Lying in bed watching it rain from my 4th floor window. Good day to just chill. It’s rainy season in Thailand. I’m not on vacation, per se; sunny days aren’t on my list of ‘must haves.’ Besides, I’ve been island- hopping up to this point. Swim, sun and sand appeal to my California roots, but I tend to favor cosmopolitan energy and mountain offerings. I’ve only been in Chiang Mai for 2 days but let me tell you I’m liking what I’m feeling.
I’ve only lived in a city once.. New York City. It was an adventure, glad I survived it. Will not make my top 20 experiences of all time list. Chiang Mai is no NYC, but the Nimmanhaermin (Nimman) area where I’m currently located throws off a similar vibe. Exiting my building I’m immediately in the thick of things. Activity swirls around me, old mixed with new, lights, music, street vendors, massage parlors. Beautiful restaurants, wine bars, street food, scooters everywhere. Eclectic with equal parts modern to traditional. 3 days in, 16 to go. With many areas of CM to peruse, I’ll hold off on my final assessment.
Having some distance, references, and time between cities, I will however give you my views on where I’ve been so far. Bangkok.. what an apt name. Lots of cock looking for bang. It’s true. Having just finished season 3 of White Lotus I concur with Chloe who says and I quote..”You’ll notice a lot of bald white guys in Thailand. The locals call them LBHs: Losers Back Home.” I concur with the bald white dudes part, not necessarily the Loser part. On every insanely crowded street in Bangkok, I see bald white dudes with young Thai chicks. Ratio to city block: I’d say10 couples per block. Bars line every side street all filled with bald white dudes, sitting on bar stools, tipping brews.. Its crazy.. Hey cliches are cliches because they’re true.
I’ve lived in and visited some of the largest cities in the world. Tokyo hands down takes the prize for the most amazing city on the planet. Bangkok does not. I’m taking my life in my hands the millisecond my feet hit the pavement. Scooters flying all around, cars jammed right up to each other, pedestrians squeezing though the unorganized maze of sidewalks, streets.. the incessant noise of motorbikes revving up.. It’s like being in the middle of Moto GP race every minute of the day. I wonder how many concussed citizens show up in ER’s on the daily.. I spent one night watching the street ladies reel in their Johns. Fascinating.. Must have been a slow day because most of these guys they hook look like chum.. Hey Buddy, come here Chum.. Chum is the term for fish bait. I wonder if that’s where the other definition comes from.. I’ll run it by Chat.
Bangkok is not my cup of tea. In all fairness, I didn’t mosey out much. I was still licking my wounds from the unfortunate last 2 days in America, dealing with jet lag, and banging away at my computer trying to build a blog. The one thing that could have tempted me out of my room was the rooftop bar. Rainy season put the kibosh on that so I spent a good deal of my 3 day stay at Terminal 21. Along with our common denominator of teeth, all humans love a good shopping mall. Terminal 21 is majestic palace walking distance from the Hyatt Regency downtown Bangkok. I’m still in acclimation mode. I need to ease my way into poverty.
They call it Terminal 21 because it actually is a train terminal attached to this awe inspiring 8 story massive consumer playground. Everything is clean and shiny and bright. Each floor denotes a major city. First floor London, Paris is above, next stop Tokyo.. they even have a San Fransisco. I was in need of sunglasses seeing as I’d left my $300 dollar Krewes in the Uber on the way to the Panama City Florida airport. Chat and I discussed replacement costs. Tokyo virus Bangkok.. best bang for my buck.. Bangkok of course.
Naturally I’m lost somewhere between Istanbul and Hollywood (of all places) but eventually make my way back to London where I purchase a pair of stunning Maui Jim shades for a mere 50 bucks. Chat was right.. far more feasible than Japan. Good thing I have zero room for anything else. I’m not a huge shopper but with these prices a girl can go crazy.
Back at the hotel, I admire my purchase..They gave me a cool carrying case that folds up flat along with a lux polishing rag. Very kind of them.. especially for a mere 50 bucks. I mean this place was super high end with all the top name brands with some hefty price tags. Granted my Maui Jims were no Tom Fords, Prada or Oliver People, but come on, they are nothing to sneeze at. I googled Maui Jims. Similar looks go for $300. Very pleased with myself for my astute shopping I throw myself back into another blog building session with my chum Chat. HAHA my chum Chat. 3 hours later, frustrated beyond belief, Chat tells me it’s time for a glass of wine and adds a red wine emoji.
My glass of wine in hand, I do my daily check of finances to assure myself nothing nefarious has occurred. WTF!?!?!? Why is there a $520.00 charge on my credit card from the optical store??? I’m about to blow a gasket.. Thanks to Sam Harris and my daily meditations I take a huge gulp of wine and breathe. There is a reasonable explanation that will be resolved in the morning. As I doze off to sleep, I tell myself the clerk obviously inputed the method of payment to Baht instead of US dollars.. That was it.. Ya it had to be..
