Bangkok Thailand: No tricks, only treats

Is there a seasonal equivalent to a circadian rhythm or biological clock? Although the calendar says it’s Halloween today, our bodies are still in mid-August. In fact, I think I just realized why it feels like we are in a time warp while traveling, even though the days and months pass us by: the seasons have stood still and so we’ve felt like we’ve been gone for the world’s longest summer. It’s 95 degrees F with 80% humidity right now. A perfect time to wander over to the pool outside of our door and chill out.

For a sugar junkie like Dylan, Halloween is practically a high holy day, and so we’re not allowed to ignore it despite being 10,000 miles from anyone who would give her a treat. We stumbled across an office supply store today and for 80 baht (US$2) came up with the makings of a costume she could wear around the hotel. After raiding a 7-11 for candy, we’re going to hide it around the hotel room (à la the Easter Bunny) and let her entertain herself. We’d love to see any evidence of your Halloween. From the funny (a cross-dressing engineer) to the frightening (Supreme Court Justice Jerry Falwell), send it to us!

As for myself, it seems that I could go as a Japanese, Chinese, Thai or even Korean, since I’ve been mistaken for a local everywhere we’ve gone. Makes sense in Korea, but I’m kind of surprised here.

I actually read that the Thais have started adopting Halloween which isn’t too much of a stretch for them because they have a strong belief in ghosts and spirits. There is also a playful nature in the people here, so Halloween seems a holiday they could easily celebrate.

During the past week we’ve hung out at MBK & Siam Center, huge malls where we’ve browsed book stores and eaten great Thai meals in the food courts. We’ve wandered through the National Museum. We’ve made our way down the backpacker’s ghetto of Khao San Road, eaten a divine dinner and watched Thai dance while perched on the side of the Chao Phraya River at the Supatra River House,
and lasted for about 45 minutes in the weekend market because of the tropical heat. Mostly we’ve watched hours of our lives pass away in mind-numbingly long traffic jams which could put even the patience of a Thai Buddhist to the test. Bangkok has traffic worse than anything Los Angeles can throw out; perhaps like its counterpart, this city of angels has spread its wings way too far, forcing all who navigate it to drive everywhere. We’ve also sat around the apartment and watched movies, including the really awful Herbie Fully Loaded, and spent hours making further travel plans, for Thailand as well as the next couple of months. This week we are renting a car and P’Tu, a friend of the owners of the condo, is driving us to the floating market at Damnoen Saduak.

Thursday we head to Chiang Mai for a week. Then on to Phuket before our visa expires and we sadly have to leave this beautiful country.