Delicious Soup

Nicole got wireless working in our room on her laptop so I'm online again (it's about 10:15pm now). I didn't really get to go into deep detail with my last post because I figured after reloading the coin-operated internet for the third time I should get off and go to dinner. By the way... 10 baht (about $0.33) not bad for 15 minutes of high-speed internet.

Earlier I was talking about how the city feels like things are kind of plunked down and never moved or changed and how Bangkok reminds me vaguely of New Orleans. I forgot to mention the architecture. The buildings of Bangkok, at least the smaller ones that house shops with apartments above, are all weathered and word in a similar way to those of New Orleans or older parts of Florida. The strange thing to me is how these buildings never seem to be changed. I am coming from Seoul where a nice area means that the buildings are new, decked out in walls of glass and shining metal with sculptures in front and maybe neatly manicured plants as well. Here, buildings that look old and weathered, maybe with bundles of power wires hanging precariously above them and old, stooping trees outside house fine jewelery shops or luxury car dealerships or banks and a peek inside shows a nicely re-modeled interior with sleek floors and walls and brightly colored, modern furniture. Of course, right next store might be an old, darkish shop, open to the air and selling car parts or cheap food or other odds and ends and outside, on the sidewalk might be a street-food stand with people lounging nearby playing checkers with bottlecaps or a young monk texting on his cellphone. I mentioned earlier how Bangkok seems like many different places at once. I still can't quite describe it all in simple words. But maybe you get the idea.

Nicole and I went to dinner in a very VERY touristy area near to our hostel. It seems to be where all the foreigners hang out. Nicole said it reminded her of Itaewon (the "foreigner district" in Seoul) but I didn't think it did. For one, here there were even more foreigners. It was startling to see so many Caucasians. And even more startling, in some way, to hear relatively few of them speaking English. Thailand is a big tourist destination for Europeans. So still, even when I finally not the racial minority (after quite a long time) I still feel a little different. Hmm...

We had Tom Yum soup for dinner. On the plane coming here Nicole asked me what my favorite cuisine is and I said it was Thai. I'm in heaven in Thailand. Tom Yum is amazing soup. Tom Yum in Thailand is beyond amazing. Even when made by the tourist restaurant which is perhaps less authentic than getting it elsewhere in Thailand, it was well worth the 140 baht ($4.50).

I have been taking tons of pictures but haven't had the time to upload them. Hopefully I will get the time tomorrow. I'll post a link here as soon as they're up.

Goodnight.