Arrival in Bangkok

Sawatdee Kaa! (Hello!)

I arrived in Bangkok a bit after 1am, after the longest flight I've ever been on. Sleeping on a plane is nearly impossible, so I hit the delerious high that one gets from sleep deprivation, and arrived at my friend Rafael's ready to hit the city for my first tour. He lives in a Thai neighborhood somewhat like a subtle version of the Castro in SF where it is not uncommon to see man and man casually and comfortably strolling down the street hand in hand. Thai people are far more accepting of alternative gender identification and sexual orientation than the average American (hell, even the average Californian, as demonstrated from our last election). Minutes into our walk around Rafael's neighborhood, I quickly discovered just how common place the Thai Lady Boys (transgendered men) are. We sat down to get a bite to eat, and our waiter came shuffling over to us with hips swaying from side to side, lipstick painting his lips, and animated hands broken at the wrists in typical female fashion, to take our orders. My favorite was when Rafael ordered quiche, and corrected the waiter's english in his repronounciation of the dish until he mastered the 'Q-U' sound, finishing with a dramatic, lip-puckering "SH" that left him kissing the air before he hip-swayed his way back into the restaurant to place our orders.

Thai food is incredible! I love the ginger and tamarind flavors infused in most of the dishes. It's not the most vegetarian friendly food, so it's good I eat fish. Beef, chicken, pork, fish, and duck are Thai favorites, along with snakes and insects. I've yet to see the latter two offered on a menu, but I've heard it's not so uncommon.

The pollution here is unbelievable, and a good reason to choose a taxi over a tuk tuk (a gloriefied motor bike with a wide back end, kind of like a cart, for passengers). Most of the drivers of the tuk tuks (and even some of the taxies) wear hospital style face masks to avoid swallowing the billowing clouds of grey smoke trailing behind the cars and tuk tuks. Smog checks are unheard of... there are absolutely no regulations on pollution output, as you can see from the brownish-grey film layering the skies. Heavy metals and particulate matter are indefinitely swirling about, and my lungs are already feeling the effects.

Yesterday was my first day navigating the city on my own. Rafael gave me a quick orientation to the public transportation systems (the sky train, and the underground train). I'm sure to the average city resident these are no-brainers... but as a country girl myself, it was nice to have the in-person tutorial. Moments later I was on my way to the JJ market (probably the largest market in the world). Vendors displaying fruits, drinks, textiles, furniture, pets, and handicrafts lined row after row of the streets, selling anything you could possibly imagine! I was bummed I hadn't arrived earlier, as I probably saw not even 10% of the market. It's held Friday thru Sunday weekly... so I'm determined to get back there!

Not sure what's on my plate for today, however, I'm long overdue for a massage! The exchange rate is $32 to 1 Thai Baht, so a massage at 200 Baht/hour ends up being $6.25/hour. A massage will definitely become a daily ritual for me! Alrighty... more to come, so stay tuned. Much love & blessings!

Alegria~Sita