Fun fact about me: I don’t like sunrises, waking up early and am not a “morning person.” However being a “human” in a “society,” sometimes I am forced by said “society” to get out of my warm and cozy bed at non preferential hours. On even rarer an occasion, I make the conscious and very bold decision that something fun or interesting, maybe even someone, particularly special is worth me ending my nightly, mini hibernation early. This morning was one such event. Mari and I woke at the crack of dawn, I was stumbling about because it takes about an hour for my eyes to become fully functional. We proceeded to make the hour and a half drive out of Bangkok to one of the famed floating markets, Taling Chan. When we arrived, it was closed! Only open weekends? I woke up for this? Alright plan B, let’s try to make the best of it. There was a women idly sitting by the waters’ edge and she told us she could take us out on the water if we wished. That’s how we started our private canal tour.
Ahh, slowly gliding past the humble homes, I watched people rinsing laundry, literally from their doors step. A small child ran to the end of his homes deck and peed exuberantly into the water. A group of boys hung off a low bridge post to fish and poke fun at each other. Being a city girl myself I can’t knock city life. Sometimes though seeing the same giant malls, with the same chain stores, in every city makes me feel like someday there won’t be a point to traveling because everywhere will be the same. While that’s obviously not completely true, it does lend to the feeling that you need to get out and further away from those hubs to feel some culture and the real “flavor” of a people. What bliss to silently cruise with my sister down the waterways just soaking up what our senses would allow. Calm and quiet, with the occasional plop of a fish poking its head through the water’s surface. Out of curiosity we asked our driver what kind of fish they were. He shook his head in a way that implied he had NO idea what we were saying , so we smiled politely and turned back to enjoy the scenery. At the next building we past, the boat pulled over. Our driver quickly jumped out motioning for us to stay put. I thought he might be running a quick persona errand. Within a few seconds he emerged from the house with a loaf of bread. Once he had established that he had our attention he threw the loaf into the water. Instantaneously fish surrounded the bread and our boat with a vicious fury. Where did they all come from? We had seen a few here and there but this was intense. They were huge and all fighting to get a bite. We thanked our driver for the show and continued on. Not until we were back at home watching a show on the canals of Bangkok and environs did we learn those damn fish were carnivorous and very intimidating predators.
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| Death by fish! |
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| Oh yea, we saw snakes too... |
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| Halfway there, livin on a prayer. |
After a peaceful morning ride, we decided to go do something a little more lively. The peak of the sun had worn of and we made our way out to the strip affectionately known as Khao San Road. This area of Bangkok is a backpacker hang out. Several hostels exist near this strip so it’s impossible not to run into American or European travelers here. Clearly, no day would be complete without adventures in food, and we were ready to dig in. There were so many little carts we didn’t know where to start or what to try. We ended up sampling from several. Everything was tasty, whether it was a pancake with fresh fruit to a rice ball stuffed with who-knows-what yummy. We had unintentionally forever tainted ourselves. The best pad thai I have eaten to date came from one of these stands at the cost of one USD. It now seems such a waste to pay ten bucks here at home for something you know won’t even compare.
Another amazing creation of the city is the Beer Tower. BEER TOWER. These are table top miracles that hold 6-12 beers each. The core has a tube for ice so that the beer stays nice and cold. My sister and I consumed this brilliance at an outdoor table prime for people watching. Right across from us was a bar called something like “We don’t check your ID,” subtle. Dread-locked hippies in linen pants and old ladies in traditional dress for our benefit collided down the street. The more beer we consumed the louder our cracks got about the passersby, and the longer our giggles cackled on. We found ourselves wondering as often happens why we seemed to be enjoying ourselves more than anyone else appeared to be. A girl with a sour look on her face sipped her bear behind us. Ayyyy we toasted each other and laughed on. One beer tower down, another indigenous ancient tradition checked off the list.
