Leaving Bangkok

Yesterday, I left Bangkok. When my alarm went of at 7 am I had every intention of attending a trip that I had scheduled with Jekka and friends to tour Thailand's ancient capital city and escape the urban chaos and grime of Bangkok. However, when I awoke, my bunkmate (a Dutch girl named Judith) was awake looking terrified with red, puffy eyes. She asked me if I'd heard "the news." I said that I hadn't and she informed me that the U.S. Government had put out a terrorist threat alert for highly touristed parts of Bangkok. The U.S. Ambassador to Thailand was quoted as aknowledging "a very clear and present danger." Normally, I would scoff at a report like this, blaming the U.S. culture of fear, etc, but the panic in Judith's face in combination with my own selfish desire to flee the polluted city left us running to the nearest travel agency with our copies of Lonely Planet in tow. We settled on the nearby island paradise of Koh Samet, a mere 4 hours from Bangkok, but a dramatically different (and safer) setting. Our bus left in 4 hours.

In a farewell gesture to Bangkok we opted for the uniquely Thai experience of a fish-foot treatment. The ritual went something like this: Enter a street side beauty parlor, sit on a rock hard bench and submerge your filthy and exhaused backpacker's feet in a 50 gallon glass aquarium teeming with THOUSANDS of specialized minnows hungry for your dead skin cells and hardened callouses. Attempt to sit still as the tons of sucker mouths explore your feet and lower leg region, feasting on your flesh. Try to relax. Enjoy this treatment/torture. Do not laugh. After 15 minutes of tiny squigglers swimming between your toes you are done and you pull your feet out of the fishtank to find them smooth and polished as if you had scrubbed with a pumice stone. To complete the experience, you opt for an additional 30 minute foot massage during which your legs are slathered with baby oil and tiny Thai hands rub you with surprising strength. Your treatment is complete when you are jostled out of your relaxation by several hard slaps on your thighs and calves. This signals the end of your pampering. Pay the required 250 baht, slide your grimy sandals back on your fresh feet, and head back into the city.

After our treatments we ate street vendor food for lunch: Chicken Pad Thai and a Mango-Dragonfruit Smoothie for 60 baht (about $2). We ate standing on a street corner before meeting our shuttle driver for the trip to Koh Samet (he was 2 hours late). We forged ahead through the wild and reckless traffic of Bangkok. There are 4 lanes everywhere, but people seem to drive in 6. Cars, busses, tuk-tuks and scooters share the road and as we anxiously chew our fingernails in the back of the shuttlebus, waiting for the impact, the driver seemed unphased as he demonstrates his peace of mind by putting a local Thai soap opera on the 6'' T.V. that is mounted to his steering wheel! He giggles occasionally to himself while watching the ridiculous show and flying along through the crowded and confusing masses of the urban jungle. Embrace it. This is Thailand. Several hours later we arrive at the pier and literally "walk the plank" to our waiting ferry boat. A sunset cruise to the island of Koh Samet rounds out the day. When we reach the island, we are shoved along with several other tourists and about 10 local Thai people into the back of a pickup truck with all of our baggage and driven down the bumpiest, muddiest road until we reach home for the next 3 days. "The Sea Breez Bungalows" stands 50 feet from the beach and boasts hot water AND electricity. Life is good as we settle on the beach for dinner, befriending a South African couple who are on vacation from their English teaching jobs in Bangkok. Paradise.

This morning I swam in the ocean for the first time. The Gulf of Thailand is by far the saltiest body of water I've ever been in, and even diving to the bottom is a challenge. It's hard to spend more than 10 minutes out of the water in the sweltering sun, so floating on my back in the tropical water is how I spent my day. Tonight there is a "fire show" at a club on the beach. The poster mentioned something about "fire limbo" which sounds intriguing and dangerous. I am in. Later tonight the South Africans and I are going to go night-fishing for squid from a boat tour that SEEMS legal. The guide promised a fun fight with the squid, then a cookout on a private beach away from Koh Samet. Sound amazing? Yes, please...