Bangkok slang

Five clouded days in Bangkok, with occasional rays of light. I arrived at my hostel around 3 am and met my old travel friend Marianna. Spent the first day mostly just wandering around, recovering from mini-marathon traveling. Hung out with a few Thai dogs and wily strangers.





The next day was dedicated to exploring the snaking riverine routes connecting my area to Bangkok proper. Crazy fish scene. We wound up at a temple that had some kind of strange New Age Buddhism exhibit. I walked around snapping flicks while my friend chatted it up with an old monk. Chill day otherwise, picked up a c0 and some sketchy street food, these rice balls with surprise octopus filling. Headed to Siam Center (the site of the previous night's failed attempt to meet international pal Jeff Dobereiner, sorry buddy) to end the day with Batman in Imax.







Spent Tuesday dutifully sight-seeing. Actually just went to the Grand Palace, premier Bangkok tourist attraction. This was a crazy place, filled with about a dozen of the most elaborately decorated temples I've ever seen. There seemed to be no aesthetic theme aside from ostentatiousness. Every facet of every building covered with faux-gems, metallic paint and glass. The golden stupa is the most famous, but my favorite was a gaudy pillared green mirror building (above). Others looked like wedding cakes and a few were guarded by bizarre chicken men. Marianna said it best when she described the scene as a giant playground, each building designed by the whims of children. Not to sound insensitive. I think the buildings were all quite beautiful in their unabashed flamboyance, definitely a different feel from the simple stone and wood Buddhism I'm been accustomed to in my Asian forays. We also happened to be here on the Queen's birthday, so there was a total party vibe. Not really, but it makes it seem cooler.







The rest of the time was pretty uneventful, not necessarily in a bad way. I felt a bit uneasy about being in a new place with little previous knowledge and no language skills to speak of (with), and hanging out with a friend equally amenable to sleeping in, lazing around, and only venturing out for a few hours each day led to a very laid back time. No ambitious treks or trips. Mostly wandered around the city, checking out cool sites. Went to a crazy temple near the hostel covered with many-headed Ganeshas (above). Wandered by the riverside and jumped the fence to a dock housing a bunch of fancy boats. Wound up at one of the less-depressing zoos I've visited, scoped a giant anteater and spent some time in meditation with this Hermetic crocodile. "As above, so below."







On the last day we went to the Royal Art Museum, which was really cool, despite the fact that most of the royal objects were made within the last few years. More Thai opulence on display. Photos were prohibited but I snuck a few (no flash). Top: A tapestry woven from iridescent green beetle wings. The weavers have to wait until the beetles die naturally so their wings won't lose their sheen. And because Thailand is over 90% Buddhist, I suppose. Bottom: Silk embroidery. A huge deal here. A lot of the pieces were very "painterly" but they had an absorbing sense of texture. I especially liked the dark, colorless ones. Night creatures.


ODDS AND ENDS:



Street juice: some concoction of grape, dragonfruit, beet, carrot, and other unknown ingredients. Copped on two separate occasions. "where's the purple stuff again?/I can't get enough of it"



MANGOSTEEN: King of Fruits. Too fragile/FDA-unapproved to be sold anywhere outside of SE Asia. Ate a grip of these. "where's that purple stuff again?/I'm on some same color shit"



Streetcakes shaped like anime dudes. Did not cop but I appreciate this man's street food design skills.



Airport sculpture on the way out of town. Marianna, somewhat of a Hindu expert, explained the myth to me but I already forgot it. I'll ask her and edit this before you read it and realize my ignorance. Special shoot outs to Vishnu/Krishna, Gucci and Chanel.


ENDS AND MEANS:



Cool street sign. Street signs point directions. Tell you how to go from one place to another even if they don't tell you why. I am now in China. It seems like home. Kunming is one place where I somehow don't feel like a visitor. I've been reading books and signs to try to plan my next few weeks in China. I have some direction and some space to be aimless. Still a bit cloudy here so I'll keep going north...

-Josh