Bangkok weekend nights

Saturday was a different story. This was a whole day full of adventure. Four different countries: Italy, Spain, Romania and South Africa on a hunt to visit as much of the city as possible. Everything started with a great taxi driver - Charlie - who amazingly spoke a bit of English...and recommended us to take the boat on the Canal. I must add the fact that this city is huge, but every street you go on looks exactly like the other, so you constantly have  the felling that you are going around. The amazing thing is that taxi drivers have no idea where main streets actually are. I don't know if this is because they actually have a different name in Thai, or we don't pronounce it correctly or...I don't know, but it is confusing. Anyway...here the taxi is the best and only way to get around, even if the traffic is horrible!!

Anyway this turned out to be a great experience as we got to see a different side of the city. The side which is even poorer that what we saw on Patpong.

On the Canal people actually have their houses in water. The image of people washing themselves, clothes and probably getting water to cook from the dirty Canal was a shock. Children leave here and I even saw somebody who had a dog on the porch. Some literally have a 10 cm of water in their houses. I have to admit that some houses were really nice, but all in all it just looked like a permanently flooded city.

We also passed Wat Arun, a Cambodian model temple. I always thought Cambodian architecture is really nice, but now I am sure about it....definitely on my list.

...and we also saw this giant golden plated Buddhist monk statue's back...I have now idea what it was..

As soon as we got off the boat a new era began for my smelling senses. I think this is the city with the worst smells I have ever felt in my life. Nothing could ever beat this. The thing is that they don't sell just objects in their street markets (which are on every street), they sell food...meat that stays for a whole day in a terrible heat, fruits and dried fish (which is absolutely the worse).

Our goal was to see the Royal Grand Palace, but I've learned that you should never make plans in Bangkok. Everything happens really fast and one plan becomes another in a couple of seconds. Instead of going to the palace we got on two tuk tuks which took us around the city for a couple of hours. The experience was great, until one of the tuk tuks broke....and to fix it the drivers tries to connect the two with a rope that obviously broke when we started the engine...but it did get the other one working.

The story never ended because it was too long and exciting...to many things to write down...

Bangkok classical nights

After a shocking experience yesterday at Pat Pong street market, today we had a sip of the classy part of Bangkok's night life.

First things first...the conference was great. We had two young and talented key speakers that did a great presentation on social media/ social market and the need for a shift in the industry's paradigm. Tomorrow I will have my last and final presentation...Chris did it for me today, I just assisted here and there...too lazy...the garden in the second photo is the mini jungle I was talking about. Today I saw a squirrel while someone was presenting...my attention span suffered for a few minutes :)

After the meeting, we went to a great restaurant for dinner - Baan Khanitha - with a Hello Kitty bus :). We only had Thai food, which I must say is very strange. I ate a lot...really did, but I still felt hungry...For aperitif we had some sweet sauce and peanuts and other stuff rolled in a leaf...I have no idea what they are called...and of course rice and curry chicken and curry pork (or at least I hope it was pork)...and some spicy stuff...yeah, not a big fan I must say....

Of course we had to do something else, so we went to Red Sky restaurant. This is a classy must see in Bangkok situated at the 55th floor of a building. You can really see the city from above while listening to nice piano/ live music...

Bangkok continues to amaze me. On Friday it was our last day at this year's conference. This has been so interesting and fun that time simply went by. I will so very miss them...next year we have IESF's 10th anniversary and it's Europe's turn to host the meeting...in Milano. Till then though I have a Regional to do in Tel Aviv...another new city for me and another great experience to come!

It has been decided by everybody that for my own safety they would pay for my hotel during the weekend, so on Friday I checked out and checked in again after about 2 hours. So, I am not alone here this time :) 

That's why after the meeting we went to a Thai Massage. That was a first for me...a painful first. The girl doing the massage was about my size...and just about as bony as I am. So imagine my elbows pressing on you finest nerves. Just when I was about to relax a painful move followed...I went from a love to a hate and full of bloody wishes relationship with that girl from one moment to the other. But the place was really neat and at the end I really meant the "thank you". 

The rest of the night was just a mega spicy dinner at Maha Naga where we went again with our Hello Kitty bus :)

Bangkok wild nights

My trip to Bangkok deserves an every day post. I'll make it a photo post... I just have to say AMAZING...I would never ever in my life wish to live in such a place but it is worth visiting. You have to plan a trip here!!...I don't know whether Asia in general is like this, but if you want a cultural shock, Bangkok is the place to be. And I am saying this after just one day.

So here I went...

First stop - Istanbul airport. I could already feel the oriental air. The airport is like a huge Bazar...crowded and a true place for cultural diversity, people in flip flops and short pants along with women wearing a burka. I always loved airports, but this one was indeed special. Istanbul from above is huge...like a never ending sea of lights. It is definitely on my list...

When I got to Bangkok, after a night slept on a airplane chair...I had to go back and forth from one agent to another because they weren't sure whether I needed a visa or not. As soon as the mystery was solved and I finally got my visa...I couldn't find my bag. The belt where it was suppose to be stopped and nothing was left on it. A kind man led me to the lost luggage room...and there I found my blue travelling seahorse :)

The cab driver couldn't understand where I wanted to go, so he called someone to help him...anyways, he had a nice religious symbol above the left seat of the car...here they drive on the right, which makes it even more exciting.

At the hotel, the wonderful Nai Lert Park, because I am one of the organizers I got to meet everybody...and got a free tour of the mini jungle I live in now. The hotel is amazing, in the middle of a crazy city such as Bangkok they recreated the feeling of a resort...simply wonderful. At night I get to hear birds and other nature sounds I have never fallen asleep on. Of course, I got a really cool room, with  a pretty view :)

The first day of the conference went out perfectly. Everything was according to plan! As much as I am pissed sometimes I missed all of them, and I feel very family like when I am with them. They have so many stories to share with me and every time I meet them I find out so many marvellous and unique insights about their culture and the way they do business. I wish I will have the courage some of them have. I love my job...I just wish it was more challenging. They all hugged and kissed me, loved my new haircut and especially my tattoo, which they haven't seen until now.

...we went out to one of the street night markets. I can tell you Bangkok never ever sleeps...and what happens in Bangkok stays in Bangkok....and these are not just sayings. It was extreme...I have never been surrounded by so many poor people, fake objects (bags, clothes, watches...anything you wanted) and sex. Everywhere we turned there was a list of Ping Pong and other erotic shows. They even allowed you to take a 1 minute glimpse. There were bars with girls in swimming suites, with numbers that you could just pick...not to mention transvestites. Crazzzyyyy....

We ended the night in a bar where there was a live band. One of the singers was a transvestite of course, you get everything here. They were absolutely amazing. They could sing anything, absolutely anything you asked them in a perfect English. Great talented people in a bar in a night market in Bangkok...pitty. Because I was singing along, the transvestite singer gave me the microphone and allowed me to sing with him...

We went home in a tuk tuk race which we (the girls) won....:)) and I am alive...can't wait for tomorrow.