The First Week

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Well, here I am at the end of the first week. The time has flown and my only regret is that I didn't get an odometer before I started walking everywhere. I can't remember the last time my feet hurt this much and I was forming so many blisters. And for those of you who are thinking, "Well, why didn't she wear proper footwear?" I assure you, I did. I've lived in my Keens for the past week, and switched to the Birkenstocks today. I've slipped in and out of flip flops for short little trips around the neighborhood. I think a good foot massage is in order.

I am currently still at my little hotel in Sathorn, enjoying having my room made up for me each day. Though, the maids do keep trying to come earlier and earlier. I know you have work to do, but if check-out's not until noon, why are you trying to start cleaning rooms at 9am on a Saturday?

I spent last Sunday recovering from something I ate. (Perhaps my last meal in China? Oh, the irony.) Then I went out shopping at the sixth largest mall in the world. (Yes, even bigger than the Mall of America in Minneapolis, who only comes in 11th.) I was in need of a sim card and mobile phone. And since for the first time I am not residing behind The Great Firewall that Blocks Everything Worthwhile, I decided it was high time to get a smartphone. So I did. I nice little Samsung mini, all the rage in Asia. I'm in love.

I then went to meet a CELTA friend for a proper Thai dinner and catch up. It was quite lovely to be back. The whole day things just went smoothly.

Monday I got a haircut from a recommended stylist I'd read about online. For the first time in 5 years, I've been able to get a haircut in the place I live and be able to tell him exactly what I want. This came with the added bonus of him not suggesting any weird hairstyles. I tended to avoid anything "cool" in China because they often reminded me of a bad 80's haircut. Sufficed to say, I'll be going back to him in a few months. It's so nice to have a stylist again that I can gab with and who will tell me all sorts of exciting things about this city!

I met a friend of 2 friends for dinner. She's Thai and she's lovely. One friend met her a few years ago in a hostel, and then connected her with another friend of ours when she was in town with her family. So, my new friend was only too happy to meet me too! I received welcome gifts from her and her friend and then we had a mouth-watering dinner at one of her favorite places. She's generously offered to help me in any way that she can, including with my apartment search.

Tuesday was a full day. First, I met up with a friend of a friend who I actually met last year. (So that really makes him my friend, right?). We had a nice Japanese lunch and got caught up. He's Thai but used to live in Minneapolis during his university years, so it was fun to talk about that.

I met up with my CELTA friend again. He doesn't work Mondays or Tuesdays, so he and his coworkers tend to do something "cultural" each week. This week we tried to go to a museum (but--surprise!--it's closed for three days) and next week we're planning on a temple. I've been invited to join them each week. We had an early dinner at the food court at MBK. MBK is a budget shopper's dream. Loads of discount clothes and electronics (I've been assured they're real, but the set-up reminds me of a counterfeit goods shop in China) and lots of tourist trinkets. But without the hoards of tourists. The food court had the system where you pay at a register, they give you a card, and then you swipe it at any number of food court restaurants. It's not a bad system since it reduces the bumbling with cash and also then keeps the servers' hands a bit cleaner. You can get your leftover money back at the end of your dining experience.

Wednesday I relaxed a bit, took a proper wander and got lost. I went out for street food near my hotel. There's loads of it here! My neighborhood really comes to life at night. I met an American couple when I sat down to enjoy the best pad thai of my life. We chatted for an hour or so and they told me about all the great food carts and restaurants in the area. There's even a place that has wood oven fired pizzas and babaghanoush!

Thursday was a day to run around some more and find a place to exchange the last of my Chinese RMB. I considered just withdrawing it from the ATM, but then there's extra fees, and also, if something went wrong with the machine or my card I'd have no way to solve it. So many places are offering terrible rates. I think I got spoiled by my lady at the tobacco shop in Guangzhou who always gave me a stellar rate. I finally found someone with slightly better rates and was happy to see the rest of my Mao money go.

Thurs night was meant to be a mini-CELTA reunion, but it didn't quite work out. One of the others from our group currently lives in Shanghai but is originally from Singapore. She was in town this week, just passing through, so we tried to organize a dinner... and somehow it ended up just the two of us. We had a great time telling jokes, remembering "the scene of the crime" (as she calls our CELTA location), and swapping stories about life in China vs experiences in Bangkok. One of my favorites involved phones and photos. With smartphones, it's pretty common to see people taking photos of everything these days. So when we take photos of things like bus stops, street signs, and laundry soap, it doesn't look too strange. One of her friends remarked, "Ooh, you're going to Instagram that!?" and my friend replied, "Uh, no. I take this for my life." To some it's art; to us, survival.

Friday was more of the same: running around. I got only a little lost and was once again grateful to Google Maps. (One of the main reasons I got the smartphone!) I exchanged the rest of my non-Chinese money (several currencies, actually!) and ran a few necessary errands. I got stuck in a downpour that was so strong, several of us were huddled under a bus stop using our umbrellas for shields from the wind and rain. Some people were caught without umbrellas. I think I sat there for nearly half an hour. A good reminder why waterproof shoes are an important investment in this climate. As is allowing plenty of time to get anywhere.

So it's been a good week. Lots of little joys and surprises each day. I'm continuously reminded why I wanted to move here and happy to see that so far it's paying off. While some things don't make sense, life is just a little bit easier here.

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Photos

Look at that blue sky!
And awesome clock tower!
I saw neither of these things in China.

Yellow Crunchy Things
A favorite snack, served with sweet chili dipping sauce. Well, drizzling sauce.

I had to try the babaghanoush.
Check out that pita bread. It's so tall! ...and the one I already ate was taller.

I can't believe I found this.
In the gourmet supermarket, no less. This is the first time I can read the can after looking at it for 5 years in Guangdong province. Despite the pandas, I still think it's disgusting.

BAM!
showing off our tom yum soup and shrimp with veggies

Only a dollar!
Street food. This time it's fish balls and noodles in a spicy coconut-something broth. Top with basil and beans and cucumbers and cabbage to your own liking.

Thai pancake with mussels
This had a lot more flavor than I anticipated. And even MORE when I added hot sauce!

Really?
Around Sathorn Neighborhood

Lumpini Park
Thai Chinese Friendship Pavilion

Comments

[Home and Away]

You can change your "My Travels" map for Thailand to green...
welcome to Bangkok! My son also took the CELTA course...at the Bangkok school off Silom...in Feb 2012. Anyway, I look forward to hearing your perspective of life in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand.

[sunketing]

Changing the map
You're right, I can! And I took the same CELTA course last year. It was quite excellent.