Sweet, Spicy and Sour...

fresh local produce 

This handy kitchen gadget is on my list of  things to buy

Pad Thai, Tom Yum Goong and Crispy fried snapper with mango salad...

it's early morning but for this gorgeous "lady boy" work hours are not fixed

Typical Bangkok street

The fast, cheap and efficient Sky train is a great way to get around

city scape from my hotel

lots of market stalls spring up every day

food stalls serve cheap fast snacks

soap carving , by skilled locals

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sign on taxi window...about what you are not allowed to do on the back seat...other banned activities include vomiting!

just some of the local transport 

“Can you taste the sweet, the sour and the spicy?” asks Angsana. “That’s when you know it’s a good Tom Yum Goong.

I let the flavours spread across my tongue but I’m not quite sure. I can taste the spice of the chilli, and the sweetness of the sugar but I am not sure I can really taste the sourness of the lime juice. 

“Sometimes you have to wait a while…a bit like wine needs to breathe, the soup needs to cool down a bit for all the flavours to come through”…I wait a while, and she is right.

Angsana Andersson (wwww.thaihomecooking.com) is married with two young children. She is passionate about food. She learned to cook watching her mother and grandmother in their small family business, a food stall in a small village about two hours from Bangkok. She loves teaching tourists (mainly Australians and Americans) how to cook authentic Thai food, with quality ingredients and fresh local produce.  

I meet her at 9.30am outside McDonald’s at On Nut sky train station and we go by car to a local market where we buy the fresh ingredients for the three dishes I have chosen to cook.

Although I could have chosen a cheaper, larger cooking school, (some others that were recommended were www.baipai.com, www.blueelephant.com and www.amitathaicooking.com) I have chosen Angsana’s cooking class because I am supporting a local businesswoman but also because it is the only one that allows me to choose my own menu, a mix of seafood and vegetarian dishes.

I almost cancelled the class, as I was feeling quite sore and unwell after some minor surgery, but am so glad I didn’t.

Under Angsana's expert direction I was soon chopping, slicing, grinding and stirring my way through three recipes and three hours later we were sitting down to eat a superb meal!

The 2800 baht cost includes a trip to the market, ingredients for three dishes and all recipes.

Food, shopping and medical tourism....just some of the things on offer in Bangkok

There’s a seedier, sadder side to Bangkok.

First there’s the obvious “in your face” poverty. It’s not possible to go very far along the sidewalk before seeing someone (often with serious physical disabilities) begging, many are very young children, on their own, with thin bodies and hungry eyes holding plastic cups asking for money. I remember struggling with what to do when I came to Bangkok regularly years ago. Do I give something, or do I walk past?

I never really came up with a consistent response, other than I rarely give money to small children. I haven’t yet found a way to “give” that makes a lasting difference. I have heard all the valid arguments for not giving, but I still find it hard to walk past someone who is begging without making the obvious comparison between them and myself, and often feeling guilty.  

When people are desperate, it makes them vulnerable to exploitation. The sex trade in Thailand (and in other places) is testament to this. I was in a camera shop looking at an instamatic camera a few days ago, where the staff member spoke little English. A fat middle aged Australian guy was looking at a similar camera. A young Thai teenage boy was with him. I was aware of a vague question coming into my consciousness about what their relationship was, but was distracted when the man responded to my questions as the shop assistant didn’t understand me. I thanked the man and followed him out of the shop. It was only when the young boy put his hand on the man’s back and guided him down the laneway that a feeling of revulsion came over me. I might have been wrong, but the body language and energy was very strong. The man and boy were “together”. It was hard not to wonder what the purpose of the camera was.

I watched the wave of judgement roll over me and wondered why I didn’t have a similar reaction in Cuba. After all, I was part of a demographic there (middle aged single or post marriage break up woman) that was known for hooking up with younger Cuban men (the reverse is also true-older ‘foreign” men hooking up with young Cuban women).    

Perhaps it is only a subtle difference, a matter of degree, but to me it makes a difference. In Cuba, the age difference, that I saw at least, was not so pronounced.  It matters to me that the man in the camera shop was old enough to be the young boy’s grandfather.

IThe International Classification of Diseases (ICD) defines pedophilia as a "disorder of adult personality and behaviour" in which there is a sexual preference for children of prepubertal or early pubertal age.

I am aware that in some cultures sexual relationships between older men and teenage girls or boys is sanctioned (I’m not sure about examples of the reverse) but to me, it is not just about an age difference, but the degree to which there is a power differential which makes a situation exploitative and wrong, no matter how you package it.

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On a lighter note, it is hard to go a few steps anywhere in Bangkok without being offered a range of spa services. A “spa experience” was on my list of things to do, and although for a number of reasons I didn’t quite manage the week long Thai massage and tropical food indulgence I was planning, (I have consoled myself by thinking that you have to leave a few things to do on your bucket list for the future) I have managed to have a few reflexology sessions and massages experiences (with varying degrees of pleasure and professionalism) on my trip so far.

Luckily I did have an opportunity for one “package” here in Bangkok, before my local anaesthetic, turned general anaesthetic procedure put paid to any more indulgence. 

Oasis Spa www.oasisspa.net was recommended to me by my hotel. http://www.amari.com/boulevard/special-rates.aspx?gclid=CJng-Mq-uq0CFcEc6wodTWCz-w

I was torn between the 4 hand massage 2500 ++ THB or a package for 2700 ++ BHT which I eventually settled on. It was divine. It included a body scrub, facial and massage and took about 2.5 hours.

From the moment I was picked up at the hotel it was a relaxing experience. The car was immaculate and air conditioned, soft music was playing and the air was perfumed with aromatherapy fragrances. Although the spa is in the centre of Bangkok, it is a quiet and peaceful setting, with landscaped gardens and water features.

I am greeted by a lovely young man who gives me a welcome drink and explains the package.

The rest is a sensory treat catering to my other senses. My therapist is skilled and professional. The scrub smells divine, the facial is relaxing and the massage is perfect.  

When my driver drops me off a few hours later, I am floating and deliciously relaxed.

I am only sorry I can’t go back for the 4 hand massage.

Other things to do in Bangkok  

Visit bustling Khao San Road or take in a show at Calypso cabaret www.calypsocabaret.com  850 BHT ++ featuring some beautiful and talented local singers and dancers who take you on a musical world tour.  

Popular Tours

Visit the Royal Grand Palace

Floating markets

River Kwai and Death Railway

or go to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat

Medical and Dental Tourism

I can highly recommend www.thantakit.com a longstanding dental centre that has been providing services to visitors since

1945. They provide a pick up service from your hotel and the staff speak perfect English, are experienced and professional. An exam and consult costs 200-500 BHT and cleaning between 1000-1800 BHT. I had some painless root canal treatment for 10,000 and some other work including 2 crowns for 48,000.

http://www.bumrungrad.com/thailandhospital is one of the oldest, accredited hospitals catering to tourists. They have a number of packages for check ups and surgery for men and women.  

Transport

If you are staying longer than a few days, it is worth buying a smartpass for use on the BTS Skytrain system

Avoid expensive hotel transfers to the city. I was quoted 1700. Take a metered taxi from Suvarnabhumi airport. It cost me 370 including tolls as I asked the driver to take me on the fast freeway.

Food

It is hard not to eat well in Bangkok with a huge range of cuisine available.

I found a lovely place to eat in the Siam area called Somtam restaurant. It often has queues of hungry diners waiting to get in.  

Two vegetarian/seafood options are  

Anothai Soi Rama 9 Hospital and Je Ngor 25 YWCA building 11 floor South Sathorn Rd

A great hairdresser who is used to working with “foreigners” is Nang from The Corner at 942/6 Rama 4 road near Sala Daeng train stop www.hairsalonbangkok.com

I paid 5000 for a Brazilian Keratin treatment (no chemicals and included cut, ½ head h/lights and straightening)