Before I recap yesterday I have to mention that right now on my head is one of the worst haircuts I have ever had. I woke up early and got it at a massage parlor. I look like Kim Jung Ill. Somehow I will have to find a decent barber to fix this mess but finding quality in Thailand is hard to do. If I ask a cabby or a tuk tuk driver he'll take me to his uncle's shop or the place that gives him a kick back for taking me there. The haircut was only three dollars though so what should I expect, probably a haircut that looks like it cost three dollars.
Speaking of shady tuk tuk drivers… Kevin and I had planned on seeing the Royal Palace in Bangkok today so we walked across the central parade ground towards it. On the way there a guy came up to us and started making conversation. He said that he was a student at the university and started to give us some suggestions on sights that we should see while in town because the Palace was closed today. I was not suspicious because I had read in our trusty Rough Guides guidebook that Thai students enjoy talking to English speakers so that they can practice their English skills. I had also read about the scam that was about to go down on us but I had forgotten about it at the time.
Basically, without going into too much detail because it really wasn't that big of deal or waste of time, the guy suggested that we go see some sights and drew their locations on the map in our book. The last one he added was an apparently famous silk dealer.
Once we decided to go with our new friends suggestions instead of the Palace a tuk tuk conveniently rolled up and said it would take us to all the sights, A.K.A. wats, for only forty baht. After we had seen the first sight, a 150-year-old Buddha statue, our cabby asked us to wait in the tuk tuk while he used the bathroom. A Thai man conveniently hanging out at the spot the cabby parked started talking to us and asking how our vacation was going and said that when he visits Bangkok he always goes to the Armani factory store that sells Armani suits for cheap, just without the labels. At that point we realized that this ride was a scam and decided that if the driver took us to a few more sights and we had to say no to a few suit salesmen that it would still be alright, maybe worth it to see some things off the beaten path.
So in the end we saw a 150-year-old Buddha, an “Armani” store, a 100 foot tall Buddha and a jewelry store. Kevin bought some fine soaps.
After the tuk tuk tour we walked to a wat with a view of the city at sunset. It was called the Golden Mount. On the way there we saw a lady selling bugs again so we bought some. I have to say that they aren’t bad tasting. Of course I’d had a beer or two before eating them each time but not bad. I recommend the lemon grass ant trail mix.
Anyways, on the way to the wat we walked through a Thai street market/carnival with all the usual Thai eats, cold sausage on sticks sitting out in the elements, and also some pea shooter shooting ranges and a ferris wheel.We walked up about 20 stories of stairs and got to the top of the Golden Mount Wat and saw a really nice view of Bangkok. People were praying and enjoying the view.
We caught a tuk tuk when we were done and choked our way through the exhaust fumes back to Khao San Road.Back at Khao San Road we hit the bar and met two Scottish chicks, Daniel, a police officer, and Sarina, a Virgin Atlantic stewardess. We didn’t convert however. Got too drunk and couldn’t understand them through their accents by the end of the night. I went home and Kevin had a crazy adventure that you will have to ask him about.
Today we are going to try and make it to the Royal Palace again. We'll make it for sure this time.
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