sabai dee in bangkok

from the quiet and chilled vibe of the sea, to the dynamic multicultural, charming and colourful city of penang in malaysia to BANGKOK of all places. ON SONGKRAN, the out of control new years water festival, of all days.

after almost not surviving songkran, i have landed on my feet once again. whatever the warnings from friends and strangers, I DID NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL WHAT anyone meant about staying away or simply embracing songkran, until i arrived. the taxi driver didn't even want to take me in to khao san road, where i had thought it would be convenient to stay (touristy, but all the travel agencies are there, as well as bookstores etc).

IT WAS MAYHEM. hoards of people on the backs of pickups with BUCKETS of water and HUGE WATER GUNS just ploughing through the streets soaking each other. vendors everywhere selling little hershey-kiss size balls of flour to put in water and the, smush on people's faces and say "kup khun khaa" (thank you). tons of young & hip thais wiggling through the packed streets... i arrive here with no guide book except the map i copied from the lonely planet at the airport bookstore, thinking i would stay in one of the "quiet" places near khao san road. no such thing - music blaring, tourists everywhere, it just didn't even LOOK like thailand. it made me feel lonely and i wondered why i wasn't by the sea. looking like it was about to rain, and me feeling hot and sweaty, i took a room at a place highly recommended in the lonely planet. NOT my scene. i felt shitty. but at least it was a clean room.

to make a long story short, i wondered why on earth i was in bangkok on a day when NONE OF THE TRAVEL agencies were open, there was mayhem noise and chaos everywhere and i just didn't want to be there. mustering up all my energies, i went for a walk to get out of there (it was like a mini-clausterphobic hell), and i walked and walked and walked the city streets and met people, and started to smile and said khap khun khaa (and i meant it) when nice people came and smushed my face gently with muck. i have NEVER seen any thing like this. it was like St. Jean Baptiste Day on st. viateur street but a quadrillion more people, and water, food, vendors and VERY LOUD MUSIC EVERYWHERE. the thais have a penchant for huge sound systems.

as i walked i literally stumbled upon my favourite veg place from the last time i was here - may kaidee 's vegetarian resto - she had moved! and she has a guest house! and she gives cooking lessons! and she's started a health food store! so i took A FABULOUS ROOM at her place - with teak furniture and floor, huge bed, two sides of windows, tons of room for yoga, super clean, quiet... and the next day i stumbled upon the most wonderful travel agency, ate bananas with the Ladies who laughed and did magic on the computer (i have secured a ticket to mexico), i found my 2 favourite bookstores, and finally finally, after nobody being able to tell me where to find a fresh fruit market (where do they buy their fruit?), i FOUND ONE PAR HAZARD and bought durian!

this wild ride in bangkok has given me the chance to make it here on my own - AND ENJOY it, too. i've only ever been here in transit, in a rush with jimmy as my guide. this is quite and incrdible city with all the contrasting dichotomies of big asian cities - pollution and parks, wide expansive busy streets and tiny little sois (alleyways), too many people and lovely friendly strangers....

having negotiated it on my own, finding beauty amid the chaos, i feel Sabai Dee... good, peace.... and ready for traveling alone north to chiang rai for a final chapter on the asian leg of freedom 35!