the benzene engines in the states. It was a 220 km trip and we had to stop 3 times to fill up. It was cheap to fill up, but time consuming.
The trip took 2.5 hours, so about an hour and a half shorter than the bus, so we were pleased. They dropped us off in front of a huge mall area. Just as we got into Bangkok the rain let loose. So we grabbed our packs and ran for shelter inside the mall. We got a game plan and decided to get a taxi back to the hostel.
While back at the Lub d, we checked in, and I found my luggage in the luggage room in tact and nothing missing. Which I was extremely happy about b/c all of my gifts from Vietnam and my kg of coffee was in there. I was a little worried when i left it b/c they have a disclaimer about the luggage room, saying that they are not responsible for lost or stolen luggage. Even though it is behind locked doors, but they let you go in and pick up your own luggage, they don't have a tag that you give to them and they go get it.
So we got settled in our room and came downstairs for a beer. Traveling always takes it out of you. Nate and I ran in to a few of the people that were still at the hostel from before we left. A couple of brits, scottsman, couple of people from the US and we met a guy from polland that showed up after we left. So nate and i headed for dinner. Thai food one more time for him before he left back to Vietnam. After we got back we met up with the group again, hung out in the bar area of the hostel and had a few drinks. Nate and I wanted to go back to the night market to get gifts and souviner type stuff. After we got back the group of ppl were still downstairs hanging out.
Nate wanted to take it easy because he flew out today and he might run into problems with getting back into vietnam b/c they stampped his visa as used and it wasn't good for multiple entries. Hopefully everything works out for him and he doesn't run into problems. So after a while a group of people were going out, I wanted to go out one last time but nate wanted to just hang out, people in the group were doing both things so we both we good to go.
I left for the hostel while everyone else was eating McDonalds(i couldn't do it, McD's in thailand are you serious?). As soon as I crossed the street, I saw something I NEVER in a million years thought i would see. There was a guy walking with a baby elephant that was about 6.5/7 feet tall. He was trying to get people to pay to feed it. After I told him that I didn't want to pay to feed it, he kept walking. I went to grab my camera to take a picture of it, reached in my pocket and no camera. I took it out after dinner at the hostel. MAN was i pissed.
So now back at the hostel, i had decided that i was going to try to start to acclimate myself to the transition in time zones so the jet lag wouldn't be so bad. Since I just had to see nate off around 11 today and nothing else going on except pick up a few more things at the street venders for gifts, I decided i was going to stay up as late as possible. A bonus is that they hostel bar doesn't really close down, so I ordered a few more beers and stayed up till about 5/530 in the morning talking it up with Elliot(brit) about sports and the difference between american sports and the rest of the world. It was a good time and experience.
Then it was off to bed. I got up around 9 while nate was getting ready for his departure. We had breakfast at the hostel, and he took off around 10 30 for the airport. I got online, checked up on some email and what not. Then ran to exchange some more money and walk around a bit for my last day. Bought some more stuff at a street vender that I didn't have money for the night before.
Got back to the hostel and threw in a couple of sleep aid pills to make me crash. So I crashed from 2 till about 730. Got up, shaved and headed out for dinner, went to the same Thai place as the night before but ordered a squid dish in oyster sauce. Stopped at the street venders to pick up my last few things on my way back to the hostel. Now here i am, just need to pack, and i'm going to try to stay up till i have to leave for the airport aroud 430, don't want to oversleep and not make it back to the states. So i'm going to pack and try to get some of my paperwork finalized from clinic abroad. I've got all the notes done, just need to go through and record on a tally sheet what i adjusted on everyone, spinal/extremity and what not. Mind numbing stuff, but has to get done and i've got time tonight, so might as well. Well all, the next and last update will be after i get back to the good Ol' US of A. Can't wait to talk to everyone. Cheers!
