Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Where is the guy who walked through the airport doors sideways going to?
Bangkok.
okays that was a gross joke haha. heard it a long time ago from someone, can't really rmb who. anyways, bangkok! went there from the 22nd to 26th december. it was...foreign and yet familiar at the same time.
its very like singapore in a way you know! the food is somewhat similar, noodles like kway teow and yellow noodles, they have fried rice as well, salads...etc. the difference is that everything there is much spicier and more sour. haha. plus the thai seem to have undersensitive tastbuds. most foods are overdone (sometimes in a nice way), either extremely sweet (e.g. sticky rice) or extremely salty. plus they have really exotic foods at the roadsides. fried grasshoppers, cockroaches...i was actually quite tempted to try a grasshopper for a period, but didn't dare to. like ZOMG can u imagine actually putting an insect in your mouth?! i just couldn't get past that mental barrier. and this is coming from the girl who's drank soap, toothpaste and shampoo before.
thats right. for those who haven't heard this story, when i was much younger, i got really bored one day while bathing and decided to try something stupid (how was i supposed to know it was stupid then??). i mixed soap, shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste in a cup and added water and voila! yumyumyumNOT. luckily i didn't drink more than a few sips or i think i wouldn't be here right now typing this. lols.
where was i. oh yeah and shopping in bangkok is pretty similar to singapore too, just that u can haggle. an-nee tao rai means 'how much?' in thai, and kop kuun means 'thank you'. i think. haha.
the air in bangkok is pretty polluted though, much thanks going to their infinite traffic jams. i think just standing by the road while waiting for the green pedestrian light can take a few years off your life because of breathing in all the exhaust. lols. but yet its the traffic that makes bangkok what it is and i love it.
there's nothing like it. its like every second of every minute of walking by the roadside, your life is in perpetual danger of suddenly being snuffed out. there are no pavements and cars are inches away from you honking like crazy and swerving like drunks suddenly to avoid hitting the crowds of people. a tutuk (is that how you spell it?), smth like a trishaw, rips past literally millimetres from you, trying to squeeze through the throng and throngs of stationary cars, winding their ways through the jams. and still the tons and tons of people are squeezing and squeezing you, urging the pace faster and faster to avoid the numerous foodcart sellers shouting and hawking their wares ( the food usually smells great) or workers lugging huge carts of goods behind them, while all the while exhaust keeps puffing in your face from all the vehicles around.
and during this all the while you're trying to shop at those roadside pasar malams, which are usually right next to roads or even in the middle of roads, and be careful of pickpockets at the same time.
i realise this would probably be a claustrophobe's nightmare, but i absolutely love it. its so thrilling, so exciting, so new. there are 10001 things to see, to taste, to smell, to touch, its so crazy! its the exact same reason why i love orchard road. to me, going out is usually only fun when its crowded haha.
and then there are those massive overhead bridges that go on and on forever. and u get this most incredible feeling walking on them, casually strolling right above those huge major roads below you, with lines and lines of whining moaning screaming cars right below your feet as far as the eye can see, knowing that right at that instant the speed at which you're walking is probably faster than the traffic.
and their traffic jams are so colourful! there are so many multifariously coloured taxis, i saw bright green, yellow, blue, red and pink. SHINY NEON PINK. can u imagine?! i mean i know i totally sound like some bimbo now but pink.
people say the traffic jams are bangkok's biggest flaw, but to me, they make bangkok what it is. i wouldn't have it any other way. mel, i think i might begin to understand why u love thailand so much now haha.
i don't know why, but it just feels so heartwarming.
bought tons of stuff there, clothes and bags and all. and gifts. (:
and cds! pirated of course. i got like 7 haha. the newest from justin timberlake, nelly furtado, fergie, the pussycat dolls, beyonce, ashlee simpson, nickelback...just listened to fergie's. the duchess is underrated in my opinion. it really is better than all those critics reviews. it showcases both her fun side and her great vocals, and there ARE good songs in there besides london bridge and fergalicious, which is like super infectious. so delicious. its hot, hot. fergalicious. i put them boys on rock, rock
OKAYS anyway haha. i think i've bored u all enough. merry belated christmas and happy new year, everyone!
thanks for all the cards!
happy belated birthday gloria! and charmaine!
