Although N. didn’t have time to make breakfast for me on Sunday, he still stopped off to pick something up for me to eat. As in the old days together, he always takes excellent care of me (and everyone else).
We took a cab to Chinatown in search of the silk Chinese “sleeping” pants. Chinatown was a warren of small alleys and hidden walkways jam packed with people and food vendors at every turn. He wanted to buy some DVDs first, so we browsed through a few of those stalls. Then, deep inside a jumble of passageways, we finally found the sleeping pants at a price we felt was fair. He bought two (one red and one yellow) and I bought two (one blue and one gold). I also bought another Thai silk shirt for a man. On my next trip there, I’ll certainly go to Chinatown to buy long silk Thai-style skirts, as well as East Indian-style “Nehru” jackets/shirts. One could also easily load up on cheap faux jewelry and knock-off designer bags. The food vendors fascinated me, as I hadn’t the slightest idea what 95% of the stuff was; even N. wasn’t sure about some of it.
As we got back out into the open air, we noticed that most of the gold shops were doing brisk business. When I asked what was going on, N. supposed that the price of gold had dropped. That intrigued me, so we went inside a few to check the happenings. Sure enough, the price of gold had dropped. I wanted to buy something small, so a shop owner was showing me gold Buddha amulets. N. pointed out one of The Emerald Buddha. Since we’d sat beneath The Emerald Buddha together and since the price was right, I bought it. I was happy with my purchases.
By then, N. himself was getting hungry. He was in the mood for dim sum. The one place we found that looked decent happened to be a tourist place. N. thought we’d be better off going back towards my apartment and eating at Le Isaan, since he knows how much I adore both larb and som tom, both purportedly Northern Isaan dishes. When the cab dropped us off in front of Le Isaan, N. apologized to me, saying that it was because the dim sum place was touristy that he didn’t want to eat there – not because it was too expensive and he didn’t want to spend the money on me. He didn’t need to apologize to me, however. Whatever and wherever he wanted to eat was fine with me. Besides, he’s one of the most generous persons ever, so I knew he wasn’t being cheap (and it was his prerogative, even if he wanted to be)! Sure enough, we ate larb and som tom for my final meal. They were pretty tasty!
We loaded up my luggage at the apartment and emptied the trash. I’d E-mailed the owner to ask where I could throw out the orchids, but she asked for me to leave them in the apartment, as she missed having flowers around (and they were still relatively fresh). The drive to BKK wasn’t bad; we arrived in plenty of time. In fact, we still had about an hour and a half after checking my luggage. Alas, my vacation had finally come to its end. As much as I hate living out of a suitcase for more than 10 days, I wasn’t ready to return to San Francisco. N. and I had an extremely emotional parting, and talked about the possibility of me returning the following year. After that, it was time to go. My flight wasn’t even delayed (which I’d been hoping for). When N. confiscated the cell phone that he’d loaned to me, I jokingly asked “But what if my flight gets delayed after I go to the gate and you’ve already left?!” He assured me that I could use a coin at a pay phone to call him and he would come directly back and swoop me up!
So my trip to Thailand was great. My time in Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Bangkok had been FAR more enjoyable than the time I’d spent in Phuket three years earlier. Contrary to some people who didn’t think I’d be fond of Bangkok, I DID like it, particularly the people. My chances of returning next year are good, unless I get a sudden urge to go to Cambodia or Corsica!
Bangkok Sunset from my Apartment
Food in Chinatown
More Food in Chinatown
Shopping in Chinatown
Larb and Som Tom from Le Isaan