From Grunge to Glam

Delhi to Bangkok
We boarded the plane in Delhi destined for a brief four hour layover in Singapore and then onwards to Bangkok. We were actually looking forward to the layover because Singapore airport has plenty of shops, including Clinique, free internet and real coffee shops (not India’s Nescafe). I got restocked on Clinique while Jarrod had a nap on the couches and before we knew it the time came to board for the two hour flight to Bangkok.

We arrived at Bangkok’s new airport, just opened in late November, and managed to catch the local bus to Khao San Road with little difficulty. We immediately needed to refuel with a tasty Thai green curry and it was a delectable treat after four months of only Indian food.

A New Look
We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jarrod’s mom, Capri, and Vic for four full days now. Instead of diving into the sights of Bangkok we’ve more been diving into the shopping and luxury we’ve been missing. We’ve been to the mall, MBK, twice now and Jarrod has a new wardrobe while I’ve got a new tank top and push-up bra (Capri is bringing me a few items from home too). Our clothes from India were grungy and dirty and simply covered too much skin. To assimilate into the Thai culture we’ve decided to tidy up and bare our legs and arms.

To add to our new found glam, Jarrod is shaving almost every day (instead of once every two weeks) and we’ve got hair cuts. Picture this - Jarrod: 20 pounds lighter, shaven, snazzy haircut and a collared shirt - HOT. Grunge really isn’t his best look so I’m welcoming the change of country. Myself, well, not quite the drastic change, but my acne prone India skin is clearing rapidly (even with Bangkok’s pollution which is much better than any Indian city) and my toes got a much needed pedicure and polish.


Yummy Food
Everyone raves about the fabulous Thai street food and Jarrod and I have been indulging on pad thai, meat skewers and curries. We’ve also discovered that part of the reason that Thai street food is so tasty is the MSG they add to almost everything. Unfortunately, I had to learn about MSG the hard way after enduring two entire days of a constant headache. Hopefully, I’ll build up a tolerance so I can eat as much as I want because it really is all very delicious!

Ladyboys
We’ve enjoyed people watching and observing the new culture. The ladyboys are interesting with their long painted nails, make-up and skirts. I had a hard time deciphering one shopkeeper: Boy or Girl? There were boobs and shoulder length hair, but bad make up and no hips…. Jarrod decided Boy based on his/her hands, but I still couldn’t be sure. We’ll never find out though because after bartering hard for Jarrod’s clothes the ladyboy told us not to come back!

Wat Saket
We did make it to one temple, Wat Saket, on our third day of lazing about. We lingered about taking in the smells of incense burning and watching locals meditate in front of the golden dome and hang brass bells that tinkled in the wind. But we’ll have much more time for more temples and tourist attractions once Capri and Vic arrive.

Company's Coming Today!
Tonight we catch the bus back to the airport to meet Capri and Vic. I hear the weather in Vancouver has been bad so hopefully their plane gets in on time! We’ve got three weeks to upgrade our standard of travel while we venture to Northern Thailand with the family. We're really looking forward to familiar face's. There is always an open invitation for others to come visit us too! Vancouver/Victoria rain and snow, Thunder Bay snow..... it's 30C and sunny everyday in Bangkok!

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