Technically, it was three nights in Bangkok, but the first one didn’t really count, as my flight arrived about 11:45 p.m. By the time I exchanged currency, made it through Immigration, collected my bag, got a taxi and checked into the hotel, it was definitely after 1:00 a.m.
Nearly all of the following day was spent with the family of my ex-boyfriend, but I’m not going to write any more about that than what was previously written. As for that evening, I grabbed a Thai omelette with minced pork, steamed rice and a blended strawberry drink at I’M Petra for dinner. I like that place because the food is good, affordable and the people who work there are really nice. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating; the clientele is composed of both locals and tourists. I then went to Smalls for a cocktail or two. Both the main waitress and one of the owners recognized me from last May, which is always nice. There was a new bartender, though. Danny said that he was from Canada and looked to have impressive cocktail making skills. He was also cool under pressure, as an expat (Aussie, perhaps?) yelled at him, saying something like “I hate to interrupt your conversation, but where’s my drink?! I’m being ignored over here!” Danny, though speaking to a local couple that was seated next to me, was actually in the midst of making the expat’s drinks. The expat was with a much younger Thai woman, so was trying to impress her, no doubt. He was also yelling something about being in the hospitality industry and being associated with some hotel or other; quite rude and obnoxious. That would have made me see red, but Danny was calm as a cucumber. Due to a serious lack of sleep, I was about to pass out at the bar. My plan was to go back to the hotel, freshen up, get a second wind, return and hang out until 4:00 a.m. or later. Unfortunately, the owner said that they’d be closing early (2:00 a.m.) that night. So I told him that they’d see me on Tuesday night instead. He was sad to inform me that they would be closed on Tuesday night, thus he really tried to convince me to stay longer or come back in less than an hour. I intended to give it my best shot. I walked back to my hotel, which was basically across the street and down a block. I freshened up, but don’t recall laying on the bed and NOT setting an alarm. The next thing you know, I’d passed out and woke up at 2:37 a.m.! Guess that means that they’ll see me nearly every night on my return trip in the fall!
Tuesday was my only full day by myself in Thailand, as my flight on Wednesday was at 5:50 a.m. (Who dreams up these bizarre flight schedules?!) I didn’t leave the hotel until about 10:15 a.m. There are two jewelry stores nearby that I’ve purchased things from the past two trips. I walked into one and they remembered me, much like the people at Smalls. I was eyeing rings and pendants. There’s usually a little boy in there. This time he was chattering away in Thai, but every once in awhile, he’d yell “Chicken!” I was amused, but a little puzzled until they explained that that was one of the few words that he could say in English. He also managed to get a few numbers out here and there. He really appeared to be trying to communicate with me in whatever way possible. Once I purchased something, he was the one that wanted to wrap it up, so they let him. The next time I see him, I’ll teach him “Hello,” “Goodbye” and “Thank you,” which is probably more useful in everyday conversation than “chicken.”
It was on to Le Spa for another Thai massage/torture/chiropractor session. I ordered up my usual – a one hour oil massage for 300THB. The young guy at the front was unique; he was wearing gold-flecked powder on his cheeks, which was rather Kabuki-like. He led me upstairs and into a room. As I sat down and started to remove my jewelry, he felt compelled to inform me that the massage would be conducted by a male. I assured him that it wasn’t a problem, as I’d been there before and knew what to expect. He then disappeared while I disrobed, kept my undies on, lay on my stomach and covered myself with the towel. The masseuse who conducted my massage turned out to be him. He has some seriously powerful hands. I like pressure, but was completely taken aback by how powerful he was. It was all going swimmingly until he unexpectedly cracked my toes! I’m not a fan of having my fingers or toes cracked, and usually mention this to masseuses in Thailand and Bali in advance of the massage. Oh well, too late now. When he asked me to turn over, I expected a breast massage like my 3 massages there last year. I didn’t get a breast massage, but a heavy duty stomach massage. Good thing I hadn’t eaten yet! Next up, he asked me to put my feet sole-to-sole with my legs in a diamond shape, keeping them as flat as possible. That already will seriously stretch your muscles, but when he began massaging my legs – the inner thighs, in particular – it was painful. “You can deal with it,” I kept telling myself. I was expecting him to massage my inner thighs hard maybe 3-4 times per side. In reality, it seemed more like 10 times per side. Plus, since he was doing it so vigorously and getting treacherously close to my punani, I was wondering if he was trying to give me the big “O.” He didn’t cross any boundaries, though, and I managed to endure the pain. Of course, we weren’t quite done yet. I already knew that he’d then ask me to put my hands behind my back while he wrapped a leg around my waist and quickly pulled me one way, then the other, to crack my back. He would then put his knees in the small of my back and pull me back three times. Since I was already anticipating this and, since he spoke English better than the guy who had massaged me last year, I begged him to be “gentle.” He tried, and definitely wasn’t as hardcore as the guy last year, but it was still a shock to my system! When it was over, he indicated that I could take a shower in a certain room, as he went downstairs. I showered up, went downstairs and had my tea (which was really good; tasted of cinnamon and honey), paid, tipped him well, told him that he gave me a great massage and asked to take his picture. He was very shy about having his photo taken, but allowed me to do it, nonetheless. He then wrote his name on the business card and gave it to me, apparently so that I can request him by name the next time.
I headed a few doors down for lunch at Uncle John. I craved another Thai omelette, but had a minced shrimp one, along with steamed rice and chicken laab. The Thai omelette was on par with the one at I’M Petra, but the chicken laab, though good, wasn’t spicy at all. He’d even asked me if I wanted it spicy. He must have assumed that I wanted it “American” spicy, but I didn’t detect chili whatsoever. My dinner plans were to meet up with a friend, so I went back to the hotel to rest up a bit in the meantime.
Around 4:30 p.m. I went downstairs to catch a cab to Silom Complex. My friend had asked that I meet him on the second floor in front of the Swarovski store at 5:00 p.m. They seemed to be filming some bizarre fitness show on the first level, so I didn’t check out that floor at all. I immediately went to the second floor and had time to look around before my friend showed up. When he arrived, we took the Saladaeng BTS to Ploen Chit and walked to Plaza Athenee. My friend is in all kinds of good with everyone at Plaza Athenee. Everyone recognized him, hugged him, welcomed him and chatted with him. Since I’d never been there before, I got a tour of the pool area, as well as all of the restaurants on the second floor. We had a reservation for 6:00 p.m. at the Thai restaurant on the second floor, but had the option to switch to any of the other restaurants. After a drink at the bar downstairs, we took a gander at what was on offer at the buffet in the Rain Tree Café (also downstairs) and that pretty much settled it for me. They had everything – American, European, Thai, Chinese, Indian, seafood, cheese and desserts. We decided to eat there instead and opted for the free flowing drinks in addition. I made it through four plates, plus drank my weight in prosecco. My friend eats there frequently, so knew what to expect. I tried to pace myself, but four small plates was all I could muster. Luckily for me, since my friend is some sort of member there, we got a nice discount on the price. When I return in the fall, I’m heading back there to have Sunday brunch with him. (I’ll try not to eat for 1/2 day before!)
That pretty much concluded my quick sojourn to the City of Sin. I went back to my hotel, relaxed briefly, packed my things and was on my way to BKK at 2:30 a.m.