My weekend started two days early this week since I had some very special visitors in town! My uncles, Neal and Donald formed their winter trip with me in mind and I couldn’t have been more happy to see family! As you all know, traveling in a huge part of my life, and I love getting to share it with others. I am also highly looking forward to my mom coming in April!
On Wednesday afternoon after teaching five classes, I couldn’t wait to get out of my office and go into BKK. I also couldn’t wait to hunker down in a nice big bed with soft sheets and down pillows instead of my normal hard bed, or the bunk beds I usually sleep in at hostels.
Finally I made it to the Metropolitan and Neal met me in the lobby. After setting my things down (my room at the was sleek and modern, with a big bathroom, and towels that could swallow me up!), we all sat around their room, chatting and catching up. They had only been in Thailand for two days and already had done a few tours of the city, hitting the major wats and sights. At 7 pm we went downstairs and met our guide Da, who would be taking us on a night tour of BKK. I was really pumped because I have never taken a tour here and there are many places in BKK I have not discovered yet (it really is a HUGE city). The tour consisted of a ride over to the Nana area, a walk through the Lebanese part of town, a stop at the outdoor bar Cheap Charlie’s for a cocktail, then on through the red light district. We had dinner at a famous restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. A Thai nongovernmental organization established the chain as a public outreach program for AIDS awareness, safe sex, and family planning. There everything is decorated in condoms, a Tiger Woods, Santa and Superman were all covered in rubbers and birth control pills, and the Christmas tree with hanging condoms actually looked quite pretty from far away! The dinner was very good and instead of giving you after dinner mints, we were given complimentary condoms. After dinner, we taxied over to a flower market that never closes. We passed mountains of flowers and people buying and selling. The air-conditioned taxi came as a relief at the end of our stroll and we headed to a rooftop bar in the State building, but before we stopped and bought a pair of 200B ($6) heels on the side of the street since the bar has a dress code and I was wearing flip-flops! This is the tallest rooftop bar in BKK; I think we got off on the 65th floor. There are no other large buildings right around it so you have an unobstructed view of the city and the river. Above the noise and smog, the city actually looks quite spectacular and pretty with all her sparkling lights. Throw in a fresh berry martini and I’d say the night was a smashing success!
One of the best things about the hotel was the breakfast. I am a huge fan of Thai food, but there are many things you start to miss, such as cheese. The buffet consisted of wonderful breads, fruit spreads, pastries, meats, avocado, all types of fruits and fresh squeezed juices, and yogurt with different toppings. Aroi mak mak!!!
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| Breakfast |
On Thursday after this smorgasbord of food, we strolled around BKK, saw the Golden Buddha, ate noodles at a roadside stand, and checked out the Mandarin Oriental. After sweating and walking down back streets we returned to the hotel to sit by the pool and read for a while. We all have kindles and after I finished up my book I took their advice and started to read The Help, which I am enjoying immensely. After a quick soak in the tub and a long (HOT!) shower, we went out. Before dinner we started with a drink in the Four Seasons and then went to The Spice Kitchen for dinner which Neal and Donald heard was a “must go to” restaurant in BKK. After eating there I can agree with that statement. We had a set menu and I’m not going to rattle off all the deliciousness, but I can tell you it was probably one of the best Thai meals I have had so far. The only thing that made it even better was the wine, something that I rarely drink here.
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| Dinner at the Spice Market |
Neal and Donald had an early rise on Friday and I get up to say goodbye and thank them for visiting and treating me to a wonderful time in BKK. After they left I went back to bed for awhile and took my time enjoying the hotel before I checked out at noon to start the other very exciting yet very different part of my long weekend.
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