Braids in Bangkok

We checked in to the Menam Riverside Hotel, exhausted from our early flight. Well the "PRICE DROP" agressively advertised on the internet, followed by "HOT DEAL" and "GREAT BARGAIN" we found were due to the fist and second floor lobbys undergoing wholesale renovation. We didn't mind though, and from our river view room on the 10th floor.

We relaxed for a while, showered and napped. Once rested we set out for a fun night on the town. First stop was the Democracy monument, not really to see it--a mediocre monument, really--but for the food. We ate at a great authentic thai place and were treated to a wonderful, albeit spicy, meal. Thai coconut chicken soup, pud thai, and fried rice came to our table in big platters. Which was great since our appetite was equally large. But quickly I found myself tearing up, gasping for air, and draining my Singha beer. The soup was not for the western tongue, well really not for the tongue at all... ouch! Kate laughed at me (she is a lot better at handling spicy foods than I) and took a big spoonful of the soup. It wasn't hot to her at all. Liking it, she kept eating, and by the third bite she was on her hands an knees. We learned a good lesson that day: Thai people hide miniature chilli peppers in their meals, and the real hot ones are actually green. After this revelation we fished out the lil' green suckers and ate the rest of our meal tear-free. For dessert Kate had the mango sticky rice with some of the ripest magoes I've had, and I, feeling like nothing could be as bad as the hidden peppers ordered the Bird's Nest Soup. (Its actually made from boiled bird's nests collected from around phi phi island and other andaman sea islands off the shore of Krabbi. The taste is generated from the saliva coated grasses that make up the nests, and when boiled they turn into fine hair-like delecacies. As an added bonus, the meal is supposed to be an aphrodisiac.) The truth was that is didn't taste bad, but not amazing either.... more amusing was that it was served in a hollowed out coconut. Althought his was a humorous dinner and all, the funniest moment was when I was going to pay for the meal. Kate had gone to the bathroom, the check came and I was reaching for my wallet, when unexpectedly and quite humorously, my zipper securing the wallet in my pocket stuck tight. I jerked and pulled, twisted and yanked, and tried everything I possibly could to get that damn zipper out, but I just couldnt. I stood up and continued my ridiculous unzippering dance, and the whole time the waitress was standing there unabashedly laughing at me. soon others in the restaraunt were finding humor in the situation. Quite frankly so was I, albeit I was quite embarassed. I even tried using their fork to pry it open. The zipper resisted, steadfast and defiant, eventually breaking two prongs off the fork! I finally excused myself to the restroom to find kate and dejectedly asked her to foot the bill. Later on it took a scissor to cut the fabric around the zipper and slide the whole thing off in order to liberate my wallet.

From there we went to Koh San Road and began walking up and down the road thick with street venders and merchants. We shopped always with a beer in our hand, enjoying the haggling and array of products. We ended up coming home with quite a bit of clothes. Then at the end of the night, we sat down at a hair styling booth. Kate got her whole head braided, with a pink stripe added to one braid in front, and I had my hair put into dreadlocks. Although the idea of having dreadlocks and extensions in my hair sounded like a great one, in actuality it was less than intelligent. First of all, the process of dreading the hair requires a sharp pin that they repeatedly dip in and out of the hair clumps 90% of the time hitting your scalp and causing a great deal of pain. Secondly the dreads are tightly woven pulling on your scalp well after they are finished, and finally it is nearly impossible to sleap with thick medusa-like hair extensions coming out of your head. (I finally had to take them out the following night.) At least Kate liked her braids, and they really look good on her.