First Week in Thailand

Many people's first week in Thailand involves visiting the royal palace, major temples, and some of the shopping centers. Not me. I've seen it all before. Multiple times.

So my first week has involved a few less-exciting ventures. Most involved my research, so I won't bore you with them. Instead, I'll just give you a few pretty pictures to look at.

Well, pretty is an exaggeration.

This is the bus I take to my office. It costs 6.5 baht ($0.25-ish). At first I was outraged. When I was a missionary 10 years ago, these buses cost 3.5 baht... Cursed inflation. Notice the wooden, that's right, wooden floors. When I travel around the city, I travel in style.

Of course, I could take a fancier bus with air conditioning, but then I'd have to pay more money. And the extravagance of the bus doesn't guarantee an earlier arrival. I am nothing if not a bargain hunter.

On this particular day the bus wasn't crowded, so I had a seat. Some days it is standing room only. That's when the little Thai people get up close and personal with a sweaty, smelly white man. Poor folks.

I live near some swanky malls. Since outdoors Bangkok is dirty, hot, and crowded, sometimes it is nice to pop into one of these behemoth structures for a little air conditioning and good, old-fashioned people-watching. This particular mall was celebrating Chinese New Year.

You can't tell from the picture, but in the bottom left corner, they are making Chinese treats. This involves two people taking hammers and beating the dough against a stone plate repeatedly. I may have stood there watching for a little longer than I meant to.

Also notice the man-made waterfall in the upper left.

Not only do the malls have shopping, they also have diversions. One such diversion is hockey. Yes, that's right. In Bangkok, Thailand when it is 90 degrees outside on a cool day, the sport of Canadian champions (and some northern US states) is played by people whose grandparents probably never imagined a sheet of ice could cover a whole room.

I'll admit, I was a little surprised to come upon the game. I can't imagine how much it must cost to maintain the rink. Just think of the shipping costs for a Zamboni.

If you've got the money, I suppose you should use it. 

This is the nectar of the gods. It makes my mouth happy just thinking about it. It is drinking yogurt, and its tangy smoothness coats your tongue in pleasure. Just pop into any 7-11 and for 5 baht you, too, can experience a moment of heaven. We don't have it in the US. I don't know why. 

We also don't have ice cream that comes on a bed of sticky rice tucked in a hot dog bun. We should. When you think about it, bread is actually quite sweet. There is a fair amount of sugar involved. 

Anyways, I had grand intentions of taking a picture of my afternoon treat that I bought on the way home from the office in all its glory, but I was tempted and started eating it before I got home. Oh well. You get the idea. Sometimes it comes with corn or peanuts on it. 

 Finally, here is the sunset from my apartment. Every day at about 6 pm, I can watch the sun set over Bangkok. Sure it's crowded, dirty, polluted, and smells like a rotting swamp, but the city has its charms.