Bangkok, you're too expensive. Except not really.

I really need to start posting a little more often, because I've starting to have trouble keeping track of what I did when. I haven't been here all that long, but there's so much going on that it always feels like I've done a lot, even when it's in the middle of the week and all I've accomplished is that I didn't make the students dumber.

But the weekend before last I decided to do a little more than that and went to Bangkok. It's only about an hour and a half away (traffic permitting) by air-conditioned van and it costs 100 baht. So going to Bangkok is pretty easy. I left right after school on Friday, with the other four English teachers on my floor, and since two of them have been to Bangkok a lot, we had a much better chance of not getting lost. Sadly, the odds were still high that we'd get hit by a motorbike. It didn't happen, but I'm thinking it's pretty inevitable.

We stayed at a hostel just off Khao San Road, which is a popular backpacking hot spot. So popular that it's practically it's own little village and the variety of people was a refreshing change. Once we had washed away the van smell and changed, we went out for dinner. And here's another big change from my usual routine, we ate at a restaurant. I know, I was shocked too. It was more expensive than I'm used to, but expensive in Thailand is relative and I really only spent about 10 bucks. And, oh, was it worth it. They served us pineapple fried rice in an actual pineapple and the red curry we ate is a contender for the "Best Food I've Had in Thailand" prize.

After dinner, we walked around a lot. Suphanburi is busy during the day, but at night things quiet down really fast. Not so in Bangkok. It might actually be more crowded. There are definitely just as many people as there are in the day, and with the sun down and the temperature a little more comfortable I decided that Bangkok at night is one of my favorite places to be.

Saturday was our day to be comforted by Western culture. Thailand is great and the food is even better, but sometimes I just want to eat a burger and do it in a place where I don't have to say hello every five seconds to giggly passers-by. So our first stop was, of course, Starbucks. Now, I'm not the Starbucks fan that I once was (coffee = burnt, prices = a weeks worth of meals in Thailand) but I appreciate the convenience of having them everywhere. Including, it turns out, in Thailand. I've also been struggling with a caffeine situation while I've been here. Before I left, I'd been told and read myself that Thai people love coffee. So I thought, great, that won't be something I need to give up. Especially great since I put coffee in the big part of the food pyramid.

What I wasn't told, is that Thai people love instant coffee. Particularly Nescafe. I don't know if any of you have experience the particular flavor of Nescafe, but if you haven't, I envy you. Instant is not coffee. It's dirt with caffeine and I can't make myself drink it. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard, although there have been days when I look at the individually wrapped packets of poison and think, "maybe". But that doesn't mean that I didn't just about cry from happiness when I had my first sip. It was an emotional experience.

After we all finished our cups of heaven (and composed ourselves so we wouldn't scare the locals) it was off to Chatuchak Weekend Market. It's an open-air market, the largest in Thailand and might actually be the largest in the world, although I'm not committing to that last part. We only went to a tiny fraction of the market, but the variety of things to buy in that fraction were overwhelming. Furniture, clothes, silks and fabrics, jewelery, books, carvings, junky tourist knick-knacks, it went on. And I may have gone a little crazy. Once you start buying, it's hard to stop. Things are so cheap here, although you should never commit to the first price. I am by no means an expert bargainer, but I managed to get a few things knocked down. I probably saved a grand total of 4 dollars, but it's the principle. And the vendors seemed to get a kick out of the fact that I was even trying.

After lunch we visited a friend of Brittany's, one of the other teachers, who lives nearby, and from there we slowly made our way back to the hostel to rest. Shopping is exhausting and we had to prepare ourselves for the most exciting part of the weekend; the part that, for a couple of us, was the main reason for going to Bangkok. I am speaking, naturally, about Mexican food.

Thailand, even Suphanburi, offers a lot more Western food than I was expecting. I can easily by peanut butter, junk food, cheese if I don't care about the quality. If I feel going a bit far from my apartment, I can get a burger (I haven't yet, I'm saving that for desperate times). But Mexican food? No way. The only possible place for that is Bangkok and you have to really look for it.

Luckily we had old pros to show us the way. It was the most expensive dinner by far that I've had in Thailand but I couldn't bring myself to care at all. Over a week later and I'm still sad that I couldn't eat all my food. I'd go into further detail but I'd rather not think about it. My cravings will only go unfulfilled.

On Sunday, we did what you should do on Sundays, which is not much at all. We checked out of the hostel and headed for a second-hand bookstore a fellow farang had mentioned to us. And when we went inside, I was reminded that one of my dreams is to own a bookstore and hey, I want it to look exactly like this one. We spent a good couple of hours there, soaked in that feeling you can only get by being surrounded on all sides by books, and finally made ourselves leave. But not without buying a couple, which we can sell back to them for half-price when we're finished. And considering the price of these books, and the library fines I inevitably rack up at home, this bookstore has pretty much become my local library.

Then it was time to go home, but we made a quick stop at Siam Paragon, a mega-mall that contains the most beautiful food court I've ever seen. A food court that contains sandwiches, which are almost as hard to find as Mexican food. Bellies full with familiar food, we made our way back to the van station and then drove home.

And we almost made it, too. About five minutes away, the van made an odd sound, shook, and then pulled over. When we looked behind us, we could see what looked like a lot of water, or what was probably a key car fluid. It must have been important, because we had to walk the rest of the way. Luckily, it wasn't far, but it reminded me (as I often am) of the difference in Thai behavior. If that had happened at home, people would have been yelling, demanding reimbursement or a taxi to the station, even though it was only ten minute walk (it took us twenty to get back to our building). But in Thailand, people just got out, got their stuff and went on their way. Mai pen rai.

And that was my weekend in Bangkok. At the time, I thought I had spent a lot of money, but once I did the math I realized that I only spent just over 100 dollars. That's including all my meals (two of which were "expensive", 6 shirts, one pair of pants, a necklace, a bag, both van trips, transportation within Bangkok, and two nights at the hostel. Money well spent, I think.

I've posted some picture, although not all because my wireless situation isn't very dependable. I'll e-mail people the link, but I'm also posting it here.