spring break (part 1): things’ll be better in thailand

I needed this vacation. I’m back in Almaty about to head up to Petropavlovsk to start work on Monday. I kept a journal while I was traveling and have included excerpts here in several adventure-packed segments.

Fri, March 20: First Impressions

After a painfully drab, depressing second winter in Kazakhstan, I’ve finally woken up. Right now I’m sitting in a padded tan swivel chair in an air conditioned internet café in Bangkok, Thailand. Our 2.5 days of traveling to get to here included a train from Petro to Almaty followed by flights to Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.) and on to Bangkok. We cleared customs quickly and walked out of the airport into a sauna. Even at 8am the heat and humidity were palpable, the sticky air and noise of traffic pressing in from all sides. Neon pink taxis lined the street and we took one 25 minutes to The Overstay, a bar/restaurant/guesthouse where we will spend two nights. It’s a unique establishment, owned by a 20-something Israeli-born, French-raised guy with dreadlocks. It’s a six-story crash-pad, the bottom floor housing a bar and pool table, drum set and unicycle, the second floor is an art studio, and the other four floors house bare white-tiled rooms. On the internet the owner said we could stay for free, so we took an empty area with a wooden slat mat and dropped our things. At 10 am, functioning on two hours of plane sleep and a below-functional knowledge of the Thai language, we hit the streets.

Our first stop outside the guesthouse was a street-side café for some food. I had forgotten how rich food can taste. Kazakhstan sure has a lot to learn. I practiced my Thai flash cards asking Nii arai? (What is this) Tao rai? (How much?) Pet mai? (Is it spicy?). After an amazingly spicy and flavorful meal we left with a bow and a sincere Khop khun (Thank you). The meal of spicy curry and chicken with rice cost a grand total of 35 Thai Baht, about one dollar. Food here is cheap, abundant, and absolutely delicious.

People here smile. I think the first thing I noticed in the restaurant this morning was that when you smile at the waitress, the old woman at the table next to us, or the kid on the back of the motorcycle stopped at a red light, they smile back. After 18 months of living in KZ I’ve grown accustomed to people being straight-faced in public, giving the impression that they are constantly uninterested or mildly irritated. Here, smiles are quick to appear and very easy to evoke. It’s a nice change.

Saturday, March 21: Tuk-Tuks and Temples

The population of Bangkok is served by an army of guys driving three-wheeled taxis called tuk-tuks. The driver sits at the steering handlebars of an open air Moped-station wagon hybrid vehicle while the passengers sit in the cushioned benches in back. The prices are negotiable and cheap… at least when you initially discuss the fare. We left the guesthouse and crossed the Rama VIII Bridge to the main center of the city, where within one block a man stopped us and offered advice and directions about which Buddhist temples were best to see. He told us that it was a special holiday that day and all the temples were free to tourists. On top of that, tuk-tuk drivers were offering an all-day tour around the city for a grand total of 30 Thai Baht ($0.80). We felt like this was our lucky day. What were the chances that one of the two days we were spending in Bangkok was a Buddhist holiday? Mike was skeptic as the man giving us directions flagged down a tuk-tuk driver who confirmed the deal of the day: 30 Baht for transportation as long as we wanted. He spoke decent English and we took the offer against Mike’s warnings. “We’re gonna get scammed. Just wait.” Our tuk-tuk zipped and darted through the crowded and colorful streets and I was just happy to feel the warm air on my face.

Our first temple was known as “Big Buddha” where we saw a 30-meter tall golden statue of Buddha standing in the middle of an ornate marble courtyard. Candles, coins, incense and caged birds were for sale and devout locals and pasty white tourists alike were lighting the sweet smelling incense and setting birds free. “I don’t know anything about Buddhism,” I said to Aaron. “Me neither,” he replied. “But isn’t it cool?”

Our driver was waiting for us outside the temple entrance just as he said he would, map in hand and smiling as he asked, “Where next?” The second temple was closed for a lunch break, but as we were walking around admiring the multi-colored plaster spires and tile roofs, a man greeted us and explained that the temple would open again an hour later. We got to chatting when he asked, “Is this your first time in Bangkok?” “Why, yes it is.” “Have you seen Big Buddha?” “Sure have.” “Say, you guys should see this silk clothing store. My wife bought me a nice suit last year. It’d make a great souvenir – real Thai silk! Plus, your driver can get a free gas coupon if you go.” Hmmm…ok. Mike has donned a smirk that silently says, “Told you so” and we’ve thanked the man for his help and started walking back to the tuk-tuk and its ever-smiling driver. We open the map and plan our next move. Sure enough, the driver says, “You must see Marble Palace; but first, will you humor me to go look at a silk shop so I can get free gas?” Mike can’t hold it in: “Told you so.”

The couches in the silk store were comfortable and AC very welcoming. We sat for a minute telling the pleasant sales representative that that we didn’t really want silk while the sales rep awkwardly told us that we didn’t need to buy anything. A minute of small talk later, we admitted that we didn’t really understand why we were even there. The young man explained, “Well, if you buy something, the driver gets a commission in free gas.” So we left to tell our cheerful chauffeur that we had failed him, having decided that would just get him to take us to the next stop and pay him the 30 Baht. Unfazed, the driver pleaded that we get him free gas by sitting for ten minutes in a gem store. We wouldn’t have to buy anything, he promised. We politely declined and I was curious, “How much free gas would you get?” 150 Baht. He was scamming us for a little over three dollars. I offered to pay the 150 B for the gas if he would just drive us to our last temple. He happily agreed, knowing he just increased his fare fivefold, and resumed telling us about the statues were would soon see.

It was strange. We paid him about $4.50 total for the three of us for two hours of temple touring – a great bargain in my opinion – but we still walked away feeling a bit foolish. Was our whole day a sham? Was every day a holiday? Were the people we met genuinely nice and helpful, or are they all involved in an elaborate kickback conspiracy? Maybe it’s too early to tell.