so...I eat that, right?

Arriving in Bangkok was like stepping into a dream world. All of our previous stops we could both speak and read the language-not so here. The writing was the first thing that took me by surprise, it is so intricate! full of loops, swirls, curves and dips, it seems more of an art form than a language. then to not have English as the primary language was just as jolting, though everyone spoke or understood a couple basic phrases. The group took mini-buses down to chinatown where we would spend the next two nights before moving off to Koh Tao (a tourist attraction and diving resort).

even at one in the morning, as we rolled up to our hotel, the streets were lined with food vendors and lights, and traffic was still stop and go. exhausted from the twenty-four hours of travel, we decided to simply go to bed and explore the next day.

the next morning we were introduced to Thai food. The most startling thing about it was thier portions. When the menu said "pankakes" it meant "one pancake", and it was something more of a crepe at that. However, as we made our way down to the river, we discovered the street vendors.

Now, most cities have street vendors, chinatown has A LOT of street vendors. practically lining any side and even some major roads are carts with sandals, keychains, umbrellas, lottery tickets, and a personal favorite- stick meat (yep, meat on a stick). There was no end to the strange and wonderfully new smells, sights, and noises! and it only got better when we finally found the river. China town has a large (and very polluted) river running along one edge, which has given rise to the most interesting form of water transport I've seen yet: pencil boats with V-8 engines on them. These boats sit about two people across, and twelve people down, and have a giant car engine affixed to the back which the diver pivots using a large metal pole. The car engine is attached to a longer pole, on which sits a propeller-beautifully simple, and very, very fast. Later that day we would get a tour of the back canals on one of these. But for now we had a destination: Wat Pho (or Po).

Wat Pho is one of the most visited temples in chinatown because it houses the Reclining Buddah. The Buddah is HUGE, I don't know the exact dimensions, but it is large enough to make you feel imminently judged when you stand in front of it. The craftsmanship is also amazing, the details are so fine that it is hard to imagine it was crafted by hand, down to the mother of pearl inlay on it's feet. after making wishes to the Buddah, and wandering around the rest of the gold-leafed Wat, we wandered off for lunch.

Now if I am going to impart anything to you about chinatown, I'd like it to be that that place is ALL about the food. While it may not be your usual western fare, the street vendors take a certain amount of pride in their food (and deep fryers) and manage to pull off some incredible things, for all of about 20 cents. here is a small list of things I've found wandering between carts (and sampling judiciously):
Squid (on a stick) - pick your very own squid! they grill it up for you..a bit chewy.
Pork (on a stick)
Chicken (on a stick)- some have a delicious, delicious orange sauce
Dumplings (stick optional)
Fish balls (on a stick) - little deep fried balls of fish.
various fruit (also on a stick)
macaroon meringue (not on a stick) - these are REALLY good, fluffy, light and coconut flavored
Durien - the smelly fruit, which also doesn't taste so good, eat this one outside if you want to try it
milk pills - still not sure what these were, found them at a 7eleven in all thai writing. taste like astronaut ice cream.
Fried pork skins (also on a stick)
Sausages (yep, on a stick).
delicious, delicious tiny donuts

needless to say, the street vendors of chinatown love skewering pretty much anything possible then deep frying or grilling it, and covering it your choice of spicy or sweet sauce.

thank you street vendors, I'll miss you and your wares (especially after pad thai for breakfast, lunch, and dinner)