6 Week Gap Year

2nd December (Saturday)
Bangkok again. Down to breakfast which was a feast of options, fried rice, toast, sausages, tomatoes, hash browns, beans, chinese noodles, eggs and Shepherds Pie! Go back to reception and they confirm they will move me and upgrade me from the Topaz room to the Opal room. Sounds good to me. Decide to brave the MRT and take it for a test drive. Best thing to do seems to be to buy a one day ticket but it warned it only covers the MRT (BST as they call it). Integrated transport policy hasn’t reached BKK yet, just like England. End up at a station called National Stadium. Not by design because I didn’t plan to head for anywhere in particular after visiting Baan Jim Thompson. Any way the only plan was to visit the house of Jim Thompson who helped revive the almost defunct Thai silk industry by reintroducing the traditional methods of production and colouring. It was a fascinating trip around his house with a well versed young girl as our guide to the history of this remarkable American. At the end an American lady and I ask a few question which the young girl answers fairly knowledgeably. I ask if we can walk about without a guide but she says no, but is willing to walk around with us again. The American declines so my guide and I revisit some the things I saw with questions unanswered at the time. We get talking and she tells me that all the girls who do the walking, talking tours are doing Uni degrees in mostly English. The job helps them practice their English and helps pay for the course. Hers was like an OU style were she wasn’t required to attend lectures but had certain books to read and essays to submit on a regular basis. She said that she learnt more English doing the guide job and watching English speaking films with subtitles than with the course.
Go to shopping centre Mahboonklong (MBK) by national stadium which is 7 storeys high but about a ¼ mile long with cinema and bowl on top. However got sidetracked by an outside event. Have you ever seen the rather peculiar Japanese teenagers practice of dressing in an outrageous outfit but with a care and attention to detail that you wouldn’t associate with the normal everyday average teenager. A lot of their outfits are based on movie or Manga (Japanese art cartoons who are generally heroes for good) characters. Well that was what was happening together with live bands throughout the afternoon and early evening. I can’t describe adequately nor do justice to the attention to detail these kids put into their outfits to explain what I saw. You’ll just have to check the pictures when I can upload them. Also check out a few Manga cartoons and you’ll see what they where doing. The live group I watched was just 4 guys probably still in their teens and they were bloody good. I’ve decided that BKK is always going to be a love hate relationship for me. I hate the crowds, noise, smells of sewers and bad cooking, the traffic and it’s pollution, the beggars, the areas of poor housing which are just shanty shacks with corrugated rooves, this constant huge wealth of the shopping malls nestling cheek by jowl with parts of incredible poverty. But I love the diversity of cultures, and being able to stumble across anomalies such as houses like Jim Thompson’s which is traditional Thai wood construction in a garden of lush thick vegetation, coolness and tranquillity, literally with a government concrete monolith next door. I love seeing the outdoor events like as described above and the open air temples deep in the city or on a street corner. The Thais walk past these temples in their daily lives but almost always remember to Wai and bow to Pashang or which ever Buddhist Monk or god is represented at the shrine.
I return to the hotel and they have moved me to the upgrade room. When I get to it, it is exactly the same as the previous room but cleaner and with a better microwave and cooker unit. I think the fridge was bigger too. The bathroom was a different layout and slightly bigger and again a little cleaner. I return a little wearily to reception. Why is my room so Spartan, no carpet like in the web pages blah blah blah. The receptionist, Chat is really helpful and he explains that the website is misleading because they show the suites of Grand President Tower 1 and not the Topaz or Opal serviced apartments in towers 2 and 3 which I have booked. I give up because I’m hot and tired and I don’t want to have an argument because I’m pretty sure it won’t get me anywhere. The problem I have is that the Prince Palace where I stayed week ago is the other side of city near China Town and was truly luxurious although it was in a quite poor part of the city and not very expensive. 2 nights there was the equivalent of about £22 per night. Here, at the Grand President, I am paying about £31 per night for a whole lot less. However like in the UK location is everything and the Grand President is in Sukhumvit which is a “very good” part of BKK. I resolve to use their lobby wifi as much as possible to get something out of it! How sad is that!
Evening, and I eat at a restaurant called Zanzibar which is recommended in the guide book and is near the end of Soi (small road) 11 The food is good. Menu is separated into Thai or Italian. Had Shrimp fried rice and Prawns with asparagus, mushrooms and broccoli in oyster, garlic and pepper sauce. Was forced to drink Chang (elephant) beer, so called because it’s the size of the headache you have the following morning, because the restaurant didn‘t have any Singha beer. After dinner went to find Q Bar and BED which were recommended by Manual the bar owner in Patong, Phuket. Excellent night. They are having a music festival and guest DJ’s are playing every night until Monday including Jazzy Jeff and Steve Lawler. Cool! Go first to BED (I think you may be able to work out why they called it that) which has 2 rooms. 1: the Bar which is what it says with guest do, video screen and a lot of good music that vibrates your stomach muscles! 2: Bed. The bar is at one end and each side of the room has wide and deep bed areas really just like Kingsize mattresses. Upstairs is a gallery all around the room with smaller beds I think as I couldn’t actually see up there. It might have just been tables and sofas. But, everything is in white. Floor walls tables chairs ceiling beds curtains and the staff. Guys wore white trousers shirts and jackets and the girls wore white skintight all in one lycra body suits some with jackets and skirts, with white furry boots all slightly individual in style but all the same. The lighting was hidden and played a single colour at a time to the walls , ie fluorescent blue or green or orange. Truly mesmerising effect. Later went to Q bar which is further down the road ( bought all inclusive ticket). This is the opposite of BED. All black with ultraviolet lights and one occasional coloured light which would zoom around the room. The music here was as good as Bar and much better than BED. Got back to hotel 3am.