In search of a Bolex – 29th December 2005
After a night of excruciating slumber, we went in search of massage and breakfast. Surprising us both (due to a general lack of sleep in the past month), we were up and on the road by 9am. We caught a bus to the Partunam district, which is the best place to buy a Bangkok Rolex, better known as a ‘Bolex’. However, we arrived too early for the market. While standing outside the Partunam shopping centre, evaluating our options, we were approached by a man who identified himself as the general manager of the shopping centre. After a brief chat, he sent us off in a tuk-tuk to visit the ‘Lucky Buddha’. This statue is not generally on the tourist route but is very popular with the Thai people. Today was the Buddha’s special day and there were many Thai people waiting to pray for luck, particularly for travel and study related luck. We paid our respects and then met a Thai lawyer who gave us tips on how to achieve financial success through contraband. After finally getting rid of him, we went on our way.
Our next stop was the Tourist Association of Thailand (TAT). We decided that we should do some kind of city tour to maximise what we will see here on our brief visit. It was a funny experience – we walked in, sat down, the agent said “okay, this is what you will do” (no input from us), we paid our money and then left. We are going to have a guide take us around the major temples tomorrow, which should be good.
After leaving the TAT, we wanted to head back to the Partunam market. Our tuk-tuk driver couldn’t take us, as his tuk-tuk had run out of petrol and had to be towed away by another tuk-tuk. This meant we had to barter with another driver to arrange the trip. After convincing him that we really didn’t want to visit a tax-free jewellery showroom, he dropped us in the middle of the market. By this time it was after 11am and we were starving. We found a street vendor and had an authentic Thai breakfast of chicken curry. Our hunger sated, we went in search of massage.
We found massage just down the street: it was an hour of pure bliss, followed by fifteen minutes of near torture. The massage parlour we went to had the most comfortable reclining chairs – they would be far better beds than those in the hostel! We started with a foot and leg massage that went for an hour and was absolutely divine. Having thoroughly enjoyed that experience, we asked for a neck and shoulders massage as well. That may have been a mistake – it is incredible how much strength tiny women have in their fingers!! The pain was worth it, though, as the knots from the bed were worked out. After a cup of cinnamon tea, we left the massage parlour floating on air.
We then turned our attention to the most important task of the day…finding a ‘Bolex’. The was the only reason we stopped in Bangkok on our way to the Middle East is Of the ten million residents in Bangkok, a good six million of them are engaged in trying to sell watches. The competition is fierce and it was difficult to find the best deal. After an hour or so, we found what we were looking for. Fletch got a Rolex ‘Submariner’ with a blue face and I got a diamond-studded Rolex ‘Oyster’. Both are automatic (which means that they work without a battery, relying on body movement to keep them going) and we’re very happy with our purchase. Here’s to them still working in a week!
The afternoon was drawing on by the time we bought the watches, so we hopped on the Bangkok transport system and headed to the Suan-Lum night market. This involved catching two trains. The first was a Skytrain, which travels high above the city. The second was the subway. When we got off the subway, we made the mistake of taking the stairs instead of the escalator. Six flights of stairs later, we arrived at ground-level. Needless to say, we were exhausted and had to have a coffee to recover. We then wandered the markets for a little while, until we decided that it was a pointless activity, as we didn’t want to buy anything. We decided on having having a seafood dinner instead.
Dinner was divine and very spicy! We had lots of prawns – in chilli sauce and in a sour-pepper soup (which we think meant capsicum). We had a lovely meal and lingered for some time in the restaurant. We then retraced our steps back to Partunam and then caught a taxi back to the hostel. We got severely ripped off with the price – we didn’t feel like bartering, so agreed to the price asked by the driver, which was equivalent to $7.50. We have since found out it should have cost us about 75 cents. We live and learn.
That’s about it for today. We are quite tired and the beds from hell are calling. We’ve got a very early start for our temple tour tomorrow. Before we sign off, though, some more traveller’s tips from Fletch.
Fletch’s tips for new travellers
If you wish to get back to your hostel using public transport after a Thai dinner, pay attention to the following:
**Do not ask for a second beer. The beer is served in bottles slightly taller than the average height of the team of waitresses bringing it to your table, and is about as strong as the Thai impulse to sell you their grandmother (which are excellent value incidentally, but are very difficult to fit in your hand luggage).
**Ensure that you and your dining companion have the same intestinal fortitude where chilli is concerned. Thai food can be made hotter with the addition of various condiments. The actual effect of this is unknown as no English speaker has ever survived the experience. Suffice it to say that the average heat is generally sufficient.
