When we got off the plane, we wandered back and forth for about half an hour before giving up and assuming Patricia would meet us at the hostel. A bus would've taken a few hours so we caught a cab which ended up being about an hour and costing $4 each. Plans change so often and it's difficult to communicate when travelling. It's important to not be too wedded to an idea.
She hadn't gotten to the hostel yet, so we left her a note and went to explore. Kao Shan road is one street over and if filled with stalls selling food from pad Thai to fried scorpions. (I had both). We walked around for a while and I bought gifts for my family (They'll have to wait to find out what they are). Bargaining takes place everywhere and prices vary hugely between stalls and streets. My favorite time to bargain for is noodles. I don't argue the price, but rub my belly and say something like I'm so big and need food to be strong. They laugh and smile and pile my plate high with twice the original portion.
We found a temple nearby and inside, there was a monk in a glass box that I'm still not 100% sure wasn't alive. The way he was positioned and with the lighting, he may have been really really deep into meditation.
Then we fell victim to our first Bangkok scam. A super pushy tuk tuk driver got us into his cab, because we wanted a tour anyway. He brought us to a really nice temple and told us about the city before telling us he wanted to bring us to a shop because they'll give him a gas coupon. We knew it was a scam, but we didn't have anything else planned and there wasn't pressure to buy so we went. They brought us beer and we sat there talking with the way-too-slick salesman for a while about the suit I'd need for our wedding. We got caught up in discussing the extravagant special day we were having and I ended up leaving with a custom-made abysmal suit. They had it ready and brought to my hostel by 11pm last night. It's very brightly colored and almost fits. The pants are nice burgundy and I could wear them to reasonable events and the full suit would be alright for parties or weddings, maybe. It was a fun experience and cheaper than what I'd pay back home but definitely fell for the tricks. I feel like an idiot.
After the shopping, we went to meet the pick up for a Thai cooking class we had signed up for earlier that day. A woman was waiting at our hostel and we walked to get two other students before going to the restaurant/cooking school.
When we walked in, a brightly dressed Thai woman had us put on aprons, introduce ourselves and then sing a Thai cooking song.
The class consisted of us and two (other) couples. We started by making a chili paste and peanut sauce as a group. When the instructor said one table spoon of anything, she just grabbed a handful of the ingredient and threw it in. This is my kind of cooking.
We each had our own stove and the hard part of buying and preparing ingredients had been done for us already. We started wth tom yum soup. I changed the recipe and didn't use sugar and barely any soy sauce. We ate the dishes we made between courses and Jillie's tasted super salty because she didn't add enough love.
We also made a coconut curry and of course, pad Thai. Mango sticky rice finished off the meal.
At the end of the cooking. The instructor got us up and taught us the moves to a Thai dance. It was unexpected and one f the couples was hesitant to get into it. While I didn't quite have the footwork down, I've long since stopped being self conscious while dancing. It's at least partially helped by the fact that I'm with people I'll probably never see again.
We walked around some open markets for a little while and then walked down kaoh Soan road. It gets super busy at night. We went to a bar on the second story with a balcony overlooking the (all-but-unnoticed) action on the street. We had a drink and a half while talking and dancing to the surprisingly talented live musician playing very fitting songs from 10-30 years ago.
We walked through an area by the grand palace which was lit up with string lights and spend a while waking through the gardens.
Her cab picked her up at 4am for her flight home.
One of the best and worst parts of travelling is meeting people that you connect with, and then having to leave them. I've only been traveling alone for a few days and have met multiple people that have changed me for the better.
-AB
Thai food made with love
Kao Soan filled with energy
Welcome to Bangkok
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