Back in Bangkok

January 25, 2016

We have about 10 minutes before United starts boarding our plane. I am about to become a temporary ex-pat. Just to prove that indeed I am retired, I booked us for about seven weeks in Thailand and Cambodia.

Joanna has not been to either country. I am returning to Thailand after about four years or five mainly to live for a few weeks in Chiang Mai, one of the most charming cities I have visited so far. I have been missing the place, with its ex-patriate bars and golden temples.

I have not been to Cambodia before. I hear that Phnom Penh is an exciting place, so we'll go there to find out. Then we'll go to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, which is next door.

We'll be coming back to the States on March 12. 

We'll be at the S6 Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok (Soi 6, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand, +66 2 253 5672) for a week and from Feb. 4 will be at the Boonthavon in Chiang Mai (39 Rajchadumnern Rd., Soi 1 A.Muang Chiangmai, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, +66 53 226 778).

Gotta run now. 

More later.

January 27

We dodged not a bullet but a cannonball back home—28 inches of snow on Saturday and we leave on Monday. Things were pretty much back to normal by the time we got to the airport. Normal for Newark, that is. 

The plane was about 45 minutes late, for unexplained reasons, getting out of Newark. Given all the snow on the ground, I was half expecting a delay of a day or two. 

We got to the hotel around 1:30 in the morning. 

This is the first time I've been outside the United States since October 2014. God, I love it.

I booked us in a hotel called the S6 Sukhumvit. We walk out of our street and turn right for the commercial district, with tailor shops, souvenir stores, McDonald's, banks, etc. The other way is a red light district. 

We got here about 1:30 in the morning and ran into heavy traffic. The cab was creeping past the bars and the hookers. I told Joanna that we'd have to come back this way if we could find it. I had no idea that we'd be staying in the middle of it.

The first plane ride was long, about 14 hours, but brightened by free beer. I expected to settle for American-brewed Heineken, but United was also carrying Goose Island IPA. I've had it on draft before--at Kabooz, the bar in Penn Station, and at Nelly Spillane's, for instance.

We had plenty of time to change planes in Tokyo so the delay in getting started was negligible.

We had a small adventure there. The attendant at the United counter in Newark told us that we would have to get our bags and transfer them ourselves at Narita. I've changed planes at that airport a half-dozen times, every flight I've taken to and from Asia, and didn't remember doing that before. 

After a couple of tries at breaking the language barrier at the security checkpoint, I went to the ANA information desk. 

Duh. It's where I should have gone first. The lady there confirmed that our bags had already been transferred. 

Fantastic. Now I could have a few beers in peace. Once you get to Asia, the beer selection gets pretty narrow. It's mostly lagers. 

A word of caution: You don't drink the Guinness here because it is not the real thing. It's a nasty drink called "Export Extra." They label it export because the Irish won't drink it. It's sweet and syrupy thick. It usually runs about 7 percent alcohol but even that can't redeem it. You can buy it in the States, too, under the name “Extra Stout” if you're not careful.

There was a black brew on tap, but it was surprising short of flavor and fragrance. The regular Asahi was much better.

Joanna got some wonton soup, white rice, and fried dumplings, which we shared.

The plane left pretty much on time, and we were in the Thai immigration line by midnight. It was about 25 hours of travel and layover time, but with the time zone difference, it was a day and a half on the clock.

There is a problem with hot water at the hotel, so we had them move us to a different room. It isn't entirely reliable in the new room. The hot tap runs cold from time to time. Not a good way to shower, so we have worked a way around it: Run hot water in the tub as long as the tap runs hot, and then shut it off for a few minutes when it turns cold.

It's not a real shower, but a sprayer on the end of a hose, so sitting in the tub is required anyway.

The next morning we slept in and headed out around noon or so.

A tuk-tuk driver came up to us when we were waiting to cross a street and showed us a map of the area. He offered to give us a two-hour tour for 50 baht, but we had ridden enough the day before, so we were in need of a walk. 

We found a shop called Doilanka specializing in local coffee, which is mostly grown up in the north, near where we are headed next week.

Delicious stuff. I was late to the breakfast buffet at the hotel and so could only get tea. This was the first coffee I had in a couple of days.

I started with espresso, followed that with French press, and then latte. Joanna had a drink of coconut mixed with white chocolate served with foamed milk.

Before we left, the owner, who said his name is Bam, was taking our picture, having his photo taken with us, and introducing us to the illustrator who was making signs for the windows. The shop has been open for three or four months, Bam said. 

He used to be an importer, and still brings beans in. He showed us a jar of unroasted beans, and then set out a sample of the beans he had roasted--in a little hand-cranked device over a gas burner.

The beans are transformed by roasting. Completely different color and aroma. You can eat the roasted beans, which he and I did. I had a caffeine high like none in a long while.

On the way back to the hotel, Joanna wanted to buy a pair of flip-flops. That's why we went into a store called Pink Pussy. There are magenta and pink cartoon cat's heads on some of the displays, just so you won't get the wrong idea. It sells shiny costume jewelry, plastic wallets, rhinestone purses, and cell phone covers with pictures of the Saudi royal family and of a man wearing a g-string shaped like a hand.

No flip-flops, though. We found some a few doors down. Joanna had the man snap off the little duck heads on the straps.

I was still buzzed from caffeine when we met Larry for dinner. 

He took us to Beer Corner, which is attached to a food court, not unlike the hawker centers in Singapore. We ordered some sauteed kale and pork mai pet (not spicy) for Joanna and got red curry with pork for ourselves. 

We also got something called morning glories (but probably not the flower) also supposed to be mai pet. It showed up with a few slices of red chili mixed with the greens. 

"Sweet pepper," the lady said. I wasn't so sure. I tried one. Sweet for the Thai, maybe, but hot as hell even for me. I enjoyed it, but followed it with white rice and a couple of long swigs of San Miguel.

Live music started shortly after we got there. Joanna suggested we tip the singer 200 baht so he would stop. 

We finished the food and went to another stand a block away. 

It was a school night for Larry, so he took off after a couple of beers more. We made our way back to the neighborhood by way of the Skytrain. I always feel so sophisticated when I don't get lost on a foreign city's train service.

Joanna's back from the nail salon. It's half past ten in the morning here. We have to take the Skytrain to the water taxi for the trip to the royal palace. No, I'm not kidding.