Hit By a Car

Yesterday was just a typical Tuesday.  My very pregnant friend and I went to Margarita Storm (powered by Sunrise Tacos) for lunch before her weekly appointment at Bumrungrad Hospital.

Lunch was delicious.  Lori went for the street-style tacos while I opted for the American breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes.  Hit the spot.

We strolled through the crowded streets to the hospital where the doctor informed her she'd be having a baby in 1-4 weeks.  Since her due date is in 2 1/2 weeks, that wasn't shocking news.

We got a taxi to take us back to our hotel.  Even though he used an app on his phone to check the route he didn't have a clue.  We drove around, backtracked, ran into a blocked road due to construction (which has been going on for a year so shouldn't have been a surprise to him) and then sat in traffic, just blocks from our hotel.  We opted to get out and walk but the taxi driver had no change.  Lori really needed to find a bathroom (have I mentioned she's very pregnant and we'd been driving around Bangkok for over an hour?) so she bailed while I continued to sit in traffic.  To make it more enjoyable, the driver continued picking at the pimples on his face.  He left no blackhead untouched.  It was disgusting.

We finally made the u-turn to get back near our hotel and a store where I got change and bid my taxi adieu.  Since I was next to my favorite fruit stand, I stopped to check out what they had.  Here are some photos:

She's got a great smile.  Some of the cut fruit on offer (about $.55 a bag) is papaya, pineapple, rose apple and watermelon.

This may not look too appealing but it was delicious.  I bought the tiniest (and sweetest) grape tomatoes I've ever had at the fruit market.  The sandwich is just white bread with grilled pork from the nearby street food vendor.

They also sell whole fruit.  Mandarin oranges, mangos (ripe and green), apples, rose apples, guava and dragon fruit.

More of the cut fruit - pomelo, durian, strawberries and grape tomatoes.

Rose apples are tasty and pretty.

This friendly guy is co-owner of  the fruit stand.  The young man standing behind him sells fried chicken. 

After picking up the fruit, I headed up the street to get a massage.  Run by two friends, it is clean and quiet and they do a great job.

This is one of the beds where I get tortured.  Some call it "Thai massage".  You can also get an oil massage, head and should massage and foot and leg massage.

Clean towels and a fan, which they use instead of air conditioning when there aren't any customers.  When I arrive, the air con comes on.

After 90 minutes of bliss at the spa, I headed for the short walk to the hotel.  It was about 5:30 and traffic on the narrow neighborhood street was heavy.  People use it as a short cut to avoid the even more crowded main surface streets.  Imagine my surprise as I walked along the very narrow sidewalk to have a car hit me from behind.  Scared the bejeebers out of me but I wasn't injured - he just winged me with the side mirror.  His wheels were mid-way on the narrow sidewalk as he drove on after whacking me.    Earlier I'd almost gotten hit from behind because I didn't hear the motorbike coming up behind me on the sidewalk.  That's Bangkok for you.

This morning I did laundry.  I miss my dryer but my room smells nicely of laundry soap.

I'm hoping the pigeons don't poop on my clean clothes.

Rather than risk them falling off the balcony, I hung most of my things inside.

Eating these tiny cream puffs made doing laundry more enjoyable.

2 Weeks, 4 Hotels in Thailand

Hard to believe it's been just over two weeks since leaving Mandalay.  I started in Bangkok, at The Key Hotel, near Sukhumvit/Asok.  I've stayed there before.  Nice hotel, great location and a familiar neighborhood.

After a week, I changed to the Chatachuk area, across town.  I stayed at the Plim Place, another nice hotel and only about $20.  The room was huge, very clean and while far from the BTS stop, it was near shopping and restaurants.  I moved because two of my favorite people from Mandalay were staying there that weekend.  It was perfect - sort of like being neighbors back in Mandalay, with amenities.

Next I flew north to Chiang Mai, where I spent several days (most of them rainy) in another huge hotel room.  Prestige Chiang Mai Residence is new and while outside the old city center, was a great place to stay.  And, at $25 a night, another bargain.

Today, I moved to the Villa de Chiang Mai.  It is a 3 minute walk (if you're a gazelle) from the Thae Pae Gate into the old city.  It's also very near where I stayed when I visited Chiang Mai 12 years ago.  This hotel is very nice, but more expensive - about $36.  Still, location, location, location.

I Skyped with a friend this week.  She spent over a week in Italy recently.  The six weeks I'll spend in Thailand and Vietnam before coming home will cost about the same as her week in Italy.  Both are terrific options - just different in price.

I'm doing a mix of going for walks, eating street food, reading, watching marathon sessions of cooking shows, handling business via internet and just relaxing and thinking.  I'm still confident that I made the right choice.  I think it was best for everyone.  Everyone except my poor housesitters who thought they had months more of comfortable living and instead are scrambling to find another place to live.  I feel bad about that.

Here are some photos from Chiang Mai.

The fanciest presentation of mango and sticky rice I've ever had.  From a street vendor.  There was a little bit of puffed rice on top which added a nice crunchiness.

Villa de Chiang Mai - my latest hotel room.  At $36, this is high end.  It was also the smallest room so far.

Nice bathroom.

I was standing in the door of the hotel, facing toward a wat (Buddhist temple).  Wat did you say, Mary Lou?

Beautiful but I've seen enough wats, pagodas, etc. to last a lifetime.

On the other side of the alley was this door.

I was sitting inside this Italian restaurant.  I took a photo of the seat on the small porch because that's where I had my first dinner in Chiang Mai.  In 2003.

More Food and Shopping in Bangkok

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm pooped.  It was a great day - started with a long Skype call with an old friend, followed by a few hours of shopping and sweating at Chatachuk Market.  Happily, I found both the shoes and the decorative hand-made paper I was looking for.

Before heading back to my room for another shower and a rest, I stopped in at Terminal 21.  I picked up a few more groceries and then headed to Sunrise Tacos to pick up my last Mexican meal this trip.

On this trip I ate Mexican food (twice), Italian food, Arabic food and seafood (twice).  Other than sticky rice and mango, no Thai food.  Just too little time.

Here are some photos from the weekend.

MBK Mall.  Mandalay has a very long way to go to offer a comparable shopping/dining experience.

My lunch.

Food court at MBK where I had the shrimp.

It was a long walk down a rather dingy hall to the toilets.

But once there they were clean and modern.  This is the toilet's control panel.

Excellent pizza from a Japanese restaurant at Terminal 21.

Durian cream puffs.  Wrong.  Just wrong.

Peaceful park outside Chatachuk Market.

Arabic lavash sandwich for lunch at the market with a Coke Light.

The market was very hot and very crowded.  No sign of the coup.  This local tv news crew were filming the place where I'd just bought lunch.

What Coup?

Ok, back to our regular programming.  No new news on the coup, so I'll just report on my first day in Bangkok yesterday.

First, let me say I love visa runs.  Myanmar requires that I leave the country every 70 days.  Then I can return and get a new visa.  That gets them an additional $50 visa fee every 70 days.  Works for them and works for me, since I get free airfare (furnished by AIS) to Bangkok.

Arriving in Bangkok is easy.  There's a direct, two hour flight from Mandalay to Don Mueang airport.  We arrived 30 minutes early at 2:35 p.m.  The plane parked a few feet from a jetway but as usual, we didn't use it.  Instead, we climbed down stairs and onto a bus.  We drove a few minutes and entered the terminal where we climbed a flight of stairs then trekked to immigration.  It only took a few minutes before I was collecting my luggage, exchanging money and walking through customs.  Less than 30 minutes after touching down, I walked out and snagged a taxi.

Traffic on the freeways was light.  I was watching for any signs of military rule.  I did see a group of soldiers on the other side of the freeway.  Five or six guys in uniform were standing near a military vehicle.  I think they had a flat tire.

Mark Owen, I thought of you while waiting to exit on Sukhumvit.

My room at Citypoint hotel.  Less  than $45 a night and lovely.

I'm not a big fan of the frosted glass windows that serve as bathroom walls but since I'm staying alone it's no issue.

The room is fairly small but has a large, comfortable bed.  It also has a mini-fridge and safe.

At the exit ramp to Sukhumvit we sat in traffic.  Then we continued to creep forward and wait...for about 45 minutes.  With no traffic it would have taken 5-10 minutes.  When we got close to the hotel I got out and walked.  It was faster.

When I checked in to the hotel, they recognized me.  It's the hotel where I stayed and had to check out to go to the hospital.  They were helpful then and now.  And, coincidentally put me in the same room.

I immediately turned on the air conditioning, television and internet, in that order.  I have television now but not as many channels.  I was very excited about having a high speed internet connection.  Lack of consistent internet is one of the greatest frustrations in Myanmar.  And when it's working, it's slow.

After enjoying some time with my room's amenities, I headed out.  First stop, bottom floor of Terminal 21.  I was happy to see a photo shop and got prints of my cleaning ladies/ESL students for them.  Next, Gourmet Market.

The market is much like being at a Whole Foods, just with more Asian products.  I eyed heads of lettuce and the salad bar.  But, I've been dreaming of tacos as my first meal.  What to do?  I continued shopping and picked up $60 (which filled two bags) of items I can't get in Mandalay.  Cocoa, rosemary, black olives, salad dressings, taco seasoning.

Next, upstairs to Sunrise Tacos.  I explained to the waitress that I just wanted to get something to go.  She remembered me and that I was living in Myanmar.  What a memory - this is a busy restaurant and I haven't been there for months.  Of course, every time I make a visa run I do have several meals there.

We chatted while my food was being prepared.  The owners (an American man and Thai woman) asked for my contact information.  Seems they are considering opening one of their restaurants in Myanmar and they're planning a visit soon to check it out.  Some of the staff at the restaurant are Myanmar.

I'm writing this as if its no big deal.  Inside, I'm doing a happy dance.  A good Mexican restaurant in Mandalay?  I will abandon my beloved Bistro Mandalay in a heartbeat.  My pay check will be dedicated to tacos and margaritas.  Que bueno!

My meal, by the way, was delicious.  Three crispy tacos with fresh salsa and sour cream and a salad.  Perfect.

My over-stuffed tacos and side salad.  Fresh and delicious.

It's 7:30 a.m. now on Friday.  I'm planning a day of massage and shopping.  And sweating, since even at 5:00 a.m. when I walked outside it was already humid and warm.  It will be a day of tough decisions.  Do I enjoy the honey-glazed duck at the nearby Chinese restaurant or do I go back to Sunrise Tacos?

Being in Bangkok During a Coup

Looking up Asoke (toward the National Convention Center) from near Sukhumvit.

Sukhumvit and Asoke at 5:05 a.m.

Light traffic at Asoke and Sukhumvit at 5:05 a.m.

Front page of the newspaper on May 23, 2014.

It's 5:40 a.m. on Friday, May 23, 2014.  It's quiet in Bangkok.  The military announced it was taking over the government of Thailand yesterday.  

I arrived in Bangkok from Myanmar yesterday about 3:00 p.m.  Traffic on the freeways was light but seemed even heavier than usual on both Sukhumvit and Asoke.  I saw a few soldiers on sidewalks but if I hadn't known differently, I would have assumed they were police doing their normal routines.

After checking in to Citypoint Hotel, near the Asoke BTS station, I went shopping at nearby Terminal 21.  The mall was crowded with shoppers and uniformed school kids.  My focus was on buying grocery items at Gourmet Market that aren't available in Mandalay rather than on the coup.

Leaving the mall at 6:30 p.m. I walked through the typically busy BTS/MRT interchange station at Asoke.  I have never seen it so busy.  It didn't help that people were stopping in their tracks to take cell phone photos of the crowds.  I just kept slowly pushing through the crowd, anxious to get back on the street.

I spent a quiet evening in my hotel.  It was clear there was something happening when the television stations began shutting down.  By 10:00 p.m., when the curfew began, there were only three television stations broadcasting anything but a screen which said "National Peace and Order Maintaining Council" along with symbols of what I assume are the very military branches.  BBC and CNN and a sports station (playing all tennis) are the only stations still broadcasting.  CNN just announced they are committed to stay on the air to let the people of Thailand know what is happening during this critical time.

The streets were eerily quiet during the night, although not deserted.  Nothing like normal traffic levels but I could still hear the sounds of cars, trucks and motorbikes from my hotel room.  

At 5:00 a.m. this morning when the curfew ended, I headed out to see what was happening.  The intersection of Sukhumvit and Asoke, very near my hotel, is one of the busiest in Bangkok.  Clearly, people had ignored the curfew to be out driving, but traffic was significantly lighter than normal.  

I saw no military.  I'm hoping that it will be business as usual today.  I plan to head to MBK to buy shoes and school supplies.  Fingers crossed that the military will follow through on keeping peace and remaining neutral as they try to sort out the political mess.