Welcome to Bangkok

Friday was Visakha Bucha Day, and a national holiday. We slept in. The twelve hour time difference was really rough, and we have all had trouble adjusting. Every morning I keep waking up at 6:00. Today was no different. I laid in bed for a while, and finally decided to get up. Visakha Bucha Day is celebrated in Thailand as Buddha's birthday, the day he achieved enlightenment, and the day he attained nirvana. It's a big deal! There is a small Buddhist shrine in Jitthamas' gardens. Someone had left a fruit offering out in celebration.

I walked across the street to the Family Mart to buy something to drink. The old man working at the counter talked to me for a while. He asked me where I was from. "Texas", I said. "Ah, you are from Baylor!" The neighborhood we live in is not a tourist spot. We are the only farangs around here. He took a small photo album out from behind the counter and began showing me pictures of his family. His daughter is studying at the University of Chicago right now, and his son is at NYU. He showed me pictures of his recent family trip to New York City to visit his son. As I left he waved to me and said "Welcome to Bangkok! Enjoy your life here!"

In the afternoon we ate at Toni's again and then went back to the MBK mall to pick up SIM cards for those of us who weren't able to get phones unlocked the day before. We arrived downtown a little early and decided to check out Siam Center, another nearby mall while we waited (Bangkok has over 100 malls). It was way too fancy and expensive to buy anything. Everything was in English, which in Bangkok means that you will be paying western prices for everything.

That evening, Grant hosted a Welcome to Bangkok party for the new Baylor grads. He lives B60 away by cab, and we were able to find his apartment pretty easily. He works for US State Department now and will be in Bangkok for another month. Besides some British friends and two German couchsurfers, Grant had invited some of his Thai friends to come meet us. They brought all sorts of Thai snacks to try including fried fish skin, and something that I can only describe as a cotton candy burrito.

I spoke with Fa, a young doctor. She asked me about American politics, and we spoke about politics in Thailand. She told me about how beloved the king is in Thailand. It's true; his picture is everywhere. You won't enter a building or shop at a food stall without seeing a portrait of the king. King Bhumibol Adulydaj (commonly known as Rama IX) is the longest-reigning monarch in the world. He ascended the throne in 1946. Fa told me that she feels like King Bhumibol is a father figure to her and to the country, and that the Thai people don't want to do anything bad because they don't want to disappoint him or cause him to worry. They love the king in Thailand.

I've only been in Bangkok for a few days, but I'm beginning to feel more comfortable getting around. That night we were able to get a taxi much easier than before. Grant shook my hand as we left. "Welcome to Bangkok."