We got up this morning, saw single digits on the clock, and promptly went back to sleep. Ah, vacation!
Finally, when we did decide to get up, we went and checked on our reservations for activities during the week. We had booked a trip to a safari where we would get to ride elephants and see nature and go on a boat. There was another thing we were waiting on confirmation for of a cooking class on Thai cooking. As it turned out, they canceled BOTH of our tours. Which sucked. But we decided to wander around and look for lunch and book something later through some other site.
We wandered a few blocks in the other direction of yesterday and some 60-something Thai man approached us and told us that the street ahead would have nothing for us to see. He told us he worked up that way in an office building and that we should go elsewhere for shopping and for food. He asked us if we were here for long, told us that the reason he spoke decent English (which he did) was because he worked with a GI during the Vietnam War. He said he liked speaking with Americans because he understood their accents, but couldn't figure out the English accents of people from Britian. Then he wrote down for us where we should go for shopping, food, and more shopping. He told us we should get a Tuk Tuk and that it would cost us 30 baht and would take us where we wanted to go. We said thank you, and I guess he thought that we meant, "Right now would be fine," because he signaled to a nearby Tuk Tuk driver (they are EVERYWHERE) that we wanted a ride. We quickly said, "no, no, we'll do it later," and he walked off towards his office.
Tuk Tuk - image courtesy of WikipediaOn our way back towards restaurants we knew about (not some 10 minutes later), a business woman approached us and told us that the shops we were window shopping in were overpriced because of where in the city we were. She asked us where we were from, and how long we would be staying. She wanted to know if we had a tour booked and told us we should go see the floating shops on the river. We had wanted to, but the tour we had seen was not in English so we didn't book it. She wrote down where to go book a government-sanctioned tour, and also where to shop, and ALSO where to eat. Then the next thing we knew, she grabbed a Tuk Tuk driver and handed him the paper she had written it all down on. She asked us where we wanted first - food, or shopping - and we just decided this time to go with it. So we were taken to a restaurant. I guess native people here like to help out.
Our Tuk Tuk, which was green, brought us a few blocks away to a little Thai seafood place. There were live fish in tanks, which we selected along with a cooking method. They then seated us, and we watched as our fish were brought away to be killed and cooked. Can't get much fresher than that...
Fish tanksWe selected BBQ for our Grouper and Sweet & Sour for our bass. We also ordered fried rice and mixed vegetables. We ordered way too much food. WAY too much food.
Sweet & Sour fish
Other side of the sweet & sour fish
BBQ GrouperBBQ in this sense means grilled. There wasn't much flavor to it. The fish was nice and meaty, though. The sweet and sour fish was unbelievably amazing. The skin was fried just a bit and the sauce was phenomenal. Ginger and fresh pineapple, green peppers - soooo good.
The fried rice, which looked really boring and plain, was expertly seasoned. We have no idea WHAT they seasoned it with, but it was amazing. It totally made up for the fried rice last night.
Throughout the entire meal, our Tuk Tuk driver waited. He was instructed by the woman before to take us to a specific set of places, and that was what he was going to do.
Our Tuk Tuk, waiting, driver napping inside.We expected that we would wind up at a jewelry store and a tailor next (everyone here gets custom made suits and dresses - tailoring shops with bolts of cloth are everywhere). We didn't want to go to a tailor, but we thought the jewelry store might be cool. The guy instead stopped somewhere else, first - the tour booking place!
So we booked a new tour with elephant rides and a trip to the River Kwai, the WW2 museum, and the Tiger Temple! As well as a second trip to the Rose Garden and some more cultural things including the floating market. Tomorrow is the elephant trip and Thursday is the Rose garden/floating market trip. I guess that was simple - and also about half the price of the previously booked similar trips.
Our Tuk Tuk waited patiently outside, and took us to a tailoring shop. We told him to continue to the jeweler. We wound up at an enormous jewelry and gem shop. They cut their own stuff, make their own settings, and we saw many of them doing just that as we walked through the little "tour." Then on to the showroom. They had magnificent settings and creative pieces, as well as simple things. Most of it was reasonably priced. We wandered around until I found what I wanted, which was the pearl counter. They had unstrung (temporarily strung) pearls of all shapes and sizes. I found some GORGEOUS white round 7mm pearls and fell in love. We negotiated the price, and Mathew got them for me - they strung them up and put a clasp on them while we waited. They were between 1/2 and 1/3 of the price as the same thing in the states. And just stunning. I think they are a Chanukah/ Christmas present, but they are really stunning. Some of the nicest pearls I've ever seen.
Our patient Tuk Tuk driver asked us if we would like to go anywhere else, and we did not, so he took us back to our hotel. The whole Tuk Tuk experience (around 2-3 hours) cost 200 baht (which was probably way overpriced and we could have negotiated, but...) which works out to $5 US. It seems like a strange way to travel, but it also seems to be very common for locals as well as tourists. It is not meant for long rides because it is not enclosed, but it's still really cool to get around.
There are a lot of cabs here, and a good number of them are pink.
Many are purple, but I haven't been able to get a photo of a purple one yet.
We are debating whether or not to partake in the more risque bits of nightlife - namely, the "tiger show" tonight. I think, although I may be appalled by it, I may have to see it to say that I have seen it. Any thoughts?
So we booked a new tour with elephant rides and a trip to the River Kwai, the WW2 museum, and the Tiger Temple! As well as a second trip to the Rose Garden and some more cultural things including the floating market. Tomorrow is the elephant trip and Thursday is the Rose garden/floating market trip. I guess that was simple - and also about half the price of the previously booked similar trips.
Our Tuk Tuk waited patiently outside, and took us to a tailoring shop. We told him to continue to the jeweler. We wound up at an enormous jewelry and gem shop. They cut their own stuff, make their own settings, and we saw many of them doing just that as we walked through the little "tour." Then on to the showroom. They had magnificent settings and creative pieces, as well as simple things. Most of it was reasonably priced. We wandered around until I found what I wanted, which was the pearl counter. They had unstrung (temporarily strung) pearls of all shapes and sizes. I found some GORGEOUS white round 7mm pearls and fell in love. We negotiated the price, and Mathew got them for me - they strung them up and put a clasp on them while we waited. They were between 1/2 and 1/3 of the price as the same thing in the states. And just stunning. I think they are a Chanukah/ Christmas present, but they are really stunning. Some of the nicest pearls I've ever seen.
Our patient Tuk Tuk driver asked us if we would like to go anywhere else, and we did not, so he took us back to our hotel. The whole Tuk Tuk experience (around 2-3 hours) cost 200 baht (which was probably way overpriced and we could have negotiated, but...) which works out to $5 US. It seems like a strange way to travel, but it also seems to be very common for locals as well as tourists. It is not meant for long rides because it is not enclosed, but it's still really cool to get around.
There are a lot of cabs here, and a good number of them are pink.
Many are purple, but I haven't been able to get a photo of a purple one yet.
We are debating whether or not to partake in the more risque bits of nightlife - namely, the "tiger show" tonight. I think, although I may be appalled by it, I may have to see it to say that I have seen it. Any thoughts?
Posts
1 comment:
I don't think that there's anything inherently wrong with a tiger show, as long as they're treating their animals well. I've seen big cat shows in the states, and I don't think that there's anything "risque" about it at all. Then again, I've never been to Thailand and seen a tiger show there, so it could be a bit different, but I say, "Go! Enjoy it. And if you don't seem to be liking it, then just leave."
Also, it seems like you're having an awesome time. I'm glad. :)
Post a Comment