A Study in Tedious Detail
After escaping King Cobra Village unscathed and returning to town, I walked to a vegetarian restaurant a few blocks from the bus terminal. Communication problems left me with two entrees and a chalky smoothie, all of which I ate but none of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had about 5 hours to kill before my overnight bus to Bangkok so I spent some time with the local young gamers in the internet store (“internet store” sounds like something Homer Simpson would say, King of the dadisms… second place: Guy Penny.) There were errands to run as I sat on my butt: clearing the inbox, checking finances/bills, this blog, research on the current state of affairs between the US and Cambodia, etc. Making my way over to the other bus terminal afterwards, the one with the more expensive buses, the sun was gone and the night food vendors set up. I searched for the dessert area to pick up breakfast for the following morning: mango with sticky rice. Sooner than later, my bus pulled in and I boarded, settled into my reclining chair for the overnight trip and finally remembered not to stow away my earplugs and Tylenol p.m. I have a hard time sleeping in non-bed situations and these buses blast violent movies on maximum volume. Hiding every inch of skin in an itchy plaid blanket, I hoped keep the pesky mosquitoes at bay. I crashed hard, waking at 5 a.m. as the bus creeped towards the Eastern Bus Terminal. There, in the open-air terminal of hundreds of buses, I ate my mango and sticky rice… with a side order of exhaust clouds. After, I strolled the waiting area and tried to decide where the hell to go at 6 a.m. on a Monday morning in Bangkok. I decided to make my way to where I hoped to eventually check-in later in the morning, by Khaosan road. It’s not that i like this place (think East Village on a Saturday night, all the time) but the area has the cheapest accommodations in the city. I slowed for the 2nd or 3rd harassing motorbike taxi herd and asked they put me closer to the city’s sky train. Killing time taking the subway, to a bus to a walk lost its luster, however, when I learned they’d take me straight to Khaosan for 150 baht. Clear on the other side of the city, it made sense. They were charging me 40 baht to the sky train about 500 meters away (a chaotic and dangerous walk through bikers and buses). So what the hell, I’d find a 24-hour restaurant and load up on instant coffee. Ok, almost 7 a.m. I saw that the guest house with the cheapest accommodations in the area (180 baht) was looking alive and I was able to check-in immediately. I took a short nap, satisfied with scoring pretty much two nights for the price of one. The room, like most budget guest house rooms off Khaosan, are prison cell in size and concrete color scheme. Ants are always a given and I don’t mind them, the most innocuous of insects. After my nap I decided to try to make friends with Bangkok, who’s done nothing but frazzle me with each visit. Tried to do as the Romans… Australians, British, German, Danish and Russians do here: walk the streets and spend money. I got a traditional Thai massage. And noticing the condition of my feet in the fluorescent lighting, I got a pedicure. And seeing it was a better deal to get both a manicure and a pedicure, I got a manicure, too. I can count all the times I’ve gotten a manicure/pedicure on my right hand. And that is in my entire life. Suffice to say, my “mani/pedi”s take much longer than other’s and are often accompanied by much shame and embarrassment. My feet have paid the price of this journey and I promised their newly delicate forms that I’d treat them better in the future. Sociological note: The masseuse asked the usual questions during our hour together: how old am I? where do I come from? (She guessed London.) do I have a boyfriend? (Nosy nelly!) After pampering myself, it was time for a good lunch. I went to Ethos International Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant. I took a mental note of it during my last visit to Bangkok, excited with “vegan” being in its name. The menu was ten pages of color-coded options. Most items made the vegan cut and their text was in red. I opted for a vegan burger on a whole wheat bun billed as “farang favorite”. The delivered product blew my expectations out of the water. The burger, made of tofu and vegetables, was of the delicate kind… crumbling deliciousness coated in spicy ketchup along with tomato, cucumber and greens. The bun, which was 80% of my decision in getting the dish, was sublime. My usual pineapple shake accompanied my meal. Noting they had a vegan chocolate cake as a dessert option (!), I squeezed that in, too. The dense but moist cake was drizzled in chocolate sauce and banana slices. So being thoroughly stuffed, I waddled away from the restaurant, passing the empty May Kaidee’s. Can’t see any other veg restaurant in Bangkok doing it better than Ethos. Ok, so I blew through a good deal of baht in just a few hours. I decided I needed to walk a bit, especially after such a meal. But the heat in the city is so thick that explorations were curtailed. I spent more money on coffee to have a place to write in the AC. I spent more money on kow dom mat, knowing I’d be strickened to airport offerings the next day. I inquired about transportation to Cambodia in several of the hundreds of tour bookers on Khaosan. I used to internet. I booked my 4:30 a.m. taxi to the airport the next day and hit the hay.
This blog is dedicated to those who are convinced every moment here is an exciting and exotic adventure. Nope.
