"One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble Can't be too careful with your company I can feel the devil walking next to me...." -Murray Head
Saturday night I had made plans to meet a friend in the west village for 6pm. Both of us had errands to run in that area only I was finished well before 6 and needed to kill time. It was so damn cold out I thought my face was going to fall off. I spent a 1/2-hour walking around looking for a warm cozy barstool to settle into. I was completely upset to find Tavern on Jane, The Whitehorse Tavern, and The Blind Tiger packed. I settled for this completely empty bar called The French Paddy. The big draw was the fireplace but most importantly, it just opened so it was completely empty. I sat myself at the corner of the bar and ordered a Brooklyn Larger. I read the village voice while waiting for my friend. We were heading to a going away party for our friend Tina later that night and wanted to have a few cocktails beforehand. I must say I think Brooklyn Brewery puts something into their beers because it's ONLY when I drink Brooklyn Larger I get very drunk and sometimes do bad things. I managed to behave myself despite the larger and around 8pm a DJ began spinning at The French Paddy. He was playing all these 80's songs that just brought me right back to High School. One song that stood out was "One Night In Bangkok". Funny that he played that song since that afternoon I got an email from my friend Tevi who is in Bangkok and I was just talking about her with my friend. Here is an excerpt from her email ...
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we're still having a great time in thailand. i absolutely adore this country. bangkok is such eye candy for those who love people watching or for those who just love sitting along the side somewhere observing in general. there is constant commotion, sounds of motorbikes, music, and people chattering. the city reminds me of new york, in that it is always awake. there's always a backpacker coming or going, or those walking around just fighting jet lag. we stayed in the "old bangkok" part of the city which is the most interesting by far, at least in my humble opinion.
it's fascinating here. there's so much bootlegging going on. so current CDs are a dollar, current movies are shown for free on big screens in the outdoor restaurants, so you can sit and eat, have a drink, or whatever as you watch "Gangs of New York" for example. and the shopping is unbelievably cheap. there's no such thing as a set price. everything is bartered: and it is truly an art. you have to practice getting the price down -- that means trying to pay maybe 3 dollars for a shirt instead of 5. what fun! did i mention massages are under $2? i have to make sure i tell you all that.
*** beep beep beep....news alert: beers (and big bottles at that) are about a dollar anywhere you go for those of you beer drinkers on my list....which is every one of you.***
on a different and much sadder note, i have to say that due to all of the anti-american sentiment in the world today, we feel somewhat reluctant to let too many people know we are american. this is a new and very sad experience for me. i've never been afraid to tell people where i'm from before. there is very little if any respect for our american government right now. many are very angry with the US and are afraid of the effects of this war -- for everyone. this was true in fiji, and it is true here in thailand. luckily no one holds us personally accountable for the world's problems. anyway, some of you have asked, so that's the vibe out here on this side of the world.
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After about 4 hours of flowing drinks and rocking tunes we really didn't want to leave the bar. We somehow managed to pull ourselves away but before we left I found out the DJ spins there every Thursday and Saturday nights so we will be back. Tina's party was fun and I am just a little sad another friend of mine is leaving the state (I must inform her of the exchange friend program before she leaves). On our way back to my friend's car we passed a restaurant called "Toons Cuisine of Bangkok" coincidence MAYBE and for some reason that made us both laugh. (I guess you had to be there!)
