July 10—Bangkok, Migraine and Public Transportation Adventure

Dear Family and Friends,

Tuesday, July 10, Martha ended up in bed with a migraine until 1 PM while Dani played on the computer, read some more of Numbers, and started the Patpong Sisters book, on loan to our apartment from across the hall. It’s written by Cleo Odzer and talks about the sex industry in Thailand from the view of an American woman working on her thesis paper about 15 years ago. Both Sheila and Dani had been drawn into the story completely by the end of today, enjoying sharing thoughts on the characters and development of the story.

Once both Martha and Dani were functioning and able, we checked in with Chris, Chom, and Sheila to see how Sheila’s work day was going. It was close to quitting time, so Sheila decided to join us on our day's adventure! While Sheila closed down for the day, Chris and Chom prepped Martha about Bus 77, which we could pick up on Narathiwas and take all the way to the Central station at Sathorn to try out the Chao Praya Expressway, which is the riverboat ferry up the Chao Praya River that hugs the edges of Bangkok to the West and South. We wanted to go up to Bangkok's Chinatown to explore it and find dinner.

Bus 77 is a little green bus with open windows that passes by every 15 minutes or so and costs 6.5 baht per person (and yes, there is a cute little half-baht piece!). This bus holds the promise of becoming one of our main forms of transport around Bangkok. The trip up Narathiwas had taken us close to an hour a few days before, and now took just 15 minutes. We hit rush hour traffic along the way towards the river, but stayed the course as directed until the bus was about to take a right turn (onto Charoen Krung).

We hopped out of the bus and made our way to the dock area as the daylight was receding, with a quick stop to check on pricing at a salon that featured waxing options, but would have taken 40 minutes and cost more than Dani or Sheila wanted to spend. They continue to be on the lookout for a good deal to dehair.

At the dock, we hopped on the first boat that came along to Central … and ended up across the river instead of heading upstream! We paid 6 baht each for our mistake, and were thankful for the kindness of the ferryboat work lady who helped get us back across the river and to the appropriate dock immediately to the left (when facing the river) of the one we had chosen. Quickly, we were back on the river, on the right North-bound vessel. We paid 18 baht each for one of the express boats with the orange flag (there are four Chao Praya Expressway options with different docking points and different cost factors) and in three stops, we disembarked at Tha Ratchawongse. We had made it to edge of Chinatown.

Getting off the boat in the darkness, it was disheartening at first to see everything closed up and no street vendors around to feed our hungry selves. At a crossroads, however, we came upon other tourists, and followed some French girls towards the lights. As soon as possible, we broke from following the crowd and started our own way, turning down a bustling alley filled with vendors. But we had just gotten into the district and were not ready to stop quite yet.

Around two more corners, we found a street with bright neon lights, lots of folks outside dining, and seafood offerings galore, including shark fin. A lady seated us at an around-the-way table in the night air, and we took our time ordering some fried rice for Sheila, another order for Dani and Martha to split, and a curried calamari for the two of us that was delicious, a little spicy, a little sweet as the Thai way seems to go. Beside us was the outdoor cooking station, where large prawns lay across open flames and crabs turned a dark shade of pink in preparation for their last meals. We enjoyed watching the action in this bustling seafood section of Chinatown, where locals and tourists banded together to enjoy the sea's feast.

We decided to walk home after dinner, passing the main gate that introduces Chinatown, stopping to admire an entryway with bamboo growing from planters on the walls and koi in the pond, and wondering at the dragons and other the adornments of Chinese restaurants and temples along the way. Oh ... and we hesitated here and there to avoid cockroaches the size of thumbs as they crossed our paths! Dani let out quite the little scream when she thought a rat had crossed her footpath! Bangkok at night is a very different landscape of wildlife once the people's feet are fewer to run off the critters.

It was a long walk through the streets of Bangkok, but loads of fun to chit chat the night away talking about all of the things that new friends have to share with each other and generally enjoying the cooler temperature of evening and the long distance to stretch our legs. Fewer cars and vendors cluttered the streets, and only the occasional taxi or tuk-tuk slowed to ask if we wanted a ride or simply beeped as they passed by. One kind man helped Dani find our way to the main road of Charoen Krung, which we stuck to for most of the path homeward. Garbagemen were out in the darkness collecting the city's waste, offering us smiles as we passed them. We ended up transversing some of the lesser-traveled lived-in parts of town as well along our way home, always feeling safe ... except maybe for the occasional scary stone statue and the cucarachas!

Much love,

Martha and Dani