Last night I went to a book launch (Donald Quist - check him out) in a back-alley Bangkok bar called WTF Gallery & Cafe. I found myself in a sea of hip, tattooed expats, gleefully tucked into every corner of the narrow space. I was invited by a coworker, Mai Nardone, who read a powerfully evocative story about an American divorcee seeking the not-so-comforting company of a teenage Thai woman in Bangkok. We heard from several others who shared painfully true yet hysterical poetry, a non fiction account of prostitution in dangerous southern Thai provinces, personal tales of struggles with depression, and even a mixed media presentation about being a black American in Thailand. The evening was mesmerizing. I walked out of the glowing bar, through curls of cigarette smoke and inebriated laughter, into a warm Bangkok night. I felt that I had slipped, completely unnoticed, into a thriving community, and with equal stealth, disappeared as effortlessly as I had arrived. It is slow going building a social world here. I am deepening new friendships but I long for evenings of cheap wine and Trader Joe's cheese, evenings steeped in the ease of well-worn relationships.
Not all is melancholy, though. In the past few weeks I have done my fair share of adventuring in Thailand and beyond. A grad school friend, Bianca, flew from Seoul to see me and we ventured Thai style (minivans and speedboats) to the nearby island of Ko Samet. Tucked away in a white-sand cove, we indulged in sea-view massages, mojitos, hours of reading, rich conversation while swimming in turquoise waters, and capped it all off with expensive Merlot that was so unpalatable we converted it to Spanish Kalimoxos (coke & wine --- praise mini fridges). Perfection.
The Scot and I recently rented rickety bicycles and cruised through a secluded area of Bangkok called "The Green Lung." It was as replenishing and flora-filled as it sounds. Treacherous but worthwhile selfies are amongst the photos below. We also took the 2 1/2 hour flight to Singapore last week to visit long-time Howey-Gottlieb family friends who have lived on the island for several years. Their home and cooking and pool were so excellent that it was a struggle to get in to the city, but we managed to see our fair share of cool, crazy things. Photos of this adventure are also below, but highlights included gorging on dumplings in Chinatown, meandering on the stunning waterfront, trekking 10k in sandals (don't tell my Dad) for a Tree Top jungle walk, and ascending 57 stories to overlook the city under cover of night. A rather alarming highlight was enjoying the elegance of Raffle's Hotel before getting the bill, a whopping $30 for EACH Singapore Sling. The cocktail may have been invented there, but it tasted too much like a jolly rancher shot to merit such an outrageous price tag. Needless to say, we ate $5 chicken soup for lunch at a nearby hawker stand. As our family friend Tami said, "moving to Singapore from Beijing was like skipping America and going to the future." The future, indeed. I encourage everyone to visit before Singapore Slings are $50!
As I embark on these travels, encounter new people, and continue to navigate this city I see that my Thai is improving greatly. I catch basic words in conversations, in radio ads, on TV, and I can communicate basic ideas (I like..., I am going to.., I am..., Do you know..? Can you...? Where is...?). It feels a lot like the movie Pleasantville. I am beginning to see and understand my Bangkok world in color.
Bangkok
Ko Samet & Singapore
