One Night in Bangkok
Me and Bangkok, we're good again. I was starting to get a little pissed at this city, what with the food poisoning and the stifling heat and the grime and all. But then I fell in love with the Big Mango all over again. Here's how it went down.
Last night, as I was leaving the hair salon, a storm hit. We're talking sudden, torrential downpour. So wet that the soi (street in Thai) was flooded in under five minutes. So wet that my jeans were soaked through in a matter of seconds. So wet that traffic ceased immediately, leaving only the occasional motorcycle taxi to navigate the drenched terrain.
Obviously the new doo was ruined. I only had half a block to travel back to my hostel, but had to jump from under one canopy to the next. Ended up stuck under a street vendor's umbrella, unable to go any further. Hung for a bit with a group of young Thai guys who tried to convince me to drink whiskey with them. Somehow standing there huddled under an umbrella with them, laughing like crazy at the rain, in no particular language, was pure magic.
Got back to the hostel and went out with a friend Anil (his fam owns the hostel) and all his friends to see a Thai hip-hop show. We went to a club called Forte on the party strip, RCA. The venue was, uh, interesting. It was a hostess bar.
Our group was around ten dudes, me, and a girl Duen. She had never been to a hostess bar either, so we bonded on that and spent a lot of time looking anywhere but the stage. I do have to say that it was basically just a glammed-up fashion show, though. The costumes were incredible. No stripping either.
Anyway, at around 2:00 a.m. I went backstage and met the hip-hop group, 2 Peace. They consist of three male rappers, a spunky female rapper, and a DJ. They also had two b-girls with them. They went on shortly after. Their show was pretty nuts (flick below from Anil's camera phone). Really young, fresh, fun vibe. Sort of like a Thai version of the Black Eyed Peas, but not corny. Their debut album drops in a couple of days.
Been taking it easy today. Still not eating anything but bread and my stomach is a bit queasy. Resting up and listening to Thaitanium and Silk Sounds. Really feeling both those groups.
Last night, as I was leaving the hair salon, a storm hit. We're talking sudden, torrential downpour. So wet that the soi (street in Thai) was flooded in under five minutes. So wet that my jeans were soaked through in a matter of seconds. So wet that traffic ceased immediately, leaving only the occasional motorcycle taxi to navigate the drenched terrain.
Obviously the new doo was ruined. I only had half a block to travel back to my hostel, but had to jump from under one canopy to the next. Ended up stuck under a street vendor's umbrella, unable to go any further. Hung for a bit with a group of young Thai guys who tried to convince me to drink whiskey with them. Somehow standing there huddled under an umbrella with them, laughing like crazy at the rain, in no particular language, was pure magic.
Got back to the hostel and went out with a friend Anil (his fam owns the hostel) and all his friends to see a Thai hip-hop show. We went to a club called Forte on the party strip, RCA. The venue was, uh, interesting. It was a hostess bar.
Our group was around ten dudes, me, and a girl Duen. She had never been to a hostess bar either, so we bonded on that and spent a lot of time looking anywhere but the stage. I do have to say that it was basically just a glammed-up fashion show, though. The costumes were incredible. No stripping either.
Anyway, at around 2:00 a.m. I went backstage and met the hip-hop group, 2 Peace. They consist of three male rappers, a spunky female rapper, and a DJ. They also had two b-girls with them. They went on shortly after. Their show was pretty nuts (flick below from Anil's camera phone). Really young, fresh, fun vibe. Sort of like a Thai version of the Black Eyed Peas, but not corny. Their debut album drops in a couple of days.
Been taking it easy today. Still not eating anything but bread and my stomach is a bit queasy. Resting up and listening to Thaitanium and Silk Sounds. Really feeling both those groups.
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