My brain is mush — it’s overwhelmed by lack of sleep from two layovers (one in Dallas and one in Tokyo), two long international flights totaling something like 20+ hours, and sounds and sights completely outside of my comfort zone.
In Thailand, The Land of Smiles
I am in Bangkok, capital of Thailand.
Home to 8 million humans, Street Food Capital of the World, boasting some of the friendliest offensive driving I have ever experienced in my life.
Trust me when I say this, as a proper Houstonian, I live and breathe the intricacies and philosophy of offensive driving.
And, might I add that, for lack of a better description, Bangkok very much reminds me of a very Asian Mexico.
Not quite sure why.
Perhaps it’s the inhumane amount of overhead power lines, the continual buzzing of motorcycles speeding by in a frenzy, or perhaps it’s simply the fact that I realize I am privy to people-watching half the way across the world.
Side note: If you’ve met me, you know I was raised in Mexico.
What you might not know, is that when I first moved to the U.S. nearly two decades ago, my first impression was that people in the U.S. were just like people in Mexico: people going about their daily lives trying to figure out the same shit — how to pay bills on time, what’s for dinner, and does my secret crush like me back?
The main differences?
Am I paying my bills in dollars or pesos? Am I having meatloaf or tacos for dinner? Or, is my crush’s name Paul or Pablo?
Humans. We’re not so different after all.
So perhaps it is not surprise to me that now that I am in Thailand, I am witness to the same old human story.
Here, were it not for my friend who happens to be a local, I would be completely lost in translation as we navigate the crowded subway system.
15 Year High School Reunion
I flew across the world to meet Anchana from Thailand and Evelyn from Venezuela. I met these two beautiful, young women my Senior year of high school in New Mexico, where the three of us graduated in 2004. I had just moved to the U.S., and Anchana and Evelyn happened to be the international students attending our school that year. Needless to say, we fit right in together as the international trio of the school.
We stayed in touch and sometime in late 2018 decided to meet up together in Thailand. Turns out, 2019 happens to mark the 15th year since we graduated High School and saw each other last.
We like to think of our little reunion in Thailand as the High School reunion we never attended. Anchana and Evelyn, because they were in other countries by then. As for myself, because I couldn’t bother to go back to Middle-of-Nowhere New Mexico.
Chatuchak aka JJ Weekend Market
Anchana has planned a full itinerary to showcase the best of her country. Our first stop is the JJ Weekend Market the Sunday a few hours after I’ve arrived.
One of my absolute favorite things in the world are markets. Whether I am in Houston, Tokyo, or Lima. Most certainly, Bankok’s very own JJ Weekend Market does not disappoint.
There’s souvenirs, herbs, copious amounts of Tiger Balm (they sure love their Tiger Balm), cheap one-size-fit-all clothes (a size that we scientifically proved is not entirely accurate by American standards), Thai massage in cramped rooms, fresh fruits galore, and hundreds if not thousands of people walking down the busy corridors where Anchana shows off her fabulous bargaining skills.
I’ve only been here a couple of hours, and despite missing the sensation of being in Tokyo, Bangkok does it’s best to charm me with it’s mysterious ways.
As much as I love it, it’s all a little bit too much for me having slept only a couple hours since my arrival in Bangkok.
And if it wasn’t for Ms. P’s (Anchana’s mom) wonderful breakfast, and the refreshing four-hour morning nap I took, JJ Weekend Market might have been a lot more than my senses could take in.
There’s talk of getting a cheap massage. Something about $10 for a massage.
Instead, we end up at a mall where I enjoy my first legit Pad Thai.
I came here to see my friends, sure, but I also came for the food. Little did I know, this Pad Thai I am devouring is only the tip of the iceberg of a weeks-long worth of delicacies that I am going to be blessed with.
I stop for a second and wonder if my pants will fit when I get home.
Every Place Has It’s Own Vibe
Every place has it’s own vibe, and I am here to bask in Thailand’s magic. Ann (short for Anchana) says that Thailand is also known as the “Land of Smiles” because “when in doubt or you don’t know what is going on, you just smile.”
So in a moment of utter confusion due to a rather steep but not entirely impenetrable language barrier, I smile. A bit awkwardly, but I smile.
Tomorrow will be another day in which a quick flight to the North of Thailand will take my understanding of gratitude into a whole new unimaginable level.
