Bangkok Lovin’
18 Aug
_Tawandang German Brewery, good food, real beer, beautiful people, and no foreigners._
Same:Same
Kid in Candy Store:Popagandhi in Bangkok
1. After such a long time in India — almost three months, between April and August — being in Bangkok again gives me the kid in the candy store effect. It’s the _my goodness! more choices of beer other than Kingfisher!_ and the _hmm, women are actually looking at me here_, and most importantly, the _som tam pet pet! tom yam goong pet pet! gai tod, naam plaa, food and more food!_
2. Number of airline meals one can eat before crew starts thinking you’re a freak: three
3. Me: “Femmes in Thailand are called _dees_”
Someone: “Why’s that?”
Me: “Because it sounds like _lady_.”
Someone: “Why’re they not called a _lay_ then?”
Me: “Aiyo, I’ll remember to ask my _dee_ why she’s not my _lay_.”
4. One night in Bangkok is clearly not enough. I’m clearly a lucky _dee_ to have a “beautiful lady”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/chienling/ and a very old friend come to see me (or so I like to think) and give me reason to stay another. What was I thinking, thinking I could fit in Le Banyan, Kuppa, unlimited tom yam and som tams, and shopping, into one and a half days?
5. For someone with minimal Thai, it’s amazing that I was able to converse with a taxi driver with minimal English, about how great Isaan music is, how bad Thaksin is for Thailand, how nice Mae Hong Son is, and how I must go to Isaan, for over 45 minutes.
6. Trying to learn two languages at the same time can give rise to very interesting situations, when you begin to confuse the two, while forgetting which country you’re really in. For example, asking for _naam plaa_ and thinking, “Did I just ask for the name of the fish, or for fish sauce?” (_naam_ is ‘water’ in Thai, and ‘name’ in Bengali/Hindi)
7. One realizes that when you’ve _out-spiced_ every Thai and Indian person you’ve met — there is little hope for finding food that is as spicy as you think you need. Except maybe in Mexico.
8. I _need_ to live in Bangkok.
9. Giveaway sign that says you’ve been in India too long: you say a collection of the following things — let me tell you something, is there a problem, _you just do one thing, na? Accha accha._
