Monday, August 07, 2006
The second final stop
I arrived in Bangkok early yesterday morning after an all night journey on a Thai sleeper train. My verdict of the thai train system is that it sucks. Why? They don't turn off the lights in the compartments. Whether this is to prevent crime or so that people walking down the compartment can see, I don't know. But it is annoying when your head is about two inches away from a gazillion watt bulb.
So I arrived in Bangkok tired and crabby just like I was last time. It was a day when nothing seemed to go right. I went to visit the National Palace, but they wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts. I got into a cab to go to a market and the driver asked me if I REALLY wanted him to take me to see a girl he knew in the area. My standard reply: I don't do Asians, Thai women aren't pretty. Then the cab got stuck in traffic for over an hour.
After not finding anything worth buying at the market, I took a stroll through the nearby redlight district. I am part sociologist and psychologist. The most enduring memory was looking down a street and seeing five fat, balding, wife beater wearing, white guys stumbling down the middle of the street looking like they were actors in a zombie movie.
Tired and hot I went back to the hotel. I had an enjoyable dinner at KFC (I love how they prepare KFC here) and watched the greatest Formula One race ever that saw Jenson Button win his first race on his 116th attempt. Alonso and Schumacher also drove brilliant races. Alonso should have won, but had an unfortunate problem with a tire; and Schumacher made a mistake and didn't pit to change his tires. This resulted in him retiring after being hit by a faster car as it overtook him. Still, he picked up a single point after a disqualification so crucially he narrowed Alonso's lead in the championship to 10 points. This proves that Schumacher almost always gets lucky. I predict that he will win the championship this year.
Today, I am feeling sharp after 11 hours of sleep. I finally made it to the Grand Palace today, and checked out a couple of other wats. I have now done everything that the Lonely Planet says there is to do in Bangkok. I have actually come to like Bangkok a little bit more today. I'm going to visit what the Lonely Planet says is the best Thai restaurant this evening, and then visit a night market. Tomorrow morning I rise early as I have a 10 AM flight to Hong Kong.
So I arrived in Bangkok tired and crabby just like I was last time. It was a day when nothing seemed to go right. I went to visit the National Palace, but they wouldn't let me in because I was wearing shorts. I got into a cab to go to a market and the driver asked me if I REALLY wanted him to take me to see a girl he knew in the area. My standard reply: I don't do Asians, Thai women aren't pretty. Then the cab got stuck in traffic for over an hour.
After not finding anything worth buying at the market, I took a stroll through the nearby redlight district. I am part sociologist and psychologist. The most enduring memory was looking down a street and seeing five fat, balding, wife beater wearing, white guys stumbling down the middle of the street looking like they were actors in a zombie movie.
Tired and hot I went back to the hotel. I had an enjoyable dinner at KFC (I love how they prepare KFC here) and watched the greatest Formula One race ever that saw Jenson Button win his first race on his 116th attempt. Alonso and Schumacher also drove brilliant races. Alonso should have won, but had an unfortunate problem with a tire; and Schumacher made a mistake and didn't pit to change his tires. This resulted in him retiring after being hit by a faster car as it overtook him. Still, he picked up a single point after a disqualification so crucially he narrowed Alonso's lead in the championship to 10 points. This proves that Schumacher almost always gets lucky. I predict that he will win the championship this year.
Today, I am feeling sharp after 11 hours of sleep. I finally made it to the Grand Palace today, and checked out a couple of other wats. I have now done everything that the Lonely Planet says there is to do in Bangkok. I have actually come to like Bangkok a little bit more today. I'm going to visit what the Lonely Planet says is the best Thai restaurant this evening, and then visit a night market. Tomorrow morning I rise early as I have a 10 AM flight to Hong Kong.
