Back in Bangkok (Apr. 11, 2015)

Apr. 11, 2015

Well, I arrived in Bangkok without any problems, and made it to the hostel on the public bus and Skytrain. It was kind of nice not to have to use a map or GPS, because I’d done it so many times before, that I knew where I was going. I couldn’t check into the hostel yet as it was too early, so Benjamin, the new American guy that works here now, came with me to sort out a SIM card for my phone while I’m here. 

Ian, the other guy that worked here five months ago, had left and now Benjamin, about 31 years old, Hawaiian and now living in New York, was the front man. He is really nice and needed something for his phone so happily came with me, and helped me organize my stuff. For $5, I got a SIM card and three days of data, which will work perfectly while I’m here. That way I can text and talk to Martin, use the GPS if needed, and anything else that might come along.

We went for lunch together before sorting out the phone, and he took me to a Japanese Hot Pot restaurant in the mall, close to the phone place. It was delicious, and we had a great time chatting and eating. His partner just proposed to him, and he was delighted. He was telling me of the issues they have encountered with his partner’s mother, not liking Benjamin and blaming him that her son is now gay because of him. Tough situation, but Benjamin seems to be dealing with it well. The in-laws live in Sweden, so they are far enough away, that he has time to think about how to act when he sees them.

Benjamin at lunch.
Look how yummy the food is....mmmm

Me at lunch

After that, we came back to the hostel, I checked in, took my stuff to the room, then relaxed for a while. Later on, I went with Benjamin, and two of his friends, to the Mall, to ‘make over’ one of the girls. She was a cute little Chinese girl named Nancy who also works at the hostel. She is going to Benjamin’s birthday party at the end of the month. She needed some new clothes and make up, which she had never worn before. Anyway, it was really fun, and reminded me of Peter and me shopping together, for my make over, in Montreal, one year. She got many nice things, including a designer dress that looked fantastic on her. She was glowing and so pleased with her new stuff. That’s such a great feeling.

We were to go to a night market after that, but learned just before we left, that due to a festival the city is having, the market was closed. So instead, we just came back to the hostel, but it was around 11 pm by this time. The festival is called Song Kran and I think it's the Thai New Year. Everyone sprays water on one another in the streets to celebrate this holiday, so it should be fun to experience in a day or two, just before leaving.

I opted out of going for a few drinks, thankfully, because they stayed out until the wee hours of the morning, and I’d been up since 3:30 am the day before. I went to bed, and was happy to sleep in the air conditioned room.

I am going to the weekend market with Martin and Sez, his partner, tomorrow so that will be nice. I can’t wait to hear what he’s been up to for the past half a year.