Blingin' in Bangkok

 As we got in our dark pink cab (psh, you ride in yellow cabs?) out of the Bangkok airport and drove towards our friend Dan’s house a wave of happiness washed over me. You could smell and even feel it in the air; we had landed in a tropical country.  The scenery immediately reminded me of Mexico, and you know how that melts my heart. Some people say ‘I try to see the good in people.’ I say ‘I try to see the Latino in people.’

The 'Diva' ride. The only ride.

        Anyhoo, as we drove through the streets, kids and even a few adults were playing with buckets and water guns. Anyone who crossed their path was going to get it. What might you rightfully ask was going on? Songkran of course, or Thai New Year. Not a single person could tell me the exact significance of this New Year water fight. So I had to speculate it was some sort of washing the slate clean for a fresh start to the coming year type thing, or maybe it’s just for some down home fun! We arrived on the last day of the festival so the partying and water fighting had worn down and only the dedicated remained.  As soon as we unloaded our luggage, I insisted we take a look around and get in on the action. After walking no more than a few blocks we approached what looked like a rowdy crowd.  In the blink of an eye I was grabbed by the arm (to prevent fleeing of course) and several milky buckets of water were poured over my head. How dare they, we were unarmed! The milkyness of the water initially made me raise a brow but no cause for alarm it was just talcum powder. You may have to worry however if you are in a part of the city or country where they really go wild because you will be ingesting water like it or not.  I guess it’s a fair trade, party in a far away land and pay by way of muddy belly for a few days.  Just before stepping in to our evening’s meal I wrung out my hair and dress in an attempt to look decent after several drenchings, not sure I succeeded...

They get close, not happy ending close but close enough.

Our gracious host Dan and his gf Duong.

Its healthy, go ahead-indulge.

Yummy eats near Ekkamai BTS

Many people’s experience of Thailand is one of an anything goes party paradise.  Men rally in the fact that Thai women always smile at them and many are available for whatever type of company you might chose. Stories definitely had me imagining a Tijuana type playground of debauchery. While all those stories are true (read em- sleaze fest!) and if you seek you will find, I saw relatively little of this aspect. Our guide Dan an American implant in Thailand has lived there around 6 years. His girlfriend is from an upper class Thai family and as such he showed us that side of Bangkok living, only the high brow! The first stop was fifteen dollar foot massages followed by thirty dollar couples massages. The week spent in Bangkok was filled with more spa services than I get in a whole year at home and probably all for the cost of only one or two!  The places he took us were on the higher end, I never imagined I would be eating caviar and foie gras at an upscale hotel on my visit, but there I was.  Daniel was of the opinion that with the heat and dirty streets one could maneuver the sky train to never touch the street or leave the air conditioning. That’s definitely one way of experiencing it, but I was antsy to get down and smell the people.

Alright kid, you're not half bad.

Why hello! I didn’t mean to scare you off; Shanghai does in fact have a few gems for all different palates. The aquarium is awesome. They have an impressive fresh water collection that had me questioning why I thought lakes were safer to swim in than oceans. Plus, what aquarium would be complete without an escalator that drops through a viewing tunnel, an albino turtle and a crazy saw fish friend? 

That eye is freaky!

Since Shanghai is divided in two by the Huangpu River, you will have to find transportation to cross to the opposite side. There are a few options but why take a 30 cent ferry when you could experience the BUND SIGHTSEEING TUNNEL, oooo ahhhhh. It’s like the twilight zone, and you can see it here for free (don’t say I never did anything nice for ya)!

 The sightseeing highlight was 50 Moganshan, art district. It’s out among random warehouses and not easy to get to; so if art isn’t your thing it may not be worth it. I thought it was a total find. This small area is crammed full of galleries and artist studios. The walls are intentionally littered with graffiti aka street art which you don’t see anywhere else in China. It was lovely to spend the afternoon strolling in and out of different spaces with work ranging from ultra traditional to ultra modern. Finally my walking obsession has rubbed off on Jon and so we decided to walk our way back for a bit, than catch a cab. We were so pleasantly surprised. Among the random streets and alleys we found finally found the real flavor! Fresh fruits and vegetables for sale were laid out on blankets on the sidewalk. People were scurrying home for dinner on bikes and steaming who knows what was wafting out of restaurant doors filled with hungry patrons. I guess if you’re willing to explore you can escape the giant malls and skyscrapers. 

A thus far unmentioned (but believe me, more mentions to follow) delight is hotpot. If you have never had this, what rock do you live under? It’s the Asian version of fondue and it is delish! HaiDiLao, is a tasty chain that uniquely boasts of unparalleled service which my California sentiments did so very much appreciate. There’s no way you can go and not end up surrounded by a feast. Any sort of meat, veggie or noodle imaginable is available for your boiling pleasure in their flavorful broth. We tried duck blood at a friend’s recommendation, and have been craving it since! 

All the way to the top.

If you love delicious hand crafted cocktails, with muddling fresh ingredients and exotic liqueurs China will disappoint. It’s not like you can’t get a drink but what you think you are ordering is probably not what you are going to get.  Regardless after a nighttime stroll along the ‘Bund,’ Jon and I went to imbibe at Cloud 9 sky lounge on the 97^th story of the Jinmao tower. There is a two drink minimum per person and drinks are about twenty bucks each…expensive by almost anyone’s standard. Yet for a romantic night out with your lover, it’s worth it.  

Whaaaa? Where did all these snacks come from??

Bund

Pudong

Shanghaied in Shanghai

Shanghai is popularly thought of as one of, if not the most glamorous city in China. But when Jon and I arrived it felt anything but. Everywhere we had been so far had almost immediately won me over. Not Shanghai. I didn’t see anything eye catching or exciting out of the gate. Jon and I hadn’t left each other’s sides in two weeks, the hotel was rejecting my credit card and we found out that it was not close to the action. Blah- it was our first day of burn out. The rest of that day was spent in our room, with way sub-par and way over priced room service and sleeping. By the way, I recommend staying in an American hotel chain when visiting China. Normally I’m all about shopping local but in this case customer service and regular hotel amenities just can’t compare. The Garden Hotel looked quality but goddamn it, if the staff weren’t like chickens running around with their heads cut off. I damn near slapped a few bitches, oh Jesus, damn near! 

Looks nice.

 (Ahem,*regaining composure*) I’m the type of person who can make a random dive bar filled with old men in the middle of nowhere somehow be the best night ever. So without fail we found some cool stuff in Shanghai, and even had a little fun. Still, if you have a choice, don’t put Shanghai on the top of your list. The French Concession district is quaint. There are lots of boutique shops and we had a decent meal. I don’t think we saw any French but we did see quite a few Russians, does that count? Yuyuan Bazarr is an ultra popular tourist market and really a tourist trap. The building is beautiful the wares are marked up sometimes a whopping 800%, no joke. Be prepared to pay or get your fierce bargaining game face on. Also don’t be duped by the long line for dumplings. It’s just tourists like yourselves who read it was the best, it’s not. The Peoples Square Park is a nice place to relax and if you are into upscale chain shopping the nearby Nanjing St is the place to make it happen. None of the afore mentioned make me jump for joy, but they are there, if you are. 

Yuyuen Bazaar

Peoples square

It’s hard to talk about China from a western perspective without mentioning there are some significant behavioral norm differences. Men will clear their throats noisily and then aggressively spit the contents wherever is convenient for them. Women in the service industry can be cold, even…how do I put this gently…rude? No waitress will ever cheerfully ask how you’re doing tonight. It’s more like ‘what do you want,’ and plates getting plopped on the table without a word. “How’s everything tasting here?,” ha, forget about it! Cashiers also have a different style. Whether you are buying a snack or a ticket you may get your change thrown at you or thrown on the counter. Really? Really? Ya couldn’t hand it to me? Nope, just take it in stride, all you can do is laugh.