So here I am at Suvanaboom (well, that’s what it sounds like) Airport ready to fly down to Phuket. I’ve been gently chastised by one of my correspondents and told that what I SHOULD be doing is a 23 hour bus ride down there.
I think not. I’m Flashpacking, not Backpacking
So Air Asia it is, and whilst waiting for my flight, and trying not to panic about the fact that I haven’t locked my backpack, I thought I’d pop into Starbucks for a Caramel Macchiato and Blueberry Scone and have a ponder about my time in Bangkok.
It’s been a weekend of firsts:
- My first Pad Thai - purchased from a street stall
- I’ve had my first lot of nail art (yes I know, hugely impractical when I’m going sailing in 2 days, but it was only £3….)
- My first Vietnamese food - admirably chosen for me by Moeti
- My first Thai Yoga session
- My first monsoon
I’ve also made some observations:
- Traffic lights in Thailand are officially brilliant: they have a TIMER on them, so you can see how long you’ve got on red or green. Genius. AND they drive on the left
- The Thai national obsessions are 1) Eating 2) Shopping. They have the most fun when the two are combined.
- ‘A bit spicy’ actually means ‘so much chilli your eyes will pop out of your head and you will feel the need to immerse your entire head into the nearest waterfall’. Poor Orion…..
- Taxi drivers are the same the world over: I had a lovely chat with mine this morning - he spoke in Thai, I spoke in English, neither of us understood a word each other said, and we got on marvellously. I swear he said ‘you’ll never guess who I had in my cab the other day’ though…..
- When it rains, it rains. A lot.
- Thai women have a different hip arrangement to British women. They must do. Cos I swear even my Yoga Bunny Mel couldn’t have got her legs to go the way the ladies in our Yoga class were. They were very nice though, and managed not to laugh at Julie & I….
- In Boots (yes, they do have Boots, and Tesco), where in the UK we would have a wide range of self-tanning products, here they have a wide range of whitening products. And, like we can spot streaky fake tan a mile off, you can spot bleached skin from 20 paces too
I’ve also learnt some Thai:
- Mo & Hani taught me to count to 10 (which is pretty much all you ever need)
- I can say Not Spicy - Mai Pet - Jules, this one’s for you!
- And ask ‘Is it spicy?’ - Pet Mai
- I can say No Fish - Mai Plaa
- I can say Yes - Chai
- And no - Mai Chai (also genius - ‘No’ is actually ‘Not yes’ - reminds me a bit of ‘Yes, but at the same time, No’
- Hello & Goodbye - Sawadee Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
- Thank You - Kap kun Kaaaaaaaaaa
- What? - Alai?
- Delicious - Alloy
- Excuse me - kor tot kaaaaaaaaaaaa
- Girls always end sentences with kaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
- Boys with kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap
And sampled some food:
- Tom kar guy - coconut soup
- Khow nee-you - sticky rice - yummy
- Sam Tom - Papaya Salad (doesn’t that sound refreshing? Trust me, it’s the hottest thing in the world)
- Chicken & Cashew nuts
- Beef with mint (waterfall I think it’s called)
You see? I’m turning native already - I’m obsessed by food. Although to tell the truth, I think I always have been.
But most of all, on leaving Bangkok, I must thank my fantastic hosts: Julie, Chris, Mo, Hani & Orion who have made my first 5 days so fantastic. You are all superstars. Love you lots, and see you in February (if not before!) xxxxx
