Arriving in this strange place, the words and sights so different, not knowing that at seventeen this place would become my home at a point later in my life for a while.
Smells of the street, of the food and flowers, the people and the words they spoke the highs and lows of their voices. I headed to the main area of central Bangkok, in the area of Banglanpoo found a guest house called Sweetie, this house was the first place I stayed very very cheap, the clothes washed and ironed and the food in the streets tasted great from Thai style Tom Yam that burnt my mouth, and slippery squid on a barbecued rack.
I was fascinated with the gold jewelry in those days and bought a red stoned golden ring in which I kept for a while, the rats ran freely almost everywhere, the sun drenched roofs and the smoke from barbecued stalls driven by the small fans where memories that I loved.
I used to stay in “the smallest rooms of about a dollar a night and always slept, the walls were written on by so many travellers who previously stayed in that room. Sometimes I woke a few times from the heat in which I showered three times in the night and woke up every morning at six.
Ofcourse having a month and a half I had to plan what this adventure was going to be, so after breakfast I went to the traveller's area and arranged myself a journey that left Thailand into Indonesia where I wanted to explore the Javanese volcanos and Borobudur.
I was to leave Bangkok, on an early flight the next day so I sat and talked to a few friends of the land of smiles and they suggested me to visit the biggest restaurant in the World Tom Nak Thai 2 set in the heart of Bangkok situated on a lake on bamboo posts it had 250 chefs and a seating for 3000 people most of the waiting staff had roller skates to get the food to the tables on time.
The restaurant menu was a huge thick paged book with many colorful images of all types of “Thai appetisers, main courses and desserts long purple and green spaghetti like things in coconut white juices with pearls and sticky rice, abundance of Colour and many more in the dessert section, the main meals well so many choices of seafood and soups.
Glancing across the lake as I loved to do, the occasional break of the stillness of the fish coming up for air, the flat water Lilly leaves with the loveliest white and purple flowers and baby frogs hopping from one leaf to the next.
The small table where I ate was laid with a crisp white table cloth dressed with a silver table wear and a purple Thai orchid. I had a waitress come over " Sawasdee " (what you like) " I ordered a cool long ice tea with condensed milk, and a hot and sour Tom Yam Goon soup followed by a basic Thai Beef Salad very hot " pet pet " I said yes I have a dog but after told me it was the Thai word for hot.
People watching was one of the things I always loved, the free life to have this pleasure some of which were interesting and some not but as I waited to drink and eat I enjoyed this moment.
Skaters went by quickly with so many types of foods that were impossible to remember but until this day I still recall, also the colours of the staffs uniforms white trousers and white skates with Thai airways colour purple tops with one orchid flower attached to their shirts finished off with their brown hairless skin.
The food was way different than what I was used to not only the way it was presented as this food was an art ! they being the chefs prided on the presentation of how it was to look on the plate probably until today the best food I have ever seen and tasted by far.
Hot soup that Tom Yam especially the spice that seemed air bourne as it floated around and hit you right in the throat with extensive heat, gasping for water you try to stop coughing before the neighbouring tables start to think your choking, it's very embracing when you have the heat of this in your throat burning like hell, coughing is the only way to go but the same time you try to hold a point of control but your face turns a red very quickly as your well aware that you can't handle this and people know you can't.
The waitress brings a cold coconut cream drink as I drank it down the heat seemed to out it's self. Eating the main meal was yet another experience a Thai Beef Salad to me was a refreshing meal with a bit of beef well no no totally not, it also popped my top I think I munched the small red chilli and wow my face hurt through the heat that chilli gave out, hospital was the only thought at that time and how I was to ever get out of the restaurant in one piece ?.
For my first Thai food experience this was it first hand, I can't really say I tasted the salad after that as my taste spuds were destroyed for ever but it did amuse allot of people.
Once finished I walked to get a tuk tuk I loved those and flagging one down was never a problem as in Thailand they are right up your rear where ever you go, anyway as I remembered this one particular tuk tuk driver commented " Oh ! you have good sun tan falang ?
You come from Ko Phi Phi ha " I wanted to ask who is falang?, and " no I have not gone to the beach as yet " but the salad let alone the soup I'd just eaten was so hot I got a quick face colour from it, but my mouth hurt so much I just remained quiet just let him drive me if I can call it that, gosh thought I was in the race at Grands Hatch back to my quiet sleepy guest house.
Excursion my golly fifty baht he ripped me off took an hour back that should of taken twenty minutes and stopped in so many jewellery shops was a joke, this driver had so many friends and wanted to see them all in one hour it seemed.
Hmmm guest house I paid him fifty. Went to the room showered and laid listening to my squeaky ceiling fan but was happy like a child with a new toy.
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