Day 3 - Bangkok

---

(Thanks for sticking with us. It’s been a busy 3 days, and didn’t have time to type up and publish them. Day 4 and 5 on their way!)

     Our third day started off early. We planned on waking up around 7 am, to beat the farrang (a Thai slang word for the flock of non-Thais that inhabit their country) to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Our bodies woke us up at 6. So we took our time getting ready for the morning of shopping, bargaining, and people watching. When we were ready we set off for the MRT. Beth and I have become pretty adept at working the public train system of Bangkok. This makes us feel much better than the usual foreigners that are forever taking taxis and tuk-tuks. Unlike yesterday where we had to switch trains, this was a straight shot to the market, a nice, easy ride on the air conditioned, clean subway of Bangkok.
     Arriving at Chatuchak, we found out that not only did we beat the rush of farrang, we also beat some of the vendors. This was perfect, because it helped us to ease into the monster market of Chatuchak. I will do my best to try and explain this immense area of vendors. The actual size of the market is about 27 acres. That in itself is quite impressive. However, in this area lie innumerable vendors. Let me try and give our New Jersey audience a small reference. If you were ever able to hit up the US 1 Flea-market (For non NJ people, this is the market where T.S. and Brodie get their fortune told by the three nippled woman in the movie “Mallrats”) picture that market. Now, take those stalls, and places them side by side, with no room between them, and 5 ft. wide walkways. Next, make most of the people in the market Thai. And finally, multiply the size by (rough estimate) 150. That, my friends, is an idea of Chatuchak.
     Now, to elaborate on our experience: We had 3 objectives. First was to get matching rings (we left the engagement ring, and our wedding rings in NJ for security purposes). Second, to do some shopping for friends and family. Finally, enjoy ourselves. As we got lost in the market, two objectives were met. (We found rings we liked, but none to fit my fat farrang fingers.) Walking in all different directions and through many side small aisles, we saw a multitude of things for sale. You could buy: dishes, silverware, chopsticks, clothes, bags, food, clothes, massages, kittens, puppies, (both of these were washed and blow-dried to look even cuter) clothes, crocodile, scorpions, exotic (probably illegal) birds and fish, knives, food, and more food (and probably anything else you could possibly imagine that could be for sale). After purchasing some items, (sorry, we’re not bringing any crocodiles home) and eating some food, we found our way back to the station around noon. At this time the heat and number of people were rising; a perfect time to leave.
     We asked our hotel for a late check out, and they were nice enough to meet our request. We had enough time to pack up all of our new acquisitions and travel gear. Since our overnight train didn’t board until 7:20, we left our gear with the hotel and set out to “waste” some time. We went to lunch at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. This place had great food, and a great cause. The owner of this chain found a new way to help educate people about HIV and the benefits of safe sex. Not only do they pass out condoms to everyone at the end of the meal, but they also have various way to raise money for education, and the betterment of the Thai community. After lunch, we went across the soi to enjoy our first, hour-long foot massage. It was a shame to have to walk back to the hotel, and strap on our packs after such relaxation.
     Arriving at the Hua Lampong station, we found our way to the bar, and set our packs down and grabbed some drinks to wait for our train to board. While we were playing “Toss-Up” (a fun dice game sold at Target), and drinking our beers we were alerted by police whistle at 6:00 pm. At that same moment, EVERYONE in the station rose to their feet with their hands to their sides, and stood quietly for the national anthem, and a watched a picture of the king. Quite amazing… imagine that happening in Penn station. For some reason I don’t think it would fly. Finally boarding the train, we sat in our seat, watched the cities pass by, and played some cards until we were too tired. At which point, an attendant came by and converted our seats into a set of bunk-beds. After setting up Beth’s mosquito net, I retired to my bed, and called it a great day.
-MK

---

Comments

[derik tyrone]

Thanks,
Thanks for the GREAT updates. It is awesome to hear/read your adventure. Please keep it up

[Mike]

Wow
Again - we're very jealous of your trip. We would much, much rather be in Thailand right now. You probably have a lot of these down on your list already, but some here are some good things to go in Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep (if you're not already sick of visiting amazing temples), Warorat Market,Siam Rice Thai Cookery School (for a 1-day cooking class). Good restaurants: , The Riverside (a fantastic place to eat with great live music - I HIGHLY recommend the fish stew served in a coconut although I can't remember what they called it), Huan Phen, Aroon Rai. And what beach are you staying at on Koh Phangan? If you stay at Thing Nai Paan Noi, you must try the restaurant Mio's. It's an Italian place, but their Thai food is especially delicious for some reason.