Just a quick update on the first few days in Bangkok (abbreviated BKK)…

Weather

It’s the tail end of the rainy season here, so it’s been mostly overcast with some periods of sun, and occasional rain showers but mostly at night. Temp is pretty consistent around 90 degrees, with insanely high humidity because of the clouds. A fun thing to do is make a mini-rainstorm by ordering a cold beer and hold it in front of you by the top. The condensation literally pours off the bottle and rains down. It’s the little things in life that entertain me… The northern and central parts of the country are pretty much flooded from weeks of heavy rain. Over 250 people have died from the floods in the last couple weeks. I had planned to go to Ayutthaya (ancient capital of Thailand) for a day trip, but the entire area is under water, including many of the old temples. They expect the water to flow down the river and reach Bangkok around the 16th, which is also when there’s high tide, so they think large parts of Bangkok could be flooded.

Thong Lo, Expats and Iron Fairies

A friend of a friend connected me with a guy, Kelly, that used to live in Seattle but now lives here. He’s been living in Asia the past 10 years, the last 5 of which in BKK. He has his own Internet business, and just launched a daily-deals site for Thailand here a couple weeks ago (jajoop.com). I met up for drinks with him on Friday night in an area called Thong Lo. It’s a little further outside of central BKK than I’ve been, so fun to see a new area (although it frankly looks exactly the same as any other less-developed area of the city). We bounced around to several different bars, and met several of his expat friends (expat = expatriate = person living/working in their non-native country). It was really interesting to talk with them about their experiences of living and working here. It was exactly the kind of discussions I was looking to have, to see if living here was as great as I think it could be.

They did help validate a few things that I’ve noticed over the years of coming here:

1. Thais have an incredible knack for remembering details of every person they encounter, like who you are, what you like to eat, what you like to drink, etc.  It’s creepy.
2. Nothing gets done in a hurry. Usually, it takes 3 or 4 times to get something done the right way.
3. Smiling while you’re dealing with Thais on problems will always get your further than yelling, being stern, or losing your temper.
4. Thais love listening to The Eagles Greatest Hits CD, and particularly the song Hotel California.  This factoid has perplexed me since the very first time I came to the country.

We went to a bar called the Iron Fairies. Probably the coolest bar I’ve ever seen! It’s run by an Australian who wrote some children’s books about fairies, and then started a blacksmith shop here making castings of little fairies out of iron. He apparently has his retail shop and another similar bar in New York (www.theironfairies.com – some decent pics of the bar in the gallery section of the website). The back part of the building is his blacksmith shop, so the place kind of has the smell of a foundry. The interior is tough to describe, and pictures do it no justice. It’s small, but crammed with all kinds of random things like old sewing machines, metal-working and foundry tools and equipment, tricycles hanging on the walls. From an aesthetic standpoint, I’d have to say it’s a cross between industrial steam punk and Harry Potter. The attention to detail is mind-boggingly unbelievable – you could spend days in the place and still never pick up on all the little things he’s done. It’s dimly-lit, mostly by candles and some small lightbulbs, has stairs going to nowhere, and hidden rooms behind bookshelves. If you’re ever in Bangkok, this is an absolute must-see.

Iron Fairies Staircase

Me in the "hidden room" at Iron Fairies

Chatuchak Market

Although it’s one of the biggest tourist things in BKK, surprisingly in all my trips here I’ve never been to the Chatuchak weekend market. That is, until this past weekend when I lost my Chatuchak virginity. It’s an enormous market, consisting of over 8,000 market stalls spread across 38 acres (!!!), and has about a quarter million visitors every weekend. They have everything you could ever potentially want or need here, from clothing to wicker to glassware to crafts to household goods to plants to about a thousand other things. Most of the stalls are set up in large concrete barn-like buildings with row after row after row of stalls. It’s easy to get completely lost. There’s also no air conditioning. I could be wrong, but I believe it is likely the hottest place on planet earth. Taking a bath in molten lava would feel cool and refreshing compared to Chatuchak market! However, once you accept the fact that you’re going to walk around all day completely soaked in sweat, it’s actually really fun. And if you weren’t hungry when you got there, you will be soon after getting there. The smells of spices and food coming from all the food vendors scattered throughout the market is inescapable. And the food tastes even better than it smells! My favorite stall was one that was wall to wall, floor to ceiling stacked with flip-flops. Literally, thousands and thousands of flip-flops in every style and color you could imagine. Needless to say, I was in flip flop heaven! 🙂

It’s only fitting that I start this blog with the most common question people ask me when my travels to Thailand come up in conversation: “Why Thailand??”  I asked the same question the first time my friend Rande wanted me to go there to see him while he was vacationing there.  I had no desire to go to Thailand, and other than occasionally eating some Phad Thai in Seattle, I really knew nothing about the country.  After several phone conversations, he convinced me to step out of my comfort zone, put aside any preconceived notions I had about the country, and get on a plane and go there. And within a few hours of being in Bangkok, I was hooked!  And it only got better as we made our way down to the islands and beaches.

It’s actually hard for me to clearly articulate what specifically it is that’s so magical about Thailand (and to a certain degree Southeast Asia in general).  But at the top of the list is the people.  The Thais are the most warm, friendly, smiling and fun people I have ever met. Thailand’s tourism slogan is “The Land of Smiles”, and it’s a well-earned slogan; everyone is smiling all the time there!  If you go even a little out of your way to engage in conversation with anyone — the waittress, the bell man, the bartender, the taxi driver — they are very open and love to talk about their families, culture, and country.  They are extremely proud of the beauty of their country (and rightfully so), and are always eager to ask where you’ve travelled in the country and give you advice on new areas to explore.  A small bit of conversation with them, and you will likely have a friend for life (and quite possibly, an invitation to go to their family’s home for dinner that night).

Next to the people, Thailand offers some of the most stunningly gorgeous scenery I’ve ever witnessed.  From lush jungles and forests of rubber trees, coconut trees, palm trees, and banana plants to long stretches of soft sandy beaches, to colorful vertical limestone cliffs, to the iconic varying shades of blue and green waters… it is a photographer’s paradise, although this novice photographer can rarely capture anything that does justice to the natural beauty.

Along with the natural beauty are the man-made elements.  Thailand has thousands and thousands of ornate buildings, shrines and Buddhist temples, many of which are centuries old.  Whether they’re tucked away deep in a hillside, down a side road in a small village, or in the middle of bustling Bangkok, they are always beautiful to look at.  Passing anywhere nearby one, you’re likely to smell the incense that people burn as they pray and make offerings to the monks.  Stepping inside a temple seems to immediately make you calmer and introspective, regardless of your religious beliefs.

Thailand is considered a developing country.  The infrastructure and standard of living that we’re used to in America and Europe simply are not there in Thailand, with the partial exception of Bangkok.  You can’t drink the tap water anywhere, there are open sewers running down the streets, and outside of the tourist areas families often live in one-room shacks with no electricity or running water.  It has been a fascinating experience for me to see a culture and lifestyle so different from what I’m used to.  I grew up in a relatively poor family, but it pales in comparison to what I’ve seen in Thailand.  But despite the basic conditions, they are thankful for what they have and work hard to carve out a living for themselves and their families.  I have certainly become far more thankful for the little things in life, and realize how many things I take for granted just because of the luck of living in a developed country like America.

Now, Thailand is certainly not all poverty and shanty-towns.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t cover the more popular tourist areas.  This is where you see modern western culture juxtaposed with traditional Thai culture, and more and more the western influences are taking over.  Bangkok has become a mecca of indulgence for the wealthy, with huge new malls opening every year to house the high-end stores like Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, Armani and a bunch of others that I’m not familiar with because they’re way out of my price range. In the most popular beach/island areas like Phuket and Koh Samui, you’ll find multi-story nightclubs with world-renowned DJs spinning, complete with sound systems, lights, lasers, foam, bubbles, smoke and  a hip/cool atmosphere that would rival any of the hottest clubs in New York or LA.  Yet, you still can’t drink the tap water in those clubs, and their toilets likely flush directly out into the open sewer in the street.  Ok, so maybe not quite as polished as New York or LA, but they’re getting there…

So, Why Thailand?  It’s because of all of the above, and more.  It’s a mind-blowing cultural difference from what I’m used to; it’s amazing sun-soaked beaches along warm waters; it’s phenomenal historic and religious sites; it’s ridiculously good food and cheap prices; it’s peaceful rest and reflection when you want it, and thumping rowdy drunken crowds when you want that too; it’s $5 massages every day; it’s a culture of people who make me smile, laugh, and forget about everything else going on in my life and just enjoy every minute that I’m there.  And I can’t wait to get back there again!!