6 Week Gap Year

Erewan Shrine Bangkok


4th December (Monday)
Got up and packed and discovered t-shirt, swimming trunks and shorts tucked in the pocket of the suitcase. Problem was they are still damp and stink! No time to wash and repair so they go in the bin. Upside, might be closer to flight weight limit. Have breakfast and watch the same old guy come down to breakfast as I had seen the previous mornings with yet another different girl. No doubt he enjoys the idea in his own mind that he is the world’s greatest lothario! It’s actually quite sad seeing these aging men wandering around BKK with these young girls attached to their arms. Most of the men seem to be in their very late 40’s and anything up to 70! But, how shall I put it, aaahh, probably not have a great deal of success in attracting girls normally. It’s difficult making comments like that because as I’ve said before the culture here is so very different to ours. The whole bar girl, working girl, Thai bride girl scene is regarded as just another job with the benefit of possibly finding a husband and security for life for the girl and her extended family. It’s all completely accepted and no social stigma attached. I do just wonder what these men’s family and friends think. Not to mention what their 40 year old kids think!
Today I’m going to get on the train and get off at Chit Lom station and look at the Erawan Shrine. When I get there it is surrounded by Japanese and Chinese visitors all buying packs of incense sticks, candles and flower lei offerings. I watch for a while and you can’t help notice the noise and fumes of the traffic. Because the shrine is actually located on the corner of a busy road intersection on the Sukhumvit road by the side of a massive shopping complex. Fortunately the smell of the incense hides the traffic fumes. I buy a pack of incense, candle and flowers and I light the candle and incense and put them at the foot of the shrine. Look forward to a little help in life now! From there I decide to just walk and see where I end up. As I walk I find a little walk way full of the street food hawkers selling kebabs, little round sausages, pork (possibly!), fish and all sorts of things some of which are unidentifiable. What I do like is the ones which sell fruit in little plastic bags so as you feel a little thirsty and hungry I buy a bag of whatever I fancy for just a few Baht. Any way as I walk further down there is an entrance into what looks like some sort monastery or temple so I have a wander around. It turns out to be a working Wat or Temple which specializes in meditation called Wat Padumavanaram. The Temple is open to the elements and open to everyone. However it is obviously a little off the tourist trail as there are no English signs any where. I take a look through the temple having left my shoes outside and sit down crosslegged and contemplate my surroundings. The statues of Buddha are marvellous and bright gold and there are pictures of the first monk who created Wat Padumavanaram. I feel very peaceful and calm here, in this little oasis amongst the madness of BKK. I am offered a course in meditation which will take some hours but I decline. They then offer free lunch which is available to anyone and I suspect many of the beggars I have seen on the streets probably come here. Eventually I tear myself away and return to the noise and smells of the city and make my back to Sukhumvit Soi 11. I have booked a Thai traditional massage at a place called Raintree Spa http://www.raintreespa.net/ . I am taken to the foot massage room first, remove my shoes and place my feet in a bowl of warm rose scented water with rose petals floating in it. My masseuse, Pai (pronounced Pie) then takes each foot in turn and applies an exfoliating scrub and then rinses them clean. I put my feet in the reed slip on flip flops and follow her to the massage room upstairs. This is a large wooden floored room containing a number of cotton covered mattresses which can all be given privacy by a red curtain which can be drawn around. I am given a pair of cotton ‘pyjamas’ similar to Coolie type clothes to wear. Newly attired in my most alluring of outfits Pai returns and gestures for me to lay down on the floor mattress. The serious work of relaxing me for my 12 hour flight later tonight begins. Lots of pressing and kneading of leg, arm, neck and shoulder muscles begins which includes some limb stretching by Pai. This is actually slightly amusing. Pai is about 5ft tall, very slim and probably weighs about 6 stone. She has to kneel on the back of my thighs for one of the leg muscle stretching massages and I can feel her straining to pull my leg back to the correct angle. So small and delicate but with such strength. Next comes the herb body massage. This is a cotton bag of herbs which is heated in a steamer and then applied by pressing firmly and rolling on the body and is very relaxing. This proceeds until she has covered my whole body (well almost all of it) and then I am taken to a new room for the last part of the treatment. Here, I am given an aromatherapy massage which is heavenly apart from the bit where she massages the backs of my calves, which are quite tender from the pummelling she gave them in the first Thai massage before the herb compress. Slightly annoying also was that in the room next door during the aromatherapy massage, a Japanese client chatted the whole time he was there somewhat ruining the relaxed and quiet ambiance which Pai had built. Nonetheless, this was a good, relaxing therapy although slightly hard on some muscles. After the last massage I was given a large fluffy towel and taken to the shower room and left to shower under a huge shower head in hot steamy, water. The cost? Traditional Thai and herbal massage 750Bht, Aromatherapy massage 900Bht and foot soak and scrub free. Total time taken around two and a half hours. Equivalent price around £23. I left feeling very good. Back to the hotel and take the hotel taxi to the airport to get there in good time for check in. Thought that if I get there early I can check in quick, then go shopping in Tax free for camera and/or camcorder. Discover that the BA desk will not open for another 2 ½ hours! I decide to wait near the check ins in case they decide to open earlier and I can get an upgrade! and fall into conversation with a lovely lady called Sylvia. Sylvia is a Tour Group Manager for Titan Tours and has the most brilliant job in the world. She travels to wonderful and interesting places such as Melbourne, Uluru, Alice Springs, China and so on with groups of people on assisted or escorted tours. She is paid to travel the world and share her knowledge and love of the countries and their customs with others. How cool is that. She is also a talented sketch artist and she showed me a few of her recent drawings. It was a privilege to meet you Sylvia and I look forward to tasting your pickles and chutneys!
Boarded the BA10 flight back to Blighty and only had a ½ hour delay before take off. The flight was pretty uneventful but I would comment that the World Traveller Plus class is not too bad. You do get a larger, wider seat with more legroom, only 2 seats abreast at the windows and 4 abreast centarl, a kickdown footrest and when you recline your seat a leg calf rest unfolds and supports your lower leg. I actually found it a little uncomfortable and not very conducive to a comfortable sleep. But nonetheless much better than economy (world traveller) class. The cabin staff as always on the BA flights are very good and especially so when small children or babies are aboard. Arrived in UK on time and am greeted by temperatures of 10C, wind, rain and very rude people. So good to be back! Lu picked me up shortly after I entered Arrivals hall and we battled the wind and rain across to the car park for the journey to home.
Well everybody that’s just about it. I’m going to continue writing and updating this blog as and when remember other things I saw and did, because it was impossible to write everything due to time and having to sleep sometimes. I will e-mail and advise of the updates and where I made them so you don’t have to try and find them. I would welcome feedback and e-mails from anyone who has read the blog together with comments or questions about the trip.
Thank you for reading my thoughts and experiences and maybe I have touched a few of you and made you want to visit these places for yourselves.

3rd December (Sunday)
Feel a little dehydrated when woken at 6.30 by banging doors and only having had 3hrs sleep. Have bottle of water and reawaken at 9. Breakfast seems to work some magic and though I feel full, I now feel ready for the day. Check emails and try to upload some photos, but Snapfish is so slow could have delivered them personally and it would have been quicker so gave that up. The internet is supposed to have transformed our lives for the better. I ‘m beginning to think it needs to be classified right up there with automated telephone answering systems or overseas call centres. Think about that, if you’re in India and you phone a company in UK and they have an overseas call centre in India answering, shouldn’t that be a local call!
Go back to MBK shopping centre but it is even more crowded than yesterday so give it up as a bad job. I hate these crowdy scenes. It’s awful coz you can’t get to where you want to go because of the press of humanity which sort of has a life of it’s own and just sweeps you along and but sometimes that makes you do or see something perhaps you wouldn’t have normally. So in keeping with the tenet of this trip I do what I normally wouldn’t and go with the sweaty flow of bodies (that’s no joke either) Eventually got to the bowling centre SF bowling. It’s almost deserted. 30 lanes and done in style of Bed, everything’s white with orange or green or blue atmosphere lights about the place. DJ playing good music and very loudly. Got told off for trying to take photos, but still managed a couple! Decided not to bowl and find somewhere else to go bowling. Return to Chit Lom station and walk about to find the shopping centres. These are huge cathedrals of shopping commerce dedicated to the taking of your money as quickly and as painlessly as possible. They are also impressive in their design and the way escalators and stairs and lifts are designed. You are not able to travel directly up or down, you are always left with having to make a long walk to the next elevator or stairs so that you walk past more shops and temptation to spend. But I’m a bloke and we are immune to that sort of psychological shopping warfare.
Go to Dinner at a restaurant called Rosabieng, whose marketing hook is the fact that the bar is a converted Thai railway truck. Rosabieng is just up the Soi 11 from the hotel and I have a very good meal. Fried rice with chicken, pan roasted duck red curry ( no you’re right I don’t learn), Padd-ped-ped-yaang. and minced shrimp, pork and sweet corn in pastry shells. (Kra-thong-tong) The restaurant is in a good location and although it fronts on to the noisy Soi 11 it is in nice gardens with trees, palms and a very large pond with carp. There is a jazz band playing and they are every bit as good as the guys from last night at Zanzibar. Actually they’re better, because their guitarist can play and looks like he improvs too. Whilst sitting enjoying my dinner a couple behind me were having a very strange discussion. Trying not to listen, (yeah right) I could overhear that this was the first time they had met in person after corresponding and phoning. But it didn’t take the Thai girl long to spin the conversation round to the fact her brothers business was in trouble and he needed an injection of cash to keep it afloat. Couldn’t hear much after that because the band struck up and will always wonder whether he stumped for the brother and how much more she got out of him. Having finished my dinner and jug of beer (2 pints) I reckon I should go back to the hotel collect the laptop and come back to Rosabieng and write some blog with the musical background. Problem was having returned and ordered another jug of beer they told me they were shutting in 30 minutes! But it’s only 11pm. Walked up to Zanzibar but they were very quiet so returned to hotel to write a little more. As usual on the way back got asked if I wanted a taxi etc. and 4 girls greeted me with “Sawadee kah, You wan’ me tonight?” I don’t fink so! Went back to reception lobby and logged on and noticed that as time went on a number of girls came through the lobby, handed something to the security guy who wrote stuff down on a log book and then let her go to the lifts. I went and asked what was happening because obviously the girls were “working”. He told me the girls come in and hand over their ID cards and tell him which room they are visiting. He notes the details and keeps the card. When the girl returns, before he hands back her ID card he calls the room to ensure the guest is ok and nothing is missing from the room. Only when everything is confirmed as ok will the girl get her ID back. !!!!! Finish my beer and return to my room and decide to ignore packing until tomorrow. I don’t really want to go back to UK, the cold weather, wind, rain, grey skies and all the other depressing day to day bad manners and rudeness we put up with. Here in Thailand, Bali, Singapore and Australia, people have so much more respect for every one else. There isn’t the Me Me Me attitude that is so prevalent back home. People are genuinely interested in helping, or talking to you and crime is very low in all the countries I visited. And what more joyous event could you wish for every day than to wake up, throw back the curtains and gaze upon another warm, sunny, blue sky day.