The Life and Times of Jim! Paul!

What a Trip in Bangkok!

So what do you do in Bangkok?
You sweat.
You get out of bed, shower, plan the day, head down to breakfast, then once you are outside, you sweat. Okay, maybe I exaggerate. But it sure seems this way.
The alphabet is incomprehensible to me (There are 44 characters total). It's squiggles and curly-cues and loops, and often it might be several words strung together without spaces in between, but I will ask Jat to confirm this impression. (It is true, but there are marks signifying new words.)
The weather is not that unbearable, if you don't mind sweating, if you stay mostly in the shade (there is plenty of shade) and a breeze comes up, you will be cool. There is a lot of greenery, this being a tropical country, it is quite humid and rain is always imminent if not falling at this particular moment. I thought rain would be nearly constant, but it is not. It just stays humid. I am very glad for the occasional wind.
You don't drink the tap water here. Even according to the locals, don't drink it. Bottled water is everywhere, and very cheap, and always chilled when you buy it. It is cheap enough here, I went to a 7-11 (yeah, they do exist here), and picked up 3 litres of water for about $.75.
The cost of living here is very different. Restaurants are a little cheaper than Dallas for the same quality (no, they are cheaper if you get away from busy sections of town), electronics are a lot cheaper (as are computer components and software), gasoline is about the same price as Dallas (but MUCH more expensive to Thais). Taxis are very cheap, too. With the price of fuel, you would think taxis would follow, but they don't. I think they usually run on natural gas (I have seen a few CNG signs), and they are very efficient to use for transportation (Taxis are VERY expensive for the drivers, due to licenses and taxes).
As for food, be prepared for all things tropical. The spices make the dinner taste good, but don't bother trying to get somebody to explain what it is. It just doesn't translate. Drinks are also tropical, plenty of guava and papaya juices, watermelon juice is all around, also plenty of coffee and tea. Coffee tends to be espresso, but I think I will try to find some American coffee soon (found a Coffee Bar, no dice). If a restaurant here has Pepsi, they might also have Sprite, a combination you don't see in America.
We went to a restaurant/bar with karaoke last night (Monday night), and I am pleased/dismayed to report they sing just as badly here, and in Thai, it sounds much worse (like a cat fight). But we had a good time, I ate much more food than I needed, and had some beer served over ice. Very nice outdoor restaurant (apparently there were bugs aplenty, judging by the bites on my arms).

Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been busy here!

After that dinner, I went to see The Ancient City, which is a small scale model of areas of Thailand. As good a national history museum as you can get anywhere. You pay the price to get in, and also rent a bicycle. The size of the structures makes it easy to forget these are to a smaller scale: "Tell me about that opening there." "It is a window." "But there are stairs going up to that window. Are you supposed to go in, or just look in the window?" "Oh, that is really a doorway at the real place." "Oh, I get it."
At this place, there are restaurants and snack shops to get drinks and things. When you get a drink (this is common practice), it comes in a small plastic bag like a music store would put a CD in, and a straw sticks out of the top. It is extremely convenient, you just hang the drink off the handlebars and never worry about spilling.

I found an Irish Pub! Very nice place, the bartenders speak fluent english (but not necessarily the waitresses, try pronouncing Jameson's more slowly), it was a welcome respite from the constant Asianity of Bangkok. Also, the bargirls (I didn't spot any) were either very subtle or non-existent. Be careful of Tiger beer.

Went on a cruise of sorts, took a boat to several villages on the river in Bangkok, maybe I shouldn't have seen some of the foods prepared, and there are what Americans would call retirees all over selling this and that (usually food) and having pleasant conversations. Most of the boats have this mysterious long shaft sticking out the back, on which is attached the propeller. It turns out these boats all have car engines, and the easiest way to attach a propeller is to just connect it to the back end of the crankshaft. During this cruise, we were sitting at the shore of the river watching the world go by (I truly love this girl). The wind starting picking up, and dead pieces of the tree we were sitting under started falling all around us (and on me). We headed toward some shops, and found a little cover. Soon after, this cover was not enough because it started RAINING! Like a major STORM it RAINED! So we quickly found a shop with a tin roof and stood under this more substantial cover until the rain stopped. It seems when it rains, the shopkeepers make a little more money. After all, why waste time just sitting when you can sell something to people who are standing there anyway? The rain stopped as suddenly as it started.

It is nearly impossible to find information about what movies are playing where and at what times in Bangkok. Tried the newspaper and the internet.
I am beginning to understand that Bangkok is in some ways primitive. Who knew? I think I will search out movie information on the internet today, and probably go this afternoon. I truly hope the theater will be air conditioned.

posted by Jim @ 6/28/2005 11:28:00 AM