So I didn't make it to the monastary, everything was way too rushed to find the forest in the middle of Thailand where the retreat takes place so have just spent the last few days chilling in Bangkok. I made friends with a really cool Thai girl who works at the Lamp Shop around the corner, her English isn't 100% so for the first few times when she told me about her work I thought it wasd a restaurant or something that sold Lamb Chops. When I worked out that it was a job in a Lamp Shop and not selling Lamb Chops I had a bit of a giggle and tried to explain why I thought that was funny but eventually just had to let it go and chock it up to lost in translation.
So since I got in from Vietnam I have just been recovering from my cold by eating lots of healthy food and drinks, as far as that goes Thailand is the place to be. I've posted before on how nutritious the Thai diet is but in addition to that the spicy stuff like the Tom Yam variations are great for cleaning out the sinuses and probably doesn't do the immune system too much harm either.
Was right as rain (I'll get to the rain later) by Wednesday so headed out with my new friends to hit the clubs of Bangkok. Bangkok has a very seedy reputation in regards to it's nightlife, don't get me wrong there is that side of it around the place but there is also a really cool nightclub scene going on as well. Generally the evenings have consisted of meeting up around 9pm after everyone has finished work and having some dinner before heading out to a few of the pubs and clubs around town and drinking and dancing until dawn before doing it again the next day. Unfortunately for me I am the only male in the group so I am always being dragged to the dance floor so by the time morning time comes around I am well and truly buggered, but that's okay because I guess I can count it as a cardio workout as I haven't really been doing any exercise apart from arm curls when I raise a drink to my lips (which again, I will get to later).
Oh yeah, the rain.
Everyone was heading home the other night from one of the trendier clubs in Bangkok called Bed Supperclub where you sit on beds instead of at tables (conceptually too hard to explain, their website is here if you want a look), I had just got my second wind so thought I would have One Last Drink before I headed home for bed (from Bed to bed? blah). Asked the cabbie where there would still be somewhere open and he took me to this place near my guest house and dropped me off. When I popped my head inside it became clear this was a 'Ladybar', the cabbie obviously gets commission for dropping people off there, so i resigned myself that I would not be getting my One Last Drink tonight and headed home instead through the street towards home. The rain is absolutely fierce at the moment after the typhoon which has devastated Manilla, Vietnam and Cambodia so it's really hard to get around, in one of the alleyways there was this little makeshift bar at the side with a few Thais sitting around gambling (gambling is highly illegal in Thailand) so I sat there and had a drink while waiting for a break in the weather. I think I must have lived in Asia too long now as drinking at a makeshift bar/gambling den in a Bangkok alleyway at 4am doesn't really set off any alarm bells for me anymore, and rightly so because after about half an hour I was joined by a couple of other travellers and we ended up drinking until the sun came up. But the rain still didn't stop so I got home completely drenched.
Unfortunately Bangkok is not cheap, I really have to get out of here real soon before I spend all my money.
Or invent something!
Went out last night with a few Warriors boys who are staying in Bangkok and saw a waitress struggling with two massive steins of beer she was delivering to a table. Got me thinking about whether you could attach weights to a drink holder in order to get some exercise while you are having a few drinks.
I pondered the idea again this morning at breakfast and sketched out a prototype:
Could be onto something here, if I can get this one happening it could mean extending my travels indefinitely.
Investors please feel free to contact me at bencameron616@yahoo.com, all offers will be considered.
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