The ancient name of Siam befits these friendly people, as Siamese means people of smiles.  The country was renamed Thailand, meaning people of freedom.  Thailand truly is a country where smiles are in abundance, and are quite free.  Upon my arrival I found that my hotel was well known for dubious reasons.  At first this was upsetting to me, as any culture shock can be, but I soon found myself befriending all of the bar girls, and my judgments transformed into a kind of compassion.  The main job of these girls is to talk to the customers, be friendly, and get them drinks, or, well, sex if someone is so inclined enough to ask the bar matron to purchase this privilege.   I found myself enjoying the friendly treatment tremendously and could soon see why men flock to this place to be treated so sweetly.   In one of these girls, I’ve found a lasting friend who confided in me the economics of most workers in Thailand.  It certainly isn’t a cause for smiling when you realize that for all the hard work that is required of a someone, the pay can be abysmal, and usually is.  Less than $100.00 a month for full time work.  That means only two days off a month.  It took me about three days to burn through $100.00 and I thought I was being frugal!  So tip big here.  What you think is a small tip goes a long way toward the health and well being of one of these friendly people, and will keep them smiling for a long time to come.

 

To recommend restaurants here is silly.  The best way to eat in Thailand is from street vendors.  You can either sit at an outside bar and wait for food to walk by, or you can go to one of the many vendors that line the streets and try fantastic things.  Just look for something that looks good, and point to it.  You may not be able to speak the language, but communication is pretty easy with the vendors, they know you are hungry and are there because you like what you see.  Be sure to eat green papaya salad, and if you see little packages wrapped up in banana leaves on a barbaque, what is inside is pure heaven.  A sort of coconut pudding that is cooked with fish, basil and spices.  If you like it, say a-roi, or dee-mah.  Most delicious.

 

 

Bangkok means The City of Angels.  And like Los Angeles, it is dirty, sprawled out, and often just way too hot.  After 7 days of exploring the streets, riding the sky train, and visiting temples by way of the Chao Praya Riverboat Ferries, I decided to retreat to an island.  I jumped on a bus, which was astoundingly cheap for a four hour bus ride to Ban Phe, and a 20 minute ferry ride to Koh Samet.  

 

 

 

As she left however, she was soon replaced by two of the sweetest young women I’ve ever met, both from Japan.  They were enjoying their graduation trip and decided to make their way to Koh Samet from Bangkok for one day (yep, that’s 8 hours of bus trip for a few hours at the beach).  I showed them the sunset point and stopped at a vendor on the way back for a crepe-like thing full of cashews and smothered in sweetened condensed milk.  Dee-mah!  

 

The girls and I stayed together all the way back to Bangkok.  I had intended to stay for one more night on the island, but two things coincided to change my plans.  One, I happened to be there during the full moon.  This is a major party time for 20 something Thai people, and they came to the island en masse for a three night run.  Actually, each night was a different group of Thai folks coming to make merry.  Each previous day, I breathed a sigh of relief as one group left, only to see the speed boats coming with another big group.  The final straw was the all night party in the bungalow next to mine.  I got out of my bed at 6:00 am, packed my bags and set off down the beach to catch the morning ferry back.  I couldn’t wait to get back to Bangkok for some peace and quiet!  I actually was secretly glad I had an excuse to leave because, beautiful and peaceful as the island was, or could have been, I was going crazy with boredom and longed to be back where there was an endless supply of temples to see, alleys to explore, street vendor foods to eat, murderous cars to dodge.  I was craving Bangkok.

 

I can’t possibly express the joy I felt in returning to my little dubious hotel.  I even got to have the same mosquito ridden room I had the week before.  My friends the bargirls were happy to see me and smothered me with hugs, put makeup on me, and expected me to stay and party with them until the bar closed.  Having had no sleep however, I went to bed early and happily, much to their feigned dismay.  

 

I had two days left in Bangkok before leaving for Nepal to meet my friends from California for a rendezvous before heading off to India.  I made the most of it by visiting the Grand Palace, and hiring a very informative guide to give me a personal tour.  It was a little pricey for Thailand, but knowing what I know now about wages here, I think she earned every penny.

I learned a heck of a lot, and, as she reminded me when she pitched her services to me, it’s not so expensive for me.  (Tell that to my wallet which is currently complaining that I must find a cheaper way if I intend to last another 5 months on this continent…)  Furthermore, any donation you make to any of the temples here goes to pay for the gold leaf restoration that has to be done every few decades.  It is what keeps these temples so beautiful and shiny.  

 

As an aside, 90% of the population in Thailand engages in a very devout Buddhist practice.   Even here behind the bar is a shrine of Lord Buddha, and the girls leave food and incense offerings to him daily. It is a uniquely Thai style of Buddhism which borders on Hindu practice more than Tibetan Buddhism.   Every thank you, or Khorb Khun Ka is spoken with hands in the prayer position and a little bow of the head.  It is what makes this place so friendly.  

 

 

Story and Photos © 2007 Catherine Vibert

 

Photos and Story © 2006 by Catherine Vibert