Arrival in Bangkok (on the 4th of July). Got to airport, found ATM, all good. Found the correct bus immediately. Then got to the Hostel (Suk 11, Soi 11 Sukhumvit). Nice place! I had a double room for myself, with AC. The place is full of dark wood, and the hallways are designed like alleys over streams… hard to describe. But the TV room had HBO. Heh. And the place had WiFi. Beautiful. That evening, I used the Wifi to research Mandarin courses in China. Not sure why, but I did. And I ended up finding that several of them started in July and they were the last ones I’d have a chance to take! Ahhhh! So I emailed the University of International Relations in Beijing, asking if I could still apply for their program. Then ate some food from a street stall, walked around a bit, found a used bookstore (which I would revisit several days later), walked around a bit more, headed back to the hotel.
Next day (July 5). I got a response from UIR, saying I could apply, just had to pay a late fee. So now I’ve got to get to China, get a visa, get all my necessary documents for the program, have a place to stay, etc, etc. And the program starts July 20! Heh. So I start working on things. I book a flight for July 9 to Hong Kong, which will get me in on a Sunday, since I have to go to the bank on Monday to make a payment into UIR’s account (at a certain bank branch). I book a hostel (end up booking too many days, more on that later). I call home and get my mother to help me out with academic records (eventually I just get a digital confirmation of my UM graduation, and they accept that). I fill out the application form and fax it to Beijing. Whew! Then I head out to see some of Bangkok. I take a river taxi up from the bottom to the top of the muddy, muddy river. It’s a horribly rainy day, but Bangkok is a sight. Walk to Khao San (the backpacker ghetto of Bangkok), hate it instantly. What a horrible cesspool of backpacker scum. Ugh. But I did find a used copy of the Lonely Planet China there (although it ended up having two pages on Beijing ripped out – bastard previous owners). Then I started walking back, and it started pouring. I mean, I really experienced the monsoon. The rain was torrential (see picture on Flickr). I was completely soaked, finally grabbed a cab to Siam square. From there, tried to go find the Settlers Café ( a new gaming café in Bangkok), but was unsuccessful (mostly because I hadn’t paid attention to the directions the last time I read them). Went back to the hostel, watched some TV, checked some email re: the program, more street food (green curry), fruit from street vendor (so many fruit vendors – it’s wonderful!).
July 6. Ok. Started with grand plans to sightsee. Instead, walked to Siam, got a latte, watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Not as good as the first, but still fun. Trying a little too hard to be Empire Strikes Back. The theatre was gorgeous. And again, all the kids and teens were actually quite for the movie. Oh, and the trailer for Spiderman 3 rocked my socks. After the movie, went to find Settlers Café again. This time I found it. Woo! Was welcomed by the staff, and soon found myself teaching all the employees how to play Power Grid. Fun! After that, we were going to play Princes of Florence, but never got to because the place got so busy. I spent a lot of time hanging with Daryl (the manager) and Ni (one of the employees). Taught a group of customers how to play Puerto Rico. Then played several games of Blokus with Daryl and two of his friends from his Thai language class (he was Singaporean – that’s where the first Settlers Cafes are). I won each time. Heh. Daryl invited me to eat dinner with him and the employees. Yum. Closed out the place, then headed home.
July 7. Out to do sightseeing. Saw Wat Po, beautiful temple with the huge reclining Buddha. I mean, really huge. And shiny. Also got a massage there. Walked around a bit, got some Pad Thai, went back to the used bookstore, sold some books, bought some books, then headed back to Settlers… Taught them Princes of Florence ( and lost), ended up teaching another group to play Puerto Rico. Closed the place out again.
July 8. Last day in Bangkok (for now). Didn’t do much. Went to the weekend market – they have everything there. The place is crazy huge. I’m planning on doing all my Christmas shopping there right before I leave in November. There I bought a pair of khaki jeans and a small backpack. Then back to Settlers because I had forgotten to pay my tab the night before. They wouldn’t let me pay, and I ended up playing a few games of Lost Cities with Ni, and then Villa Paletti and Settlers with some Thai girls who hardly spoke any English. Finally, headed out of Settlers Café for the last time (this trip), and back to the hostel. Went to Cabbages and Condoms (weird name, good restaurant - found it in the Lonely Planet) for dinner – had some great green curry.
July 9. Had the Suk 11 free breakfast (which I’d been having for the last few days – pineapple, watermelon, papaya, croissants, muffins), then got a latte at Serendipity down the street while reading the paper. Bangkok is a great place, nice and cheap and fun. But wet and full of traffic as well. A few days earlier when I took that cab it took about an hour to go a couple km. I have no idea how people commute there! Anyway, took a cab to the airport (not much traffic on Sunday), had lots of time to spare so I got a manicure/pedicure there. How metrosexual of me, I know. Never had one before, definitely will again. Then had to get more money out of the ATM because I had forgotten that there was a departure tax to leave Bangkok. 500 Baht! Well over 10 bucks! Why they can’t add that onto tickets is beyond me. Gah.
Oh, and when on the subway, always remember:
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