While we were at the ferry terminal, we noticed something interesting- there was a trip available that would get us in to Bangkok at midnight the same night. It was interesting because we knew we were not taking that route, even though we would be boarding the same high speed catamaran. Instead, we would be getting off at the first port, riding a bus for 2 hours, and then taking an overnight train. Following this itinerary would get us in to Bangkok at 7 am the next morning (or so we were told). To confuse us even more, the direct route cost 850 Baht while our shorter catamaran ride cost 550 Baht. So, excluding the cost of the bus and the train our longer trip was less than $10 cheaper. We could only imagine that the tour was trying to save the cost of real accommodations in Bangkok by sticking us on the train instead. Christine and I grumbled about the choice, but there was little else to do about it. We've learned that in the future we're much more comfortable being in control.
We bounced from one form of transportation to the next, until we were safely tucked into our beds on the overnight train to Bangkok. We were warned that we would get in ahead of schedule, and we should expect to be up by 5 a.m.
Early the next morning, we're roused from bed and escorted off of the train. It was still dark outside and everyone was groggy. Tar was shoving people into taxis and sending them on their ways. There was no goodbye, there was no breakfast- we were put into a taxi and the tour was over.
Christine and I decided to get into a cab with the Irish girls, since they were going back to the hotel we had stayed in and we had not yet decided where we would spend the night.
Instead of checking in, we found some breakfast and allowed ourselves to wake up a little bit. We were tired and cranky, and a little bruised at the way we had been sent off. We had talked to Lee and Luella about meeting up to see some of the shadier sights in the city, so we decided to find a hotel closer to the red light district.
The nicer hotels in town were located right outside of the "red light" district. I put it in quotes, since this was the seedy part that was built for tourists, as opposed to the seedy part that was actually meant for seedy people. There were two blocks with adult shows, and five star hotels right on the periphery. We found an affordable place in the area, and enjoyed our first good shower in two weeks. After a nap, we were finally in a better mood. It was still early in the day so we went out exploring.
We ate lunch at an American BBQ place. Looking at the menu, the prices seemed ridiculously high compared to what we had been spending the whole trip. Since we were tired of curry, though, and craving meat and french fries, we were willing to splurge. The funny thing was, when we finally did the conversion we noticed we had spent less than $15. Our sense of the value of money is being tested by all of the traveling we're doing.
As we were leaving the restaurant, we were approached by a friendly looking old man. He used some familiar lines on us, asking where we were from and where we were staying. He told us if we wanted to do some shopping there was a good Thai market nearby where we could get "export quality" goods, not like the terrible stuff you get everywhere else. We thanked him, and started walking away. Another man started walking when we left, staying a few paces ahead. When we stopped to check our map, to decide where we really wanted to go, he swooped in. He started giving us his own pitch about where we should go to shop. We thanked him, and let him know we just wanted to walk around. As we left, we saw that both of the men had circled back around to sit on a step outside the same restaurant. Sometimes it wasn't clear to us what game people were playing, but the constant pitches made it clear that we just looked like a couple of dumb bags of money to many of the people we met in Thailand.
While trying to find the downtown area, we escaped sections of town that had been built up for foreign travelers. There were tent cities set up on the sides of the road, and piles of trash sitting in the sun. It was clear that the wealth was concentrated in a relatively small area, and that we weren't meant to wander out of it.
We arrived at the spot on the map we were heading for, but realized there wasn't anything to see. The downtown was made up of a handful of gigantic malls. The most interesting thing was that there were shrines set up on the streets between the malls. The people walking by them would pray and look towards the shrines even as they kept moving forward. Even when they were up a few stories on a raised walkway and the shrines were down at ground level, the local Thais showed their respect.
When we were walking home we stumbled into an area with smaller, more interesting shops. We found one street that had been blocked off for a Pepsi event. They were debuting some new drink called "Green Pepsi" that seemed to be engineered for an Asian audience.
That night we had made plans to meet the Australian couple, the two Irish girls and the two British girls, who we had traveled with, in order to check out Bangkok's seedy underbelly. It was disgusting.
The most entertaining part was not inside any of the shows they had concocted to attract curious travelers, but out on the street. People had been hired to go around and try to lure you into a specific show. They were holding menus of human exploits and shoving them in your face. Their schtick relied on the tourist being speechless, so they could herd you closer and closer to the strip club they wanted to get you in. Christine and I thought it was funny to try and make these guys blush. When they approached us with their pitch, instead of being shy or titillated, we shot back one liners. Eventually, a salesman stopped mid sentence and shook his head at us. He ran his fingers through his hair- I assume trying to decide if we had said what he thought we said- and shooed us away.
The funny thing was, we weren't really being that gross. Compared to the things they were sticking in our faces, we were being downright mild. When it came down to it these guys were a bunch of prudes. They blushed as soon as we started talking back to them.
We walked down a street dedicated to "massages by men for men" and other such fare, since the girls we were with expected the pushy salesmen to try and lure Lee and myself in. Instead of making us feel uncomfortable, though, they actually were pushing the shows on the girls, pulling at them to try and make them choose their establishment.
We found another road that was lined with brothels. Groups of women were sitting outside, on display. Far from being an attraction, seeing these girls just made us sad. Their eyes were dead, they were bored, and it was plain that they were just trying to get through the night.
Once everyone was sufficiently skeeved out, we retired to a friendly bar in one of the alleys.
After else had left, Christine and I stopped at McDonald's. On our way out, Christine noticed a homeless family sitting on the steps. She turned around, went back inside, and bought them a meal.
We started back toward our hotel. We turned onto a main road when we saw two elephants walking down a city street. I'll repeat that, because you may have just skimmed over it: there were two, big, gray, elephants hanging out in downtown Bangkok. A couple of Thai guys had ropes around their necks, and they must have seen our jaws drop because they started following us as we walked by. When we were nearing our hotel, one of the elephants let out a loud honk. I told Christine that they were chasing us, so we ran the rest of the way to safety.
We checked out the next day and made our way to the airport, where we flew back to Hong Kong. We got in around dinner time, and checked back into the same Hostel we had stayed in the first time through. We found a small Italian restaurant, and had a couple glasses of wine. Christine led me to the Peak Tram, which is a trolley that you ride up the Victorian Peak, one of the mountains that Hong Kong is built on. The trolley is pulled up a really steep incline, and you get off inside a shopping complex. After riding escalators to the top, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city. We had our picture taken outside. This is the only picture we have from this last leg of the trip since my camera was broken.
Aren't we cute?
We took it easy the next day, and watched some of the lunar new year's activities. Troupes of teenagers were spread around the city doing a lion dance. Two of them were dressed up in a lion costume, and a few more played a big drum and gongs. The lion would dance in front of a store, and the whole thing led up to the lion grabbing a bundle of lettuce that was hanging from the doorway in its mouth. The lion chewed up the lettuce and spit it out, revealing a red envelope. The envelope was a traditional cash gift given around the new year. This same scene was happening all over the city, with the lion group going from business to business all day long.
When we got back to the hostel to pick up our stuff and head to the airport, Christine noticed a familiar voice. The man using the phone in the reception room was none other than Larsh, the man we had met in Kao Sok, Thailand. He had followed our advice after all! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to talk, since we were on our way out the door to start the long trip across the border to the airport in Shen Zhen.
The plane ride home we were on Shanghai Air, which is certainly no Emirates Airline. The food was nasty, and we were sitting in the very back row. At one point, someone even smoked a cigarette in the bathroom. When we landed, no one seemed to understand the concept of waiting until the plane comes to a complete stop and the pilot has turned off the fasten seat belt sign. The flight attendants were yelling, but everyone was in a rush to be the first off the plane. When we finally made it out, we were home. Back in good old Shanghai.
It was really nice to get back to our apartment, and familiar surroundings. The trip was fun, and filled with excitement, but nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.
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