Baking in Bangkok

The weather is hot. A humid heat that extracts sweat from me like a conditioned machine. Within minutes I am drenched. The sleep did me well and I was ready for the new day for today would help me find Celine for the first time in 5 weeks. I was a little excited I must say :). I met Ian and Tim for breakfast and after went for a Thai massage. There is no better remedy for aching muscles than have a Thai girl beat the hell out of you. For that she must be congratulated. She got me in positions I really should not be in that early in the morning. The massage place was in an old well kept Thai wooden building. It was a traditional setting and in impeccable condition. Despite the brutality is was relaxing and enjoyable.

I took a bus to the airport and met Celine. It was great to see her. She was as radiant as ever which put me to shame sporting my new and only other outfit bought from the street markets. There was no seat belt to be found in the cab but that is expected. We dropped off Celine's bags and went to explore Khao San road. The streets and surrounds are bustling with life and activity. This is tourist activity and the commerce supports that. If you are wanting something more authentic I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Note for all English teachers. If spending $1000 odd for your course is not up your alley head to Khao San road and get one off the street for a few bucks. In the midst of everything going on you can get a fake certificate printed in minutes. That or a fake licence, student card or journalist tag can also be bought. They are by no means discrete and are quite happy to advertise their service. I might get a degree after all :)

Standing there waiting for Celine to buy some fruit a nice little Thai girl walked past with her boyfriend slightly ahead. She look at me non perplexed and in no hurry reached out and grabbed me on my little man. Somewhat shocked I watched her slowly stroll off, her boyfriend none the wiser. Again no attempt at discretion. I no I am in Thailand but I am taking this as a compliment.

At the entrance to our little guesthouse, the one up the dark alley we were met by a group of overly enthusiastic teenagers dancers. They were all in the school clothes and the 5 or so of them were all dancing in perfect unison to some perky and somewhat vibrant numbers. These boys would give JT a run for his money and were quite impressive. It turns out these boys as a sensed are lady boys in the making. They dance as a group most days after school and go to dance classes as well. They were probably 13 or 14 years old and I have read it is not uncommon in Thai culture for boys to start hormone treatment from this age. I also read it is often believed that their path is determined from birth and may be the result of a wrong committed in a past life. For this reason the Thai culture may regard them with pity as opposed to blame.

Thought of the day: 4 years of university are overrated. Come to Thailand and get one for $10....