Bangkok: Swiftly Moving Stream

<gasp>

It's been 4 days since the Drunken Swede Incident, and I'm only now coming up for air. Bangkok has caught me in its current. Where to begin?

Last night, I watched my new friend L disappear into the crowd on Khaosan Road with his backpack, possibly never to see him again. It was one of those fast, deep friendships that sometimes happen on the road, and I watched him go with some sadness. He was also alone on the road, having planned his world tour with his then-girlfriend but was traveling through Asia with a buddy instead when his buddy unceremoniously ditched him in Bangkok to be with his now-ex -- a particularly low move in my book.

In spite of everything, L's enthusiasm for travel -- and Bangkok in particular -- were high, and we saw much of it together. That included both a trip to see live Thai boxing ...



(My abs look like that. Totally.) ... and a football match (soccer for you Americans):



L watching the local Bangkok football team, Taro.

The football match has been a trip highlight. We sat by the cheering section, where we were quickly adopted. The local fans taught us cheers both in Thai and Engrish: "We ah chee-ah fo Tey-lo! We ah chee-ah fo Tey-lo!" (Translation: "We are cheer for Taro!") Everybody wanted their picture with us, smiles all around, and beer put in our hands. When the local team won, the fans nearly burned the stadium down in celebration with flares and colorful smoke bombs.

We also saw the spectacular Wat Phra Kaew (Template of the Emerald Buddha), and the Grand Palace:





In our wanders, we stumbled across two of Bangkok's red-light districts. Honestly, we weren't seeking them out -- they're everywhere, and they're pretty creepy. You know those big, laminated menus at Denny's with pictures of waffles and burgers? Imagine menus like that, but with pictures of women instead. Girls stand in front of brothels entreating you to have a look at their menu. <shudder> I didn't linger.

Also creepy was this particular food stand at Khaosan Road, if you call this food.



Fancy a snack?

Khaosan Road

Khaosan is a world apart from the rest of Bangkok. A mecca for backpackers the world over, it's written about in every guidebook. The street is packed with travelers, bars, clubs, rats, cockroaches, junk sellers and scam artists trying to separate tourists from their money. I'm reminded of a line from a little-known sci fi movie I like: "You will never find a more retched hive of scum and villainy."

For all that, Khaosan is actually pretty fun. On what was to be L's last full night in Asia, we went into a club and had such a blast we stayed until closing. Yeah, I was the old guy in the club. Whatevs, it's Bangkok. I didn't get home until 4am. L got home even later, having met a girl and went with her to another club. I'm happy to have helped give L a proper send-off. I hope he remembers Bangkok as the city of beautiful women and uncensored fun that it is.

Heart and Seoul

The next day we were kicking back on Khaosan, killing time before L's flight to Seoul. There we met D, a beautiful Korean woman who, as luck would have it, was also flying back home to Seoul that evening. She loved Khaosan, was winding down her third visit, and her first one alone. She was a bit heartbroken that she had just spent 5 days and a lot of money on a very nice room with a king-sized bed, only to meet nobody to share it with. Huh. Just, huh. This brings up so much for me that I can't put into words, I'll just leave it at that. She and L picked a time and a place in Seoul, and are probably meeting up ... right about now.

Winding Down

After L and D left to catch their flights, I wandered around Khoasan on my own and thought. I was surrounded by people, people (I imagined) much like L and D. I had a sudden what-am-I-doing-here? moment, caught the train back to my hotel and turned in early with "Bottom of the World" by Tom Waits running through my head.

On the train home, I saw this sign and had a laugh.