Good Friends in Bangkok

We spent two days without bicycles. The first day we slept. And the second day we worked on our last blog post about American soil. As we sat there writing, all of the sudden Brant realized that he left his cycling shoes in Massachusetts.

Not good.

After a minor freak out and a little inter-web research, he found a bike shop that could have shoes. We mapped our route and decided to walk.

On our way there we were stopped by a random Thai man, asking where we were from and  how long we were in Thailand, bla bla bla. He explained that he was from Chiang Mai and here only for a visit. We talked about how we were cyclists and headed to a bike shop. He explained that today was Buddha Day and that there were special promotions all over the city for tourists. He reassured us that tuk tuk drivers were not all out to rip tourists off and that you just had to look for one with a yellow license plate. Brant and I looked around us, all of the tuk tuks seemed to have yellow license plates. He assured us that we should pay no more than 20 Baht for a Tuk Tuk to take us to visit the many temples that are open only today for free. He wrote on a piece of paper, in Thai, all the places we should go, saying, "Show this to tuk tuk."

We  thanked him for his interest and left him to find someplace to eat.  As we sat there enjoying beautiful curry and noodles, we discussed what to do for the day.  I mean it was buddha day.

After our meal we find our man, a tuk tuk driver who agreed to take us to all of the pointed out sights for 20 Baht. Badabingbaddaboom. We thought we were all good.

There's something iconic and exotic about riding in a tuk tuk. Brant and I sat in the back, exhilarated as our open aired, motorized buggy weaved in and out of traffic.

Four hours later we had seen many cheesy Wats and buddhas, and in between each one, we were chauffeured to either a jewelry shop, a "tourist information center," or a tailor--all of which wanted to tell us what we needed (whether it was a train ticket, a diamond ring, or a tailored suit). Our driver received "gas coupons" every time we stopped, and after four hours, we were tired of this little carnival ride, and wanted off. So, when our driver got ready to whisk us off to the next buddha, we told him that we would like to stop at a bicycle shop, pointing to it's location on the map. He struggled a little bit with the change of plans, but in the end got us there. As soon as he dropped us off he said, "I'm done here." So we paid our dues and called it a day. We got exactly where we set out to go, it just took us four times as long to get there.

After visiting the bike shop and realizing that Brant size feet don't exist in Thailand and therefore there were no shoes to be had. We walked home, laughing over our tuk tuk scam, and trying to not be depressed about Brant's shoe situation.

We made it to the Shanti and headed upstairs for a much needed nap. Brant immediately pulled out the computer and began researching tuk tuk scams. Apparently, ours is a very unoriginal story. A seemingly random man tells you he is visiting Bangkok from another city, that it's buddha day and you must visit these temples etc. etc. It's all very planned out, but man, we were so easy! We laughed at how predictable it all was. We should have known better. I mean how did we think that paying someone 20 Baht for hours of their time is fair or worthwhile? If you want to pay someone nothing for a service, than guess what? You don't get good service, or someone else is paying for it. And with that realization, we napped.

We were told we could wait up to five days for our bicycles, so when we came walked down the stairs after our snooze and found our bicycle boxes sitting in the lobby, we were entirely taken aback and super stoked.

We spent the next  morning assembling bicycles and researching visas for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. During assembly, Brant found that my bike had been mishandled (despite some pretty careful packing and labeling). The fork was a bit bent. So we took photographs and emailed the same folks who had been in contact with us from airport services. With a little bending and prodding, Brant got my wheel to fit back in.

We worked till eleven that morning, giving us just enough time to navigate our way to a pre planned lunch date with an old college roommate of mine, Natasha Hansen. Natasha and I lived together my junior year of college, and she moved to Thailand two years ago. Both Brant and I were super excited to meet a friend on the other side of the planet. Natasha texted me what BTS train to get on and what station to get off at. Brant and I left the Shanti, excited to see some more of Bangkok's transportation system. We took a cab to the same train station we got off at two days before, but then hopped on the Sky Train (BTS) to the Asoke stop, which was right in front of a new mall with an apparently fabulous food court.

We got off, and Brant fully realized that we were at a mall. A mall that looks modern, and hip, and full of cute clothes--Brant not happy.  

I was like, Brant, Natasha thinks this place has a good food court. Let's Just trust her. Plus, this may look like home, but look around, this is modern Thailand, this is where young, hip, Thais come to hang out. Brant still couldn't surrender his poopy pants. He explained that he was trying, but that it was hard. Meanwhile, there was a store that sold tons of KEEN shoes. I pointed, saying, "Hey, maybe they have KEEN cycling  shoes?"

Poopy pants Brant: "Probably not."

Me: "Well, it's worth a shot."

And guess what! They had a pair of cycling shoes in Brant's big foot size! We were both so stoked. And from this moment forward Brant didn't hate the mall. Natasha met us minutes later and guided us towards the food court--on the floor themed "San Francisco"--fitting!

The food court was incredible. Delicious prepared to order Thai food of all kinds, from panang curry, to beautiful fruit smoothies, to mango with sticky rice--and everything was around $1 to $2.

Brant was in a food dreamland.

We sat with Tash for an hour or so, riddling her with a million questions about Thailand, the Thai language, her experiences, and any advice she might have. I sat there thinking, "Natasha, you rock my socks." Seriously, she got up and moved here, has learned a new daunting language, and can write and read a new alphabet. To top all of this off, Natasha works here to help women get out of the very extensive sex industry that exists in Thailand. She kicks super woman butt is what I'm saying.

After talking Natasha's ear off, she explained how to take the boat taxi down the main canal. This is a way cheaper way to travel than by motor taxi, and both Brant and I were super keen on experiencing another mode of transport.

Natasha left us, and we headed for the underground train, which would connect us to a water taxi stop. She warned us to keep our mouths closed on the boat, and to watch for splashing water in our eyes--unless we'd like to be sick. Once off the subway, we oriented ourselves above ground and found the dirty canal. We caught the taxi going right, a long narrow boat lined with plastic curtains that pull down when at a dock and pull up when in the water, all to help keep that water out. It pulled up to the dock and within seconds it was off and running. For 12 BHT (less than 50 cents) each we were towed a pretty solid distance. Both Brant and I felt like we were on a cultural roller coaster, loving every single minute. The boats didn't feel too dirty, and quickly became our favorite mode of transport. The city seems so much more romantic from the view of a boat, instead of cars and 6 lane streets, we saw the life of those living on the canal, from flooded businesses, dilapidated houses, lush gardens, to people hanging their laundry. We loved it.

We got off at the last stop and walked home. At about this time, the sky decided to inform us that it was in fact the rainy season. It was as if it said, "Hey you Lauren and Brant! Where are your umbrellas?!" Every other person on the street pushed open a colorful parasol, making the sidewalks a sea of polka dot, mickey mouse, and leopard print shelters.

Shelterless--we ran from awning to awning. Little girls literally pointed at me and laughed at my soaking wet hair and clothes. Twenty minutes later we arrived at the Shanti, ready to put on dry clothes.

That evening, we went to bed like children waiting for Christmas morning. Why? Because our old friend, Miss. Lauren May, was arriving late that night, and in the morning would be there at our very hostel on the other side of the world.

And guess what? At 7:00 am, I awoke to the voice of Lauren May outside of my door. I got up and let her in, and we all cuddled and giggled for a good fifteen minutes.  We finally motivated ourselves up and out of our room. We wanted to show May May the market just outside the lodge. We strolled through the colors of the market and found a great espresso stand just on the other side of the canal. This was our introduction to Thai coffee culture, which is totally flourishing. And to my delight, most Thais like their coffee and tea iced…maybe because it's darn hot outside…all I know is we like it.

 We got back to the Shanti, and May introduced us to the friends she flew out with, Jessica and Aaron, who had just come back from a morning run. They were full of endorphins and equally blown away by the culture around them. We sat and sipped fresh passion fruit juice and ate coconut porridge.

After breakfast, we made plans to eat lunch with Natasha again.

We  took a long walk to the water taxi, wanting to see the infamous Khoa San Rd, the backpackers district of Bangkok, and to look for a guidebook.

 On our way it started to pour, this time we all purchased umbrellas, and enjoyed our trek through the rain. After seeing the neon lit Khoa San Rd. we were infinitely more thankful for the Shanti Lodge, far away from the madness of over touristy areas.

Aaron, Jess, and Lauren loved the canal taxi just as much as we did, and were equally impressed with Natasha's life, and the food court.

Our days at our Bangkok oasis spent with friends, eating good food, and preparing to leave were blissful. We saw a beautiful wat together, embellished in incredible porcelain mosaics. We rode the big river taxi, finalizing our transportation experience. Brant took his bicycle out for a small spin on our tiny little street, and children chased him, laughing at his big old bicycle.

But on Sunday, September 30th, Brant and I were ready to leave. We said our goodbyes to Jess, May, and Aaron. We suited up our steads. Not knowing exactly what to expect, and with a few butterflies in our bellies,  we greeted Asia with loaded bicycles.