Sunday after Thanksgiving (no calendar, no clock)
Bangkok (Krung Thep) means "City of Angels." For the past ten days I've been immersed in this exotic new world of which I have nothing in my experience to compare. It envelops you the moment you arrive. It is an explosion for the senses; so much color. Odors, sights and sounds burst around one. It leaves one dizzy as one tries to cope with it all along with the oppressive heat, humidity and twelve million people.

My first day here I found the stimulus and heat to be overwhelming. Everyone stared at me and I very much felt in the minority. I stopped to eat at an indoor café and found that I was a focal point of interest, some cautious, some blatant. My only form of communication was to smile, so I smiled a lot. Usually, most people answer back with a big grin.

Bangkok is a city of amazing contrasts and chaos. Dingy concrete buildings rise up around elaborate temples (wats) and ancient Buddhist stupas covered with sparkling gemstones, gold and inlaid glass. Large street signs and storefronts with curly-que lettering abound everywhere, yet, they give no clue to non-Thai speaking foreigners where they are within the city. I keep track of myself by walking in straight lines down the streets avoiding turns until I get some sense of orientation. It is so easy to become lost and no way to figure out where one is, or how to ask directions!

The aroma of roasted chicken and duck, smoking incense and fragrant flower garlands intermingle with the smell of stray dogs, stagnant canals and car exhaust. The brilliant saffron robes of wandering monks accent a sea of black trousers and skirts. Street vendors sell their produce and handcrafts from carts to well-dressed business people, tourists and university students everywhere in the city. The roar of traffic never ceases and at night car lights ribbon for endless miles in all directions. Even on the roadways the contrast continues. Buses, taxis, compact cars (mostly Honda and Toyota), tuk tuk (three wheel covered cart with seats), motorcycle "taxis," bicycles and hand built carts all vie for street space. There are walkways above the streets for pedestrians to cross to the other side of the street. I've emitted a few startled screams as I've sprinted between cars that don't believe in yielding.

It is a land steeped in Buddhist spirituality and philosophy with some of the world's oldest and most beautiful temples, yet, it is also a land of extreme nightlife and raw sexuality concentrated in red light districts.

The food is amazing, fresh, beautiful and delicious. One can find vendors peeling and cutting fresh mango, papaya, pineapple and other exotic fruit and bagging it up with small packets of sugar and chili pepper mix for 10 bot (25 cents). Iced mochas, green tea, fresh coconut milk and some of the most delicious mandarin orange juice is available. There are also unknown fried meats, fishes and veggies on sticks and a wide assortment of interesting relishes and condiments to accompany the food.

In my short stay, I have discovered that in Thailand one can find any sensual delight. It is truly a land of "yum" in every sense of the word.

This is what I've learned of the culture so far. The traditional greeting of Thais is called a "wai" which is the equivalent of a handshake only much sweeter to receive. They put their palms and fingers together, placing over one's face below the eyes and slightly bow their heads. The common greeting is "sawat-dii khrap (for males) and kha (for females.) So, when I greet people I say, "sawat dii ka."

When greeting someone older than yourself you address them respectfully as "khun" (sounds like koon) before their first name. (Unfortunately, I've been koon Robin more than not! (But, they think I am younger than I am, which is nice.) The population everywhere seems to be under thirty years old. I read somewhere that the average life span is 69 years---not sure how accurate that is. Younger people are referred to as "nawng" (sounds like nom) before their first name.

I have very quickly learned some dos and don'ts in my ten days here. Never point one's feet at people or religious objects. The feet are considered the lowest part of the body, spiritually as well as physically. It is considered very impolite to prop your feet on chairs or tables while sitting or to touch any part of someone's body with your foot. I made a mistake the first week by touching a small girls head-big no no. The head is considered as the highest, most sacred part of the body and one should not ruffle another's hair or touch their head. And of course, shoes are removed before entering anyone's house and before entering temples.

Despite the blazing heat and humidity, I quickly decided to go along with the code of appropriate dress here in order to be polite and respectful. No shorts or sleeveless dresses or shirts. Shawls and scarves can easily be bought (usually made from beautiful silk or Thai cotton) for wearing over and concealing the shoulders. All I brought with me were sleeveless clothes! So I "had" to go shopping and found to my delight many beautiful lightweight, naturally dyed cotton shirts. My mission before leaving Thailand is to purchase some Thai silk; it is stunning.

Thai hospitality is amazing and truly warms the heart (jai). Whenever one is invited into a Thai's home they are given something to eat and drink. It is considered impolite to refuse such hospitality. I went to visit a temple (wat) with a Thai woman (Kid and her daughter Boo) and she was very concerned that I hadn't eaten before the tour. She kept asking me if I would like to eat. I kept declining because I was more interested in seeing the temple and the heat had all but killed my appetite. After the temple, we immediately went in search of something to eat for me. She gave me money to buy lunch and would not consider it when I tried to return the money to her. Later, when she invited me to her apartment, she immediately fed me another meal and Pepsi!

I found out later she was going to take me on a boat ride but didn't because she was concerned that I hadn't eaten yet! Food is very important to Thais. They will ask you upon meeting you if you have eaten or are hungry. The best thing to say is that you've already eaten, unless you are interested in eating at that moment. Thais eat all day long--- very small portions of food. Our three square meals a day is a very strange concept to them. One eats when one is hungry here and that is easy to do with all the food available on the streets from sunrise late into the night.

Here are some highlights of what I've done so far:
Dine out at some amazing indoor and riverside restaurants: Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese with absolutely amazing food.

Jatujak market: 15,000 stalls with authentic items from all over Thailand. World famous outdoor market. One can find anything and everything at this market from handmade mulberry paper, coconut bowls, Thai silk, Buddha images, to live cobras and fighting roosters. This was my first solo adventure getting about Bangkok by taxi.

Wat Phra Kaew and The Grand Palace is a sacred place to Buddhists. This Wat houses the sacred Emerald Buddha built sometime in the 15th century. The Grand Palace has over 200 buildings and is a structure of the most stunning beauty. The Palace is used only by the King for royal ceremonies.

Jim Thompson House is a magnificent Thai style home made of teak with stunning tropical gardens and an amazing collection of antique Buddha images. Jim Thompson was a silk entrepreneur responsible for the popularity of Thai silk, the best silk in the world.

Thai massage. I haven't had the full body massage yet, but I've had two 2 hour-long reflexology treatments that included work on the neck, arm, and head. Luxurious! I sat in a leather recliner, drank hot herbal tea, while given an aromatherapy foot treatment all for $6 US dollars. The last one I had was the best. The man who did it had strong hands and really worked my feet over in a deliciously, brutal way! He put so much positive energy into his work that it had a profound effect on me, especially when he did some kind of energy work around my third eye and head charka. I must have looked like I needed it! Surprisingly, the area he touched in the center of my forehead was very sore. When he was finished, I was left in a profoundly altered state. Very yum.

Phra Pathom Chedi is the tallest Buddhist monument in the world. The ancient orange-glazed dome was erected in the 6th century. There is a 2,000-year-old Buddha image carved from white stone by a Greek carver who created only four such images in the world.

Sunday evening.
I just got back from a slightly stressful evening stroll down the streets of Bangkok. I started out at sunset thinking I would go to the shopping center about one half mile away and get something to drink for the morning. It is very difficult to eat breakfast here. No omelets or scrambled eggs and toast to be found. Today, being Sunday in particular, I woke up with such a craving for hash browns, eggs, toast and jam! Oh, heaven. Jason admits to cravings for western food despite Thailand's well-earned reputation for delicious food. One of these days, we will go have pizza and beer and smile throughout the meal. Yes, there is Starbucks (thank the heavens), Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonalds, Sizzler and even Baskin Robbins.

Thais eat meat noodles and rice veggies for every meal. I have not developed my constitution to the point of eating this fare at 7 a.m. So, I depend on a yogurt drink to get me through till I eat later in the day. I usually average two meals a day at the most here. This is in partly due to the heat, the difficulty of figuring out what to eat and the stomach flips I experience several times a day when I see raw meat sitting out in the hot sun.

After walking a few blocks, watching activities and watching people watch me and bombarded by the never-ending rush and roar of traffic, I found that I had lost my bearings. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and began to look in all directions for something familiar. As a woman alone, I hate appearing to look like I don't know where I am in a foreign country. It is not a comforting feeling and I know its ridiculous, but I feel like everyone who is looking at me is thinking "crazy walking white woman is lost again."

It had turned dark quickly and the street atmosphere immediately changed, or so it felt to me. I became a little nervous, but I worried without cause. I was frustrated rather than worried at how easy it was for me to become disorientated even when I had been trying to remain focused.

In my defense, there is just too much stimulus everywhere and my thoughts get blasted right out of my head when I am dodging motorcycles and cars pulling out suddenly from alleyways or my gaze lands upon a street vendor selling roasted pig with the intestines draped around its head. It is such a chaos of sight and sound and smell that it is hard to remain focused, especially for me who reels from one stimulus until another comes along---I think it's the artist/writer in me---because things leave a dramatic impression on me and I ponder everything and I get lost in the pondering only to find I don't know where I am! It isn't that I don't know what's going on around me, it's that I am too aware of what's going on around me and it all distracts me!

In Bangkok, it is dangerous to cross the streets so there are walkways above the streets. Tonight I watched an old lady stand in the middle of the street with her luggage as cars raced inches from her on either side. She just stood there until there was an opening in the traffic. I use the walkways whenever I can. I need to remember that when you go up the walkway, you come down in the opposite direction from which you were walking. This adds to my confusion and lack of direction. A friend once told me that I must have angels looking out for me. If so, they will be doing overtime while I am in Thailand.

I was greatly relieved to find some familiar territory several blocks from the condo. My desire to go out had been quickly extinguished and all I wanted to do was get into the apartment and have a glass of wine and write. I went into the Family Mart for some drinking yogurt, tea and munchies. All we ever have in the refrigerator is water and juice, as we eat all meals out. Imagine shopping for food written in another language! Imagine trying to determine what is fruit and what is vegetable? And what part of what animal is what? Once I ended up buying dried green peas covered in cuttlefish powder, which wasn't too successful. Another time I bought mango dried in sweetened chili powder, another failure. Tonight I ended up getting loose tea instead of tea bags. At least it is tea, although there is an abundance of leaves and twigs floating on the surface of my cup! For the life of me I cannot find peanut butter, but I do find all kinds of "interestingly" colored spreads---for now, I avoid those. I have not figured out what the un-refrigerated pink eggs in plastic cups are all about either. Thais like their food sweet so sugar is added to everything. Fruit and meals are served with a packet of sugar and dried chilies. It is a taste one must develop but I find it okay. I cannot believe I am craving something with salt! Not to be found, even chips and pretzels have sugar on them.

I am beginning to understand what it means to live in a developing country. It means that in case of fire, and you live on the 14th floor of a cement condo, you pray like hell. It means that telephone wires and wires from streetlights and store signs dangle everywhere and even stretch across the sidewalk. It means that there is no control on vehicle emissions and policeman and outdoor workers all wear protective masks. It means children ride motorcycles without helmets while stray dogs abound on the streets. It means polluted water in the canals and garbage in the street corners. It means pedestrians have no right of way. It means no OSHA regulations and one can only wonder what "pasteurized" really means. It means public water is unsuitable for drinking; even to brush one's teeth. It means no health department looking over the food served anywhere in the city, particularly on the streets. It means that policemen, government officials and border patrol still take bribes. It means that what is "fair and equitable" is determined significantly by "who you know." It means that an old woman will sell handmade grass brooms from a cart to a young woman wearing fake designer clothes. It means only cold water out of bathroom faucets in modern facilities. Of course, I've only been in the city so when I go to the country and see the hill tribes, that will be entirely something else. It's all very interesting.

I have a big week starting tomorrow since I will be taking myself out alone by street taxi, river taxi and sky train through Bangkok. I plan to visit several famous wats, the National Art Gallery and whatever else sounds interesting. On Thursday, I leave for a four-day trip to Burma where we will celebrate the Thailand's King's birthday with a formal dinner at the Thai Embassy in Burma. It is all a very big deal and I can't believe this opportunity presented itself. I will travel with Sunsnee, a single Thai woman my age; her sister, Venus, wife of the Colonel, and several of Jason's friends from England and the USA. It should be an absolute blast! Travel is restricted into Burma right now, particularly for Americans; we can do this only because the Colonel has arranged it.

December 3, 2003
As I write the date I think about the snow that must be falling or has fallen in Montana. There is no hint of winter here with temperatures of 85 - 90 degrees and the daily blaze of sunshine. Hints of the Christmas season appears occasionally and only in the malls with carols sung in Thai accents. Without that tiny reminder, I would not even realize Christmas is a few weeks away. The carols do make me homesick, especially for sharing the holiday with my daughter. This year my son and I are going to spend Christmas with Sunsnee, his Thai mom. She will cook a traditional Thai dinner for us and some other friends.

There are some interesting little tidbits about living here in Bangkok. One has a variety to choose in forms of travel. So far I've ridden the sky train, taxi, river taxi and the city bus. The bus is very interesting. When I stand at the bus station, or get on the bus, everyone stares at me; even the people in other buses that go by stare. I am trying to get over the feeling of being looked at constantly. Jason said he had to adjust as well to this phenomenon. Today, when I was trying to decide between a bright blue dress and a more Thai-conforming-style black skirt and shirt, I thought "why worry?" No matter what I wear, there is no way I could be stared at more than I am already am.

The bus is very cheap, only 5 bot compared to a taxi that can be 40 bot or more - depending on distance; 12 cents versus $1.00. The bus rates vary as well. The airbus is the cheapest, but it is crowded to the brim with people hanging out the sides at rush hour; I will never ride on one of those. The next step up is the fan bus and then the air con bus.

Getting into a taxi, bus or riverboat is all about trust. Trust that the directions you got were accurate enough to get you in the right direction; trust the taxi driver, or the bus attendant to let you know when to get off at your destination (remember street signs are all in Thai); and finally trust that they can understand your pronunciation of your destination! Thai language is all based on tones and if you get one tone off it could mean something entirely different. That is why I never have strong expectations when I set out the door. All I know is that I'll end up somewhere that day and it will be an adventure.

I enjoy taking the water taxi. I just like being on the water and feeling the boat rush along the river, even though the water is murky brown. One does not want to lean over the edge of the boat hoping for a refreshing mist on a hot day. If one does that, they instead will get "sluged". There is something about moving on water than makes me happier than moving in miles of traffic, so, I will set out again today for a long walk to the pier and hop on a river taxi for a new destination. I am an optimist always! I'll end up somewhere today, maybe not where I intended or in the order I intended, but it will be "all good" just the same. And best of all---I've been making it back home every day!

Shopping has been interesting. I think shopping is a universal language. Women just know how to communicate with each other in stores. I've been able to find my size, (usually the largest non-China doll size on the racks) the material I want, the color I want and something to match - all without speaking any Thai!! Quite funny actually. I walked out of the dressing room in an outfit yesterday and the Thai saleswoman gave me thumbs up!

I also love being called Mademoiselle everywhere I go. It makes me feel so "Mademoiselley"!

There are hundreds of salespeople in the stores. It is not uncommon to find six to ten salespeople just hanging out waiting for a customer. The day I had to buy an amp converter for my battery charger, I had eight Thai people helping me locate one little black box! The salespeople also will shadow you as well. It is their idea of being helpful. I have bumped into several of them when I turn quickly! The way I buy things here is to talk to my friend Nun or another English speaking Thai and explain what I want (especially if it is a complicated thing such as the converter) and have them write it out in Thai for me. I give the note to a salesperson. Again, it's all a game of chance!

Other unusual things I've seen in the stores and restaurants include being able to buy all kinds of liquor in the supermarkets. Heineken beer is famous and it is served in pitchers with ice. They even have Heineken beer gardens. Wine is miserable here. Whiskey is the country's drink of choice.

There is no salt and pepper on the tables; only sugar and chilies. The diet is sweet and I am craving salt; even pretzels have sugar on them.

On the tables in restaurants there are sheets of toilet paper for napkins. Even in the nicest places. It has a dual purpose - in the restrooms (toilets) there is no toilet tissue, so I always have my purse stocked with TP. The bathrooms have also been interesting. There are two types of toilets: western and squat. The squat takes some getting used to and I'd rather avoid them unless there is no other choice. What is amusing is to come across a western toilet with shoe prints on the rim!

Thai girls and women buy skin whitening cream and it is sold everywhere. The code of dress appears to be either black pants or black skirts and light colored shirts. People always look clean. There is actually high style in the city. I've seen the most amazing shoes here on tiny feet. It has been years since I've been exposed to city style.

Yesterday I was astonished to see a monk in the mall (I figured he had somehow escaped for the afternoon) but my son told me that is common. Monks will have cell phones, walkmans etc. I have to say it is another one of those shocking contrasts that is so common in Bangkok---to see a saffron dressed monk walking around with headphones on!

Monday, December 22, 2003
Sawa dii Kha!

Happy Holidays to you and yours! I am not sure my first email went through, so here I try again. I have discovered the wonder of Thailand's islands. I feel very "dii jai" happy here! I'm on Koh Samed Island and will travel to Koh Samui and Krabbi after Christmas. I will stay till after New Years and then I might take a short stray into Malaysia to renew my visa.

My solo journeying has started with this journey south. I am meeting friendly foreigners from all over the world but mostly Algeria, Germany, Austria, France and England---even ran into some Canadian "neighbors". Fun. I enjoy talking English freely with them. I lie on the beach and listen to the swirl of different languages all around me. Amazing. I've only met two Americans, from Oregon, so far.

Miss you all and wish I could sweep you up and put you here beside me on the beach! The living is cheap and easy; less than $30 dollars a day!

Christmas Day, 2003
I leave the city of Bangkok tomorrow in search of paradise. Literally. I cannot bear being in a city of 12 million people anymore. I am running for my sanity to the ocean and plan to travel down the coast on the Gulf of Thailand and then up the coast on the Adaman Sea side visiting different islands, snorkeling, cave exploring and just finding peace from the craziness of Bangkok. I will return to Bangkok in a few weeks or so, but I am in no hurry.

The solo journey really starts now. Send me good energy and keep me in your prayers as I venture out to new parts of Thailand .

Happy Holidays,
Friday, December 26, 2003 - On the way to Paradise
Sa wa dii-kha!

Free internet service at the airport, so thought I'd take advantage of it. Very nice waiting area for domestic flights: couches, comfortable chairs, free coffee and the most delicious mandarin orange juice. I've been up to the counter twice already thinking my flight to Koh Samui was boarding. I am so excited, I just want to get there!!

I am thrilled to be traveling on my own without having to hold someone's hand, as Thais move about in groups or pairs. Traveling alone is unheard of. There is usually one Thai who is designated "leader" and everyone just follows along. This usually involves holding someone's hand! My young Thai friend, Nun, who is all of 26 years old, always holds my hand when we go out walking or shopping together. I adore her, but the custom is a bit unnerving for me and I am struggling with it still.

Jason called me on my cell here at the airport and said, "Mom, do you realize where you are going? People all around the world fly to Koh Samui--it is paradise!" Wow. This island is the third largest in Thailand. I know that it is supposed to be stunning and I am very excited. It is a gift from my son, this trip!

There are also many tiny islands that I can take a boat to if the New Year celebrants prove to be too rowdy for me. I am not in search of a party, but rather a reconnection to the sea---it has been so long. I can't wait to walk along both the Gulf and the Sea of Adaman. I am going island hopping for the first few weeks of January. Didn't plan it this way, it just happened. Since, I am already south, I might as well soak up the sun and simply be an island bum for a while.

A Frenchman just came up to me and asked me to help him send an email, so I best go now and help him before my flight really departs.

I'll keep you posted of my journey.

Rose