Deborah's Southeast Asian Adventure

On my last day in Hong Kong, I did a classic thing: had an hour-long foot massage which I can only describe as "heaven on earth". The lady did things to my foot that I'd never experienced before. I had no clue that there were so many errogenous zones on your feet. One minute I was screaming in pain, the next moaning in ecstasy. (I'm so glad I will never see that woman again!)

The two and a half hour flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok was uneventful. Sat beside Gabriel, a guy from Mexico who was on his honeymoon, a Princess Cruise through Asia. His wife was seated up front. Ironically, Bangkok reminds me a lot of Mexico City. It's just this monstrosity of a city stretching forever.

Then, all hell broke loose when I hit Bangkok. I caught the Airport Express Bus to Silom Road, the busy street close to my hotel. Wham! We hit rush hour traffic - no joke in Bangkok. Gridlock for kilometres. Luckily, I was sitting beside this really cool young guy from Chicago who has been working in finance in Australia and New Zealand and hanging out in Asia and he gave me tonnes of tips. TIP #1: Never, ever pay full price for anything. Negotiate. Golden rule: offer 60% of what the first asking price is. After haggling and haggling, if a merchant refuses to go any lower on price, this is usually a fair price. Expect a 300 - 400 mark up on everything. After being dropped off in the middle of a busy street (night had fallen already), I was wandering around slightly stressed, clutching my purse and dragging my 20 kilo suitcase. (Kitty, I opted to bring a duffle bag/knapsack with rolling wheels which has come in quite handy.) I finally became so desperate, I asked a soldier for directions. My saviour! He pointed me in the right direction (about a 20-minute walk). Twice I wasn't sure where I was and he mysteriously appeared on a motorcycle, pointing in the right direction. The last time, he appeared on his motorcycle along with his wife and two children. They escorted me right to the hotel. Guardian angel #1.

On my walk to the hotel, I passed a busy street where people were shopping, eating, chatting, etc. Thai cooks set up woks on the sidewalk with makeshift tables and chairs around where people just eat. I passed one area where a man was cutting up some delicious-looking pork with greens and rice. Did I not go back and find that exact spot after I'd checked in? There are some sights of food that make you damn near lose your mind. That pork was it. Let me tell you, it was the best meal I've had since I've been in Asia and it cost me EUR 85 cents (1.23 Canadian, 1.10 American). The whole time, I'm thinking 'Please don't let me get Montezuma's Revenge but if I do, it will almost be worth it!' The streets are so alive here at night. People live on the street. The smell is so distinct. It's hot and humid here (around 32 degrees) and you smell food cooking, pollution, and garbage simultaneously. It's loud - three wheeled motorcycles (tuk tuks) motorcycles, horns honking, karaoke, yelling, etc. Thank goodness, my hotel is very quiet. I slept like a baby.

This morning, I work up early, had breakfast and headed out to visit some temples, or 'wat' as they are known here. I ended up taking the boat on the Chao Praya River which is even better than taking the bus, subway or Skytrain. You bypass all of the hustle and bustle of the city although the waterways are also quite busy. First stop: Wat Po to see the huge reclining Buddha. This buddha is amazing. About 45 metres in length. His smile alone must be 5 metres wide. His toes are made of mother of pearl and the bottoms of his feet have some important Buddhist design on them. I also treated myself to an hour-long Thai massage which was the best massage I've ever had. When I first saw my masseuse, I was sceptical as she was this petite, little Thai woman. But looks are deceiving. This woman stretched and pounded and kneaded and squeezed me and I didn't want it to end. She laid me on my stomach and pulled my legs and arms together in the middle of my back, hog-tied style. After it was over, I felt like I was floating. Wonderful. Cost: EUR 7.50 (CDN$11.50, US$9.80)

I later visited Wat Arun, another beautiful temple across the river. These temples are so impressive. They resemble pyramids a little but their walls are made of ceramic mosaics in the shape of flowers and other things. The ceilings are made of pure gold and have little hooks. I met two really nice African-American women from New York (Naomi and Cherelle) who are hanging out in Thailand for a month. We ate lunch together and are hooking up tomorrow to rent a longboat and cruise the canals and main attractions by water.

The weather is stifling hot. You pray for clouds because when it's sunny, it's unbearable. In late afternoon, I headed back to the hotel for a dip in the hotel's rooftop pool. But with a small detour: I ended up on a shopping street and in a store which sells turquoise. I've always wanted a turquoise neclace and bracelet and had them custom-made at a shop owned by Said Muhammed Walif, an Afghan who does a brisque trade in gems and carpets in downtown Bangkok. After speaking my few words of Arabic and Turkish (Persian is similar), the price of the turquoise began to drop...and drop...and drop, until at the end, I was short 50 Thai Bhat (about EUR 2) which he waived away (small fortune here). So folks, my advice is to pick up a few handy words from as many languages as possible (shukran, tessikir = thank you in Arabic and Persian).

Some observations:

Unlike Hong Kong, you see dogs and cats in the street and in the temples. No comment on why this is not so in Hong Kong. You know what they say...

Thai people must have amazing facial muscles. They are always smiling. I couldn't do it! How can you read them? My face usually makes it clear what I'm thinking but not so with these people. They have been incredibly polite and helpful. This may be because Thailand is Asia's top tourist destination.

It's 9 p.m./21:00 and I'm now going to head out for some food on the street.