Thailand - The Tailor

Sunday, June 19'th

Upon our return from KOH SAMET we crashed at Sune and Sucheras, we really hadn't much energy left so we ordered take-aways from the restaurant on the top floor in the building. There isn't much of a kitchen in the flats, just a sink and a plate to boil water. But there are plenty of hawkers in the street below, offering all kind of good food at a price you probably can't

compete if you prepared it yourself. So there is no need to make your own, the restaurant on top deliver so we ordered fried chicken and rice, Noodlesoup and vegetables. Beside it being considered fast-food, I have never lost that much weight, and so rapid. It must be the combination of a diet of fruit/vegetables, the hot temperature and drinking plenty of water. I was feeling great.

Hard Rock Café in Bangkok. Excelent live bands

So our batteries was now recharged and we wanted to hear some live music, but where to go. Sune knew immediately, Hard Rock café, so the three of us left for a Sunday night out, Suchera stayed at home taking care of her baby-brother. Her family live out to the east of Bangkok and her brother stay in Bangkok with Suchera to go to a good school. He goes to bed really early but get up at 4AM, to do the school homework. The temperature is better at that time and the city is quieter.

The cab ride to the Hard Rock café took 15 minutes, it is an awesome place. The entire café is situated in a three floor building but we never came past ground level. Even though it was Sunday, the place was packed. but we managed to

get ourselves a good table near the scene. Three different bands played that night, all local doing well known copy-tracks, but they were good and they took requests. So Shehab got several of his suggestions performed. The beers were plenty and I stopped to think about it, just a week ago I was packing my gear back in Denmark, and I couldn't have imagined that a week later I had experienced the magic of Egypt, the Metropolis of Bangkok and the bounty island down south. Was there more adventures in store for me to experience?

We tip-toe in and get our bags at Sucheras flat and crash at Sunes, he has to clear it by July 1'st so we can stay there for a few days. We fall asleep with a humming sound in our heads from the loud music.

Monday, June 20'th

Today is our first Bangkok-site-seeing-day. We go out west of the city to the Zoo (SAMUTPRAKAN) that also function as a crocodile-farm and the main attraction is the immense reptiles, one of the only species that is left from the dinosaur-period. But they have samples of all the animals in the region and they are not as confined as you normally see in a Zoo. Especially the Tiger that only had a leach bolted to the wall, it was a powerful one though.

We spend a good time there, taking our time to enjoy the shows involving the Tiger, Elephants and Crocodiles. At the end of the show you could have your photo taken with the crocodile, the animal trainer just out of the picture to ensure nothing would happen. Shehab

and Sune took the opportunity, I enjoyed it from a safe distance.

In the afternoon we went to the Grand Central in Bangkok to pick up our train tickets for CHIANG MAI. The train is not the fastest way of transporting yourself in Thailand but if you are going by night I bet you get more sleep than in one of the fast busses. When the tickets was in place we went outside but came back quickly, our first thunderstorm in Bangkok had manifested itself and in no time there was two inches of water in the streets, a genuine tropical-city-shower. It is the city itself that is causing this, all the asphalt gets so hot from the sun and in the afternoon enough thermals over the city are produced to mix the air in the higher stratum of air that rain-clouds are formed, that is my own interpretation of the phenomenon.

Quick into a cab (it took a while to get one) and into the center to get some dinner. At a nice resturant Suchera order for us all, she know just the things to taste. Sweet-and-sour, Hot-and-spicy, we get it all. Especially I remember the desert, some thick coconut-cream with sweet-rice-dumplings, yummi.

Our last plan for the day was to go to the tailor close to the flat at the Indra Hotel and Shopping Arcade. Sune could recommend Stefano and we went there. At that time of day the business is rather slow so we got a extra fine service.

I hadn't thought of this opportunity when I left Denmark, but why not? A tailor made suit and shirt for 150$US is a bargain, so Sandy showed us what they had to offer. They could make everything with the best fabrics

and it would be ready in no time. I settled for a double-breasted suit and a white shirt, Sune had some extra shirts made and Shehab a shirt and a Jacket. Then Shehab and I were measured from top to bottom and that was that. The clothes would be ready for first fitting tomorrow. And the best thing is that they now have my measurements on file, I can just call or fax to have something made, pay by credit card and receive it by parcel post.

That night we went to the Hard Rock again, it is the same band opening as yesterday and they recognized us, probably due to the requests we made on Sunday. That night it was extremely hot, must be because of the humidity from the rain. We have the fan going all night and it was blowing right at my stomach, it got myself a bit of a pain from that.


The Grand Palace

Tuesday, June 21'st

Up and see the sites, today the Grand Palace - really impressive, and then our first fitting at the tailor. Some small adjustments, they work fast but I guess the business is slow that time of year. Back to the flat and pack the gear we need for our six days round-trip up north.

At 6.45PM we enter the station again, our train leave at 7PM and we are guided to our seats in 1'st class. The trip is a little more expensive than the busses but the carriage transform into a series of berths, the air is conditioned and I love the way the wagon rock and swaye, I find it to have a good soporific effect. While the train slowly roll out of Bangkok we spend the evening telling tales from our other trips around the world. I told about my journey to Portugal, this trip today is complete luxury compared to that horror train-ride.

Sune tell of a guy he met several times, travelling the southern China

and the Siam peninsula. He was an American veteran from the Vietnamese-war, an odd character. He was living off the veteran pension, he said it was a miracle he was still alive, given the life he had been living. His own version of the wonder was garlic, that was the reason. Sune imitate the way he consume the onion by bow the neck, swallowing a clove and speak the words "I treat myself with garlic.." in a erie voice.

The conductor come round to check our tickets and instruct us in how to convert the carriage into berths for sleeping. He show how one is done, we can do the rest ourselves, no problem. Then it is time to get some shut-eyes, I get the feeling that the train go for 15 minutes, stop for 15 minutes and so on, a regular slow-train. But that is okay, we will be in CHIANG MAI in the morning. I fall asleep to the rumbling sound of wheels against the tracks.

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