My jaunt to Bangkok was merely an overnighter. Air Asia only offers one flight daily from Bangkok to Denpasar and it’s around 6:30 a.m. The earliest flight out of Koh Samui is about the same time, so there was no way I’d be able to get to Denpasar via Air Asia on the same day.
The flight to Bangkok was without incident; smooth sailing all the way. We landed at BKK and my ex, N., was scheduled to pick me up. We haven’t had any contact in at least 25 years and last saw each other in L.A., where we were both living at the time. He’s now been back in Bangkok for several years. N. was not at the baggage carousel nor anywhere in the vicinity. He wasn’t around the nearest exit doors, either. I waited patiently, as he’s never been one to run very late or to flake. Luckily, I’d mentioned to him that we should look for each other near Exit 3, lest we didn’t see each other elsewhere in the terminal (though he was relatively sure that we’d find each other). Yes, I found him walking near Exit 3 with a concerned look on his face. He was confused and thought I’d flown directly from San Francisco, so had been looking for me near international arrivals. He loaded my bags onto a cart and wheeled them to the parking lot.
Pimon, the father of the owner of my AirBnB apartment, was originally going to pick me up. When N. decided to pick me up instead, he’d asked for Pimon’s number to get directions to the apartment. N. called him to say that we were on our way. Getting there was easy enough, but we had to wait a few minutes for Pimon to arrive with the keys. He gave us a tour of the apartment, pointed out that he’d left a local cell phone for me with his phone number on it (VERY helpful!) and asked if we were hungry. We weren’t particularly hungry at the moment, but he left some bananas for us. There really wasn’t any awkwardness between N. and me. We both look older, he’s more reserved and quiet than before, but conversation went smoothly. We talked a bit, then went downstairs to Family Mart to get a few beers and something to snack on. There was a little black bunny in Family Mart that was obviously the store pet. I played with him awhile and he kept giving me bunny kisses; so adorable. N. and I returned to the apartment with our beers, some potato chips and some watermelon slices. We got caught up on a few things in our lives, then he asked when I’d be back in Bangkok. I told him that I’d be back in a week to stay for an additional 5 nights. He wouldn’t be able to pick me up on my return, but would definitely spend time with me. Now that I was actually IN Bangkok, we tried texting each other to see if our phones would connect, which they did. (My phone can never be relied upon to work in either Asia or Europe; it works once in awhile, but is never consistent.) After a couple of hours, he needed to leave to pick up his nieces from school. We said our goodbyes and I tried out the few phrases that I’d learned in Thai on him, which made him smile. FYI, I told him in Thai that I’d missed him, then asked in Thai if I could kiss him. As you can see, I only took the time to learn the most important phrases of all!
Once N. left, I was tempted to take a shower and sprawl out on the bed. Yet I kept telling myself that it’s my first night ever in BANGKOK – the original City of Sin – so I should probably at least take a walk. Speaking of which, isn’t it strange that another nickname for Bangkok is the City of Angels?! Pimon had assured me that if I walked 20 minutes in a certain direction, I’d run into a big shopping mall on the river called Asiatique. I wanted to confirm with security downstairs. The first guy I asked didn’t speak English, though, so got another guy to help me. The other guy confirmed what Pimon had said, so I began my walk. That first walk in Bangkok was quite fascinating to me. I could tell I was in Asia, but with tons of street food, as in Malaysia. I considered picking up something at the street food stands, but knew that Pimon wanted to bring food to me later. I kept walking and eventually came upon Asiatique. It was very modern and nice, with some American fast food franchises. My first gander at the famed Chao Phrya was unimpressive; it was brown. As in Koh Samui, I didn’t see much that got my shopping instincts going. Several vendors were just starting to open and it was already about 4:00 p.m. They must do the majority of their business in the evening. Of the vendors that were open, many of the items were not marked with prices. I hate that ’cause one never really knows how badly you’re going to get ripped off. Don’t tell anyone, but I MIGHT have slipped and bought a pair of shoes. We bargained; me with my calculator, as always! The price we settled on was alright, but I probably paid too much for Bangkok; don’t even want to know. I also bought one of those neck thingies for traveling in a Thai print as a gift for someone. By then, I was certifiably hungry and wanted to get back to the apartment before it got dark and my direction radars got confused.
At the apartment, Pimon called to say that he’d already called me about 3 times! He asked if I was hungry yet, then suggested a Pad Thai Omelette. That was a novel idea. He asked if I wanted chili in it. Why most assuredly! He said that he’d see me in about 20 minutes. When 20 minutes was nearly up, he called again to say that he’d be late – he was on his motorbike and it was raining! I hadn’t even noticed that it was raining cats and dogs outside! I assured him that I’d be there whenever he arrived. When he DID arrive, that Pad Thai Omelette was delicious, with just the right amount of chili! I thought he was just going to drop it off, but he stayed and talked for quite awhile, even showing me plenty of family pictures from vacations in the U.S. and such. By the time he left, I was way too tired to blog, knowing full well that I had to be ready for him to pick me up at 3:30 a.m. to take me to the Don Meuang Airport. I put my laptop away, showered and went to bed.
Pimon was there at 3:30 a.m., but said that he might have to stop by his apartment ’cause he’d forgotten his wallet and needed cash for the tolls. I reminded him that I was paying him in cash for the airport drop-off, so he didn’t need to worry. He even hugged me goodbye! Don Meuang was busy at that time in the morning. My Air Asia flight to Denpasar was full (of freaks), but that’s another story.
Chao Phraya River
Ferris Wheel at Asiatique