I've been in Thailand for a month now, but I haven't lived in it in the way I imagine all travelers should, if they don't want to be just tourists. It's because of the language barrier mostly, but I feel I haven't grasped life here from the perspective of the 'common man'. I guess also, its because I travel by the skytrain. The roads, in any country, especially third world ones, have a pulse. There's a collision of people from different walks of life. You learn much by being in it. That's what I've seen in India, and what I've glimpsed here.

My friends and acquaintances here are all foriegners, so the extent of insight they give me is hilariously limited to bodily functions. Like burping and farting. I remained safe all this time, but today, as I shifted house, I had the unfortunate opportunity to experience both in a closed taxi environment. Wonderful. Another repeated note is that of nose picking. I haven't been regaled with the sight of that yet- I don't know why the Thais are holding out on me. Doubtless they have their reasons ;)

(May I also mention in passing, that traffic here is a BITCH! First time I've seen toll charges for roads within the city.)


But for all that I haven't experienced yet, there are some things which I have been very glad to. For reasons, some known and some unknown, I waited for my 30's to start living my 20's. Many firsts in my life happened in the recent past. Coming to Thailand is one- its my first trip abroad apart from my birth country. Being added to that list of firsts is my first nightclub experience. And I mean it when I say 'experience'. The music, the dancing, the friends... I don't suppose that a sans drinks night out would count to many people, but the booze ain't happening, so this is as good as it gets for me!

That was the intro, now for the meat. Heh. Ok, first of all I never knew I could love watching people get drunk so much. I've heard stories, but the reality of it is hilarious. I saw a bottle take flight and die a sad death, and I saw human sandwiches. I also heard the funniest stuff. (If A is reading this, or some sneak points it out to him, I'm sorry, my man!) So,... A gets so drunk, I'm amazed he can keep his head up. Even more amazing was the fact that the lolling head could speak.

We head off the dance floor, suddenly he's sitting next to me on the couch, valiantly trying to focus. "So," he says, "Are you a Hindi?" He went on to talk about someone's religion, so that was obviously a 'Are you a Hindu?' It cracked me up :D

Later on, he walks out of the nightclub and I'm standing there getting some fresh air. And I shout "OMG, I left G's handbag with you. Did you give G her bag?" And he says, in all seriousness "Yeah, I gave G a bath." Lol. You need to know what a kickass lady G is to really appreciate how hilarious that is!

So yeah, I had a taste of Bangkok's nightlife, in its famous Khao San Road, and I enjoyed it. The eyeing, the dancing, the laughing... Here's a pic, and I defy you to not spot A!

Moving on, I must say that I feel renewed after moving to a new place- a quaint and cute guesthouse called Chewhouse. People from all over have stayed here and you know that coz they've written and drawn stuff on the stairway walls before leaving. I like the idea a lot! Some pics-

This fella lives in the 7/11 nearby. I'm so glad they let him! :)

The area I'm in, Aree, is totally cool. For one, its got that vegetarian place I mentioned in my first post. For another, its beautiful to look at architecturally, because its a mixture of the old and the new. I see a lot of the old wooden houses that really appeal to me from an aesthetic viewpoint. Having said that, I must also add that Chewhouse is all wood too and the creaking with every step and the walls that indiscriminately allow all sounds to pass through are not attractive features. I'm amazed these people were able to conceive kids. No 'Oh God, baby's in this history, for sure!

Here's a building next door.

This one below is the first moola kadai (corner store, in Tamil) I've seen here. It's wonderful :) I love shops where even God would have to ask the shopkeeper where something is.

To finish off, a few more pics from Jatujak, the weekend market-

This coconut icecream is very popular there. The shaved tender coconut is at the bottom, with scoops of coconut icecream on top, topped with jelly like fruit and roasted peanuts. Yum!

They sell just about everything. Tons of patches that can be fixed onto cloth, some very cute!

 Foot massage is a thriving business in the market, and it's no surprise why!

Ladies' delicates, cheap, pretty and sometimes slutty ;)

Which brings us to what I got! Lol. I took one look and I knew that no future home of mine would be complete without these. The void would be too great to bear... ;)