There is one spot I love in Bangkok. I’m definitely less allergic to this place than I am to the rest of the city. We found it yesterday, on a walk down to the river. (When we asked for directions to the river, we were told with a vague wave of the hand, “it’s that way”. Funnily enough, the dude was right. And we found it.)
There is an old fort by the river in Bangkok. A lovely white structure with old canons peaking through the tower walls and crosses cut out all over. Around the fort is a beautiful tiered garden, and a little strip with a few food vendors.
We had lunch here yesterday, and a Thai woman behind us was cutting up a fruit neither of us recognized. It was a labour intensive process, but the fruit itself looked delicious. We were staring so hard that she finally just handed Stu a piece without a word, as if to say “Stop staring. Just try it.” No words, no smile. Just “Here. Eat.” It turned out to be jackfruit. And it was as delicious as it looked.
Down by the water, there was a girl who was singing and dancing, all by herself. Her short blond hair immediately gave her away as a traveller. Some people watched her as they went by, but for the most part, she went largely ignored, in her own world, quietly singing and dancing by herself.
Stu put it quite aptly when he glanced at her and then said to me, “Hey, remember that time when I was tripping on acid in Thailand and singing and dancing by the river?” He’s a funny guy. 🙂
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Posted by Matt MacLean on January 17, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Looks like you guys are having a true adventure!
You made me laugh with the jackfruit anecdote – I personally hate that shit. Apparently Bangladeshi freedom fighters survived on “katal” while they were hiding in the bush during the war with Pakistan, so jack fruit has a special place in their hearts. They like it in Brazil too. To me, it looks like cutting open an alien’s head and seeing all sorts of gooey, overly sweet brain tissue inside.