Thailand – Bangkok 2

Bangkok Thailand Day 37 (March-7)

Today we venture into the suburbs to visit Joceyln’s house and see her little one, Apple. At 1.5 years, her little one is not so little. She is shy, and looks at Kevin like he is from another planet.

I’m SO excited to see my niece, Apple, for the first time

making face with my cousin Jocelyn

Han family blood line: Vana, Jocelyn, Apple, and my Aunt (my dad’s sister & Jocelyn’s mom)

Apple looks at Kevin like he is from another planet

She is super shy

We enjoy a Thai massage in the afternoon, near Joceyln’s house. Thai massage is pain city in the beginning. I wish I stretched out before. The end is good with some back cracking, and a head massage.

CLICK HERE to see picture with Jocelyn family.

Bangkok Thailand Day 38 (March-8)

In the morning we visit the Chatuchak Weekend market. As described as “the mother of all markets”, we were not that impressed. Kevin bought some beach wear, and Vana finally found some long pants in super light weight, for visiting temples (visitor must cover knees and shoulders). Vana: actually, the market is huge, we just don’t have the time and patient to even walk around 1/5 of it. You can spend 3 days in the market. They sell everything from pet squirrel to cloths to food to furniture, the list goes on.

baby pet squirrel, poor guy

clothing section

Food market

For lunch we meet up with Joanna whom we met in Bali a month ago. Joanna was an executive chef in San Francisco before she decided to quit and spend few months traveling in South East Asia like us. She is staying near our hotel, and is flying back to reality in SF this week. Vana and Joanna spend the afternoon shopping, while KR hits the afternoon nap, out of the heat.

We love to hang with Joanna, she’s totally cool.

We had lunch together, then hit Khao San Road for some serious shopping.

Actually, Kevin didn’t know that we went to the bar instead. J/K, we went to the bar after we went shopping of course.

In the evening, we taxi to Rachadamnoen Boxing Stadium to attend a Muay Thai Boxing event. Although, not boxing fans, we really enjoy it. Apparently, there are boxing matches every night in Bangkok, at a few different locations. The stadium we visit is small, but offers ring side, second class, and third class tickets. We buy the second class, which works out great because we can see more footwork from the elevated view.

Each match is five rounds and has a distinctive and highly entertaining rhythm. The boxers come into the ring with their headbands, and some eerie traditional Thai music starts. The boxers slowly circle the ring in some kind of ritualistic dance; bowing, blessing each corner, and stretching.

After a break to their corners, the first bell rings out, and the eerie traditional music starts again, providing the soundtrack for battle. The first round is almost like a back and forth slow dance, with opponents exchanging rapid kicks, and punches; sizing each other’s skill. I spot a few locals dozing off in the stands.

The second round turns up the heat, and if it looks like a close match, the crowd goes into a furry of betting activity. Hand signals fly back and forth, and a pack gathers in ring side below the railing of second class, with intense discussions laying down bets. I point it out to Vana, and someone is instantly at my side to record my beat. I apologize, and join the crowd at the railing, keeping my hands to my side. Vana keeps one eye on the fight, and another on the cockroaches crawling along the corners (Vana: it’s not funny, they are everywhere).

In the third round, the music and fighting increases in tempo, and the crowd calls out with every blow. The betting is now in frenzy, perhaps doubling and tripling down, with odds changing by the minute. Everyone is out of their seats, and space at the railing is now almost full. The graceful dance of the first round is replaced with knees to the chest, and forearm to the head. The standard punch becomes the weakest attack. In one match, repeated elbows to the face produce blood on both opponents, but neither backs down. The match is even, and Vana joins me at the railing, despite the grotesque blood display.

Between the third and fourth rounds, the ring side fans are right behind the coach yelling advice to the opponents, while second class fans are bent over the railing doing the same. In two matches, the fourth or fifth rounds produce a knock out. In two other matches, one opponent knows he’s lost the contest, and backs down. While the opponents walk in a circle to the music, the crowd is settling bets even before the final bell and decision (by three judges) is announced.

The event mixes up opponent weight between the seven matches; light-medium-heavy-light-medium-medium-heavy. The heavy weight boxers in tonight’s event are from Russia and Japan. The crowd shows no preference for light or heavy weights. The competitiveness of the match ignites the crowd, as well as the betting. In a one-sided match, the crowd shows a more casual interest. (It’s just as much fun watching the audience’ reaction vs watching the fight)

the boxers come into the ring with their headbands

blessing each corner

bowing & followed by stretching

break to their corners

audience gets intense

the crowd goes into a furry of betting activity

the ring side fans are right behind the coach yelling advice to the opponents

Japan and Russian match

Kevin and Vana try on gloves, and sport our best boxing poses. We leave the stadium wondering how we became fans so quickly.

bring it on

CLICK HERE to see more Thai Boxing pictures.

Bangkok Thailand Day 39 (March-9)

This morning we visit the Wat Phra Kaew temple and Grand Palace.
Imagine taking a Buddhist temple, trick it out in full with gold leaf, mother of pearl, Chinese porcelain, jade, and mosaics; and then dump Buckingham palace right next to it. Apparently, this is the place for the royal King’s prayer, coordination, birthday celebration, funeral, and so on.

The Thai’s love their King, and every house and business has a picture (just go to any nearby Thai restaurant, you’ll see for yourself). We enjoy the palace grounds in the scorching heat, and busloads of tourists.

hall way with wall painting

wall painting

CLICK HERE to see more Grand Palace pictures.

In the afternoon, Joanna and Vana went to Chinatown.

Joanna really wants to hear me speaking Chinese, so we decided to go to Chinatown

we ended up eating street snacks the entire time we are there

Joanna was making fun of me eating bird nest (btw, Joanna, I won’t eat it anymore after went to Ko Phi Phi and see how they make it)

Good times

For dinner, we meet Johanna for pizza on her last night before returning to San Francisco. For the evening entertainment, we’ve been putting off the last thing on the list; Bangkok a Go-Go. Johanna is kind of against, but is down to join us. I suggest we sample the atmosphere, but don’t throw any money in the system (sex industry).

Joanna’s goodbye dinner – PIZZA! PIZZA!

We taxi to Patpong, which is the touristy part of Bangkok’s Red-light night life. Patpong has a night market down the main street, with street shopping in the middle, and Go-Go bars on each side. Touts offer all tourists ping pong shows, by displaying the performance program; shoot banana, smoke cigarette, etc. I’ve heard the show is amazing; but maybe next time. Johanna really wants to take a picture of the program and offers $0.50; they want $2.50. She is very surprised when they let us walk on the $0.50 offer. On our circle back, they settle for $0.50.

Go-Go bar called – Pussy Collection

sex show menu

We need to pee and stop in a Mexican bar. Vana asks if they have real guacamole. The bar tender brings out a bag of avocados, so we decide to try. Later he brings out the chips, but says they are out of guacamole. Vana starts to flip out, but the bar tender has the goods behind his back. It was a little watery, but the flavor was not bad.

guacamole and chips in Bangkok

Besides the seediness, we notice that the market prices have gone through the roof. My sunglasses busted, and I need a new pair pretty bad. I bargain from $30 down to $3.75. Vana and a vendor exchange foul language when Johanna is looking at a fake LV bag. The vendor doesn’t like Vana’s comments about the bag being fake leather (Vana: I hate that experience).

Patpong night market

Arriving back to the Khao San road area, we really appreciate how cool and friendly everyone is in this area of town.

Thailand – Bangkok 1

Siem Reap to Bangkok Thailand Day 33 (March-3)

two hour flight

We arrived in Bangkok, and Vana’s cousin, Jocelyn, and her husband pick us up (Vana: Is it nice to have families around!). Coming from Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia, our first impression is that Bangkok seems so clean. The cleanliness is probably similar to San Francisco or New York. For Kevin, the street food is a lot more doable, because there are a lot less flies and garbage around the food (We haven’t heard anyone got sick eating street food here).

Vana’s cousin Jocelyn & her husband

our room

our room is facing a nearby temple

We stay at the Lamphu House, and lucked out to get a really nice room in a good hotel within our budget. We are on a lively side street around the Wat (temple) from Khao San road (a famous backpacker district). There are foreigners everywhere, and almost anything you could want is within 100 meters and is cheap; ATM, minimart (there’s 7Eleven at every street corner in Thailand), pharmacy, laundry, internet, restaurant, taxi, travel agent, fruit smoothie, Pad Thai, BBQ snacks, massage, hair/nail/facial, tattoo, hotels, and shopping. What is really astonishing is that in the same 100 meters, you have multiple choices of vendors for all these service.

Khao San Road – the famous backpacker district

Khao San Road is a like Tokyo + New York + Hollywood + Paris + Miami + + Venice beach all on one block. It’s freaking crazy. But I LOVE it!

Khao San at night

I already made friend with the fruit shake lady outside of our hotel. She makes the best shake that make my skin silky smooth

Khao San road is packed with even more of the same, with an alcoholic beverage never more than 20 meters away. Tasty to wash that beer down with some fried worms, cockroach, or scorpions (They eat bugs for snacks. Don’t you know?).

anyone wants to try some bugs? let me know. I’ll bring some back.

grass hopper

cricket

scorpions

bamboo worm

There is no shortage of bars on Khao San road. Wash that beer down with some fried worms, cockroach, or scorpions.

We are not brave enough to try the fried bugs. So Jocelyn and her husband treat us to a beautiful Thai dinner along the river. Yum!

CLICK HERE to see pictures from this day.

Bangkok Thailand Day 34 and 35 (March-4 and March 5)

We spent a few days to catch up on email, blog, pay our bills, sleep in, do laundry, and eat street food. Bangkok is a steamy sweat box, and we spend the afternoons napping through the afternoon heat.

We are disappointed to find that nobody will change our left over Vietnamese Dong and Lao Kip into Thai Baht (money).

We buy a basic Nokia GSM phone in the MBK market for $30 including charger, sim card, and 200 pre-pay minutes. I find the black and white games included are killer, and the voice quality is excellent.

Bangkok Thailand Day 36 (March-6)

This morning we take a day tour to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. We got the idea from seeing “Bangkok Dangerous” (Nicholas Cage movie) on the plane to Singapore. I guess it must be in a James Bond movie also, because the tour guide mentions something about it.

Apparently, a group of Chinese arrived 75 years ago, and missing a piece of home (Suzhou perhaps), decided to build a canal village for better Feng Shui. Today, they have a daily market from 5:30-7:30AM, with women buying and selling fish, vegetables, and other staples boat to boat. At 9AM, the tourists arrive and are paddled around on boats to buy souvenirs and take pictures. Anyways, we still enjoy it. I spot a huge lizard on the way in, almost looked like a crocodile. We eat some boat cooked noodles for lunch, and enjoy the shade.

in front of every boat, there’s some kind of offering

busy market

fruit boat

shops

doesn’t matter how hot the weather is, locals are always covered from head to toe to avoid sunburn (not many use sunblock lotion as it’s very expensive for them)

CLICK HERE to see more floating market pictures.

In the evening, we taxi to the 5-star Asia Hotel to see Calypso Cabaret show (lady-boy show). Although the costume and set changes are impressive, the show is a bit random for our taste. The star of the show does a couple of solo numbers and is really funny, with wild crazy faces. I particularly like the crazy Japanese Geisha, who made a Japanese young man in the front row very embarrassed.

The “lady boy” thing is very foreign to us, as the various combinations of sex and dress break down gender lines. At the end of the show, the actors encourage the audience to take picture with them, and we are just as uncomfortable as everyone else.

taking pictures with the lady-boys. Does exactly feel like at home.

She is the funniest of all. Kevin likes her! 🙂

CLICK HERE to see more lady-boy show. (Yes, they are all boys, or used to be)

See you next post!