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Published: December 9th 2006
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Bit of a flood again today on the pier and then on the street, the water was gushing flowing across one section where there must be an overflow from the river. It’s the full moon and that does have an effect on the water level, but they say it is uncharacteristically high this year, and much hotter than normal for the time of year too. On the boat to get to the sky train I offered one of the boat attendants a polo and he took the full pack! I’m going to try and find the Jim Thompson factory outlet today to see if I can get some cheap fabric to get some trousers made. It’s at Sukhumvit 93, which is not even on the map. I’ll need to take a taxi again…oh no…..so I’ve prepared and asked someone at the hotel to write the address down for me in Thai (we still have to stop and ask someone though). At the factory I get 3 pieces of fabric for 110 - 180 Baht each, that’s around £1.60 - £2.50 and a piece of silk for 300Baht. Then another taxi back to the sky train. I start to get a bit
worried when I don’t recognise anywhere on the way back! I’m not sure whether the driver had to go that way because of a one-way system (I didn’t notice one) or if he went the long way round to bump up the fare?
From here I went one stop on the sky train and wandered around Phra Khanong. I stopped here for a drink in a café and got a shock when the “waitress” behind the counter had the deepest, masculine voice…….Lady boy!!
In the afternoon I took the sky train to Nana - lots of farangs here - and went to Little Arabia. One minute you’re walking down a street with Thai people selling Thai food, then you turn down a Soi (lane) and it’s doner kebabs and pipes! While I was walking along I got the feeling that a man was following me because every time I slowed down he did, every time I moved to the right he did, and there was no need to this is a wide street and not overly busy. So suddenly I stopped and turned round to face him , and after looking startled at being busted, he scurried off. Weirdo! Little
Arabia is off Sukhumvit so I spent the rest of the afternoon around here. I called into a tailors I’d seen recommended in a guide and asked how much to make things with my fabric - 18,000Baht (£263)!!!! That would have negated the benefits of the cheap fabric. Mind you the guide I saw it in did recommend as accommodation the Metropolitan and Peninsula which are probably the most expensive hotels in Bangkok, so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. I think I’ll go back to the place I went to before! As I was leaving here I got chased by a man in a turban telling me I had a luck face - turns out he was a fortune teller and he said I’m going to be kucky next month. Better get that lottery ticket bought!
I found a little park along Sukhumvit, a little oasis from the bustle and pollution. Amongst the 12 things listed as forbidden in the park on a sign were laying on the benches and sleeping, laying mats on the grass to sit on, smoking, taking drugs/alcohol and spitting. That’s why it was so quiet in there!
For dinner I went to Cabbages &
Condoms, which Aom had recommended, it was set up by a man who uses the profits to support family planning and aids projects. There are lots of condoms around, a lounge called captain condoms and the food was fantastic, reasonably priced and in a beautiful setting with waterfalls and lots of trees. At the end of my meal they gave me 2 condoms as a souvenir.
I got the sky train back then and had to endure a man sat next to me picking his nose for the whole trip. He was having a deep dig around with his finger right up, then flicking his findings off the end of his finger. He was working on the nostril furthest away from me most of the time, but when he changed sides I decided to stand up!
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