Day: The Third Part Too

I'm sure once April is here and we go on the road, I will not be prattling on so much. But in the meantime it's a good way to occupy my time, keep you up to date and as a diary.

I was going to have a nap yesterday, but again that didn't happen. I  went for a walk and then got a taxi to Khoasan Rd (Rice Thresher Rd), to do some shopping and see if it had changed. The answer to that is yes and no. It's still a zoo, with hoards of sweaty  young backpackers, with fresh angry-looking tattoos, and way too much skin showing, only a whole lot more than before. The touts are still the same, even down to the turbaned Indian sadus trying to get you to let them do your fortune. The main difference is that there are so many people and the footpath stalls have encroached on the road so much that it isn't really possible to drive up the road any more. Its now a pedestrian mall. I ordered some fake IDs for jake and I to be collected today. They are a laugh, you can even get diplomatic credentials, as well as student, drivers and scariest of all, PADI open water diving certificates! If anyone wants me te get them one, just email me a passport photo. Then I found a quieter street one block over, sat in a nice streetside bar and ordered lunch. One of my favorite Thai dishes is the spicy seafood salad, and this one was really spicy. I ate most of it wile being gently and carefully looked after by a nice waitress, in the Thai manner. A large bottle of Chang beer was welcome, and as the intense heat got to it, she kept bringing small amounts of ice to put in my glass. An hour and half slipped by, as the beer slipped down, cooling my chilli hit, and I people watched from my slightly elevated comphy chair. The waitress directed me to a shoe shop a few blocks away from the madness, and was very happy with the 30 baht tip on top of my 170 baht bill. All up that's $8.

I needed the shoe shop because I hadn't bought sandals. Not sure why, but some knock-off Diesel ones didn't blow the day's budget. Got a tuktuk home. You have to watch those guys, they are the only people I have come across here who will regularly rip you off. I now have the routine of getting a meter taxi (beware the unmetered ones, they are just luxury tuktuks) the first time I go somewhere to know the base price. For example the tuktuk driver who hovers down the end of the side road the inn is on tried to gouge me for 100 baht for the trip to Khoisan Rd, and wouldn't come down to my offer of 40 baht. I just walked away, grabbed a taxi (there are hordes of them, I have never waited more than a minute or two, and usually its straight away) that cost 45 baht and had the aircon up full. Coming home I used a tuktuk driven by a toothless old man, who couldn't read the address map the inn gives out for this purpose. Another driver told him where I needed to go, we agreed on 30 baht (starting price 50), and away we went in a cloud of two-stroke smoke. He was very happy with the 40 I gave him, posed for a picture and smoked off into the distance.

Showered, walked down the road to the 7-eleven for some beer and water and made it back just before the evening monsoon started. Sat in the nice covered area under the inn,  watched the rain tip down and the lightning flash, and relaxed. Went back out later for dinner, pork mince with Thai holy basil (one of my favorites) and came home to watch a programme on my 'droid phone. It's not a bad way to watch, especially if I take off my glasses and peer myopically at the quite small screen close up. Interesting thing happened on the way home (sounds like a start to a bad joke). The taxi driver who pulled over at my signal was stopped as soon as we started to leave by a cop who shook him down for 100 baht "instant cash fine" for stopping illegally... I paid half for him as the fare was only 47 baht (less than $ 2). The driver said "police worse than mafia" as he has to pay someone else some kind of money each week too. All in all, an interesting day. Oh yeah, got some new, quality, Tin Tin t-shirts in the tourist market. It was too hot to argue so I paid too much, but still good price really.

Me: 8/10 and having a great time

Best food: most definitely the breakfast

Best drink: the fresh orange juice from one of the many hand carts in the street. Squeezed from these very small, very green looking oranges, put in a bottle and stored in the bin of ice. Very cold, very intense flavour, very yummy. I want one now!