Part 6 (2/2)
The gray skies of Bangkok pour rain duringour spirits and washi+ng away many of our plans It's still the monsoon season, as we knew in advance, but our stopover falls at the end of the annual cycle, which leads us to hope that stor in frequency and intensity This year, the weather turns worse instead
On our arrival fro Mai, the taxi ride from the airport to our first hotel, the Siakok's usual horrid traffic congestion Siam City, near a Skytrain monorail station in the central transportation hub of the city, serves as our base for four nights to save hts at The Oriental, our hotel on our honeymoon visit In an old travel folder ofout a receipt for our roo that cost US127 per night then and 400 now Until we return there, it seems important to have easy access to the Skytrain, which links to the subway and the Chao Phraya River ferries, to avoid long, slow cab rides and excessive walking along hot, y streets
Even if the cli touts pester visitors on any sidewalk near tourist attractions, a nuisance we encounter at least a dozen tiinally by drivers of tuk-tuks, the open-air, three-wheel vehicles that used to greatly outnumber taxis ”Hi! You look like you're fro to the Grand Palace”-or wherever you seeht lie ”Before it reopens, let ains in Bangkok” Thais think tourists are obsessed with buying stuff, et commissions on sales Usually the touts pretend to be someone you want to know, perhaps an off-duty policee in your country In one case a ”nurse” at a hospital we're passing, in search of a restaurant, tells us all the hundreds of stores in Sia discounts for us The charade gets so tiresoers approach us to chat, certainly a pleasure inof any kind doesn't interest us ”Better to appear cheap than be conned,” he says
The frequent downpours and the tribulations of walking li, but despite Bill's street-side protests, we actually spend a fair bit of ti Many of the most popular places in the city-such as the beautiful te Chinatown, and the Grand Palace, where King Rakok in 1782-retain us only briefly becausethem e visited before Several of the rown in pro the chance for fresh experiences
The big A foodof the possibilities for us, is unfortunately closed in large part for a renovation project scheduled to take months Smaller food markets remain active, of course, in other areas of the city In one off of Yaowarat Road, Chinatown's hfare, stalls near the entrance feature pork rinds, ined on earth, in pillow-size sacks hanging fros beside booths Other stands display live crabs ranging from the size of a quarter to a foot across, live chickens and roasted ones, stearanates, giant cauldrons of unidentifiable cooked foods, more intestines than ant to know about, even cotton candy on sticks that a vendor holds so high above the throngs that the pink orbs look like balloons
The Chatuchak Weekend Market, near A, also offers soer than hborhoods of narrow aisles devoted to particular kinds of es to books, pets, and plants In an antiques section, Cheryl spots a case of petite carved-bone bottles ”Come look at these,” she calls to Bill ”Maybe they're old perfu like that, but catch the erotic etchings on them, barely noticeable unless you look closely” Bill sorts through the collection to find the e and buys the bottle, our only purchase in several hours of wandering through the thick crowds
The Suan Lu with clear skies Newer than Chatuchak, and e of products After picking up sranddaughters, and looking for other gifts, we settle in at a beer garden, under trees with twinkling white lights, for people watching A relaxed two hours later, the subhisks us one stop to the Patpong district, notorious for its sex clubs and prostitutes but also popular locally for street food None of the varied treats tempt us, but the brazen lack of subtlety in sohs Many of the ladies standing in groups in front of bars actually wear nu points alkok's museums disappointed us last time, so we return only to Jim Thompson's House Born in Delaware in 1906, Tho for ht hikok He stayed, played a , and built a home out of six old teak structures that he dismantled in the countryside and reasse residence, providing an intilimpse at Thai art and architecture Thos and furnishi+ngs but added a few Western touches, such as an indoor toilet by his bedroouest rooms contained the customary cha for wos on one wall, advising Thompson to be especially careful in his sixty-first year, when he disappeared without a trace in Malaysia's Cahlands
The house tour is , but we save the best for last, arranging at The Oriental for a half-day excursion on the klongs (canals) off the Chao Phraya River Frorand old hostelry, in the six-story structure for s survey the river and its constant boat traffic, a ious Peninsula Hotel towers above us on the opposite side of the broad channel, but lacks our intimacy with the water and the thousands of people who travel it at any daylight hour Our room is almost identical to the one that elated us on our honeyleefully, ”Yes, we can go back again!” Sometimes at least; and in this case, to one of thejourney provides siets us one of the ubiquitous, gondola-style long-tail boats, na shaft that raises and lowers the propeller in different water conditions He sets us up with a driver and handsome craft used in one of Pierce Brosnan's Ja us, ”Brosnan returns frequently to take out the sakok Noi canal, one of the h Thonburi, a part of therarely found any longer in Bangkok proper Residences, interspersed with occasional businesses and te and provide direct access to the water for traveling around, buying food froetables, and washi+ng clothes
The houses we pass range froe of the bank, others stand on stilts above the flood zone, and the biggest ones sit back on higher ground As we putter by, residents go about their daily lives, obviously conductedOur driver halts briefly to allow us to peer into the Royal Barge Museunificent vessels used in special river processions, and Wat Rakhang, a temple known for its bells and chin in e Restaurant advertising food with ”good test”
Good taste isn't always easy to find in Bangkok, at least not if you're looking for the distinctive and characteristic flavors of real Thai cooking The saested that we seek eating-out guidance frokok for most of the last four decades A food, film, and music buff, he studied Russian and Ja to Thailand, where he quickly learned the language with a fluency that startles locals Over the years Bob has written extensively for the Bangkok Post Bangkok Post about his favorite subjects, includinga long stint as the newspaper's restaurant reviewer, he worked anony Talay,a long stint as the newspaper's restaurant reviewer, he worked anony Talay,read about Bob in articles on Bangkok, we knew hiave us his phone nued us to call, which Bill did before we left home Friendly and down-to-earth, Bob said he would be happy to join us for aa film festival early in our stay Bill scheduled a dinner with hi pleasure before then, confirmed that Bob still liked several spots that he had reco to our research He also advised us to try street-food stands, particularly in the evening, going to areas where they are concentrated, such as Chinatown ”Find the et what the other custo, even if you don't knohat it is” We've been intending to do just that, but get waylaid by the rain in trying to follow the plan
On the appointed night for our dinner together, Bob picks us up at The Oriental and takes us to Raan Jay Fai, a tiny, fluorescent-lighted eatery at the corner of two streets, completely open to the breezes on both sides A few days earlier at lunchti place, but neither was open then and even with the exact addresses, we found nothing to indicate the presence of restaurants Bill asks Bob about the situation, and he says, ”It's tough for a visitor, even the rees with Vithi that most restaurants with Thai menus serve bland tourist food, and for authentic fare, you have to seek out s ”Many of them are in out-of-the-way locations and don't even have names” But even if you make it to one despite the obstacles, if you don't know Thai, ordering becomes a problem
At least we've found Raan Jay Fai with Bob's help and can place our requests through hireets the owner and cook, a wiry, elderly woman, and tells her we all want the house specialty, pad khee mao, pad khee mao, broad rice noodles combined with a wealth of seafood She takes several steps back to her kitchen-three fiery gas burners and a charcoal brazier just outside the building on the slower of the streets-and ju speed and dexterity She puts water in a wok and brings it to a boil over a burner, adds the noodles by thees, tosses in prawns, calamari, chunks of fish, fresh hearts of pal, she pours off the water into another wok, fries the noodleliquid back, and stirs in coconut water fro coconut with solorious The noodles rehtly chewy, the seafood shi+nes, and the si harmony broad rice noodles combined with a wealth of seafood She takes several steps back to her kitchen-three fiery gas burners and a charcoal brazier just outside the building on the slower of the streets-and ju speed and dexterity She puts water in a wok and brings it to a boil over a burner, adds the noodles by thees, tosses in prawns, calamari, chunks of fish, fresh hearts of pal, she pours off the water into another wok, fries the noodleliquid back, and stirs in coconut water fro coconut with solorious The noodles rehtly chewy, the seafood shi+nes, and the si harmony
As we leave, Bob spots a street-food stand a few doors away selling sweets He wants to get desserts for the three of us and selects a steamed rice-flour disk stuffed with banana custard and coconut milk, as well as a folded banana-leaf pouch filled with a steaar, the latter a particularly luscious co behind us, Bob says, ”That's Thip Sa for earlier in the week” Busy as possible at this hour, Raan Jan Fai's neighboring noodle shop specializes in a definitive version of pad thai, probably the most popular dish at Thai restaurants in the United States
Despite our failure to locate these two cafes on our oe do find three others that Bob recoence in each case Som Tam Polo, aka Polo Fried Chicken, requires the least effort since it's near the large Polo Club grounds, marked on allthe right side street, Soi Polo, not identified for the public in any e can decipher Our second guess turns out to be correct, evident only when Cheryl spots a painted picture on a storefront”That looks like a Thanksgiving turkey on a platter, but ander, we notice the place's English nah letters
Bob dubbed it ”Polo Fried Chicken” years ago when he raved about the three-table stall in his Bangkok Post Bangkok Post colu room of sorts down the street, a si overhead la In place of a drinks list, liter-size plastic bottles of Pepsi and water sit on the tables for guests to pick and pour at will A waiter brings us a place-mat-size picture menu with the half-dozen dish options, which include shredded fried beef and colu room of sorts down the street, a si overhead la In place of a drinks list, liter-size plastic bottles of Pepsi and water sit on the tables for guests to pick and pour at will A waiter brings us a place-mat-size picture menu with the half-dozen dish options, which include shredded fried beef and larb s Both of us point at the fried chicken and a green papaya salad He scribbles the choices on a pad and hustles out the front door, heading to the kitchen that reinal location s Both of us point at the fried chicken and a green papaya salad He scribbles the choices on a pad and hustles out the front door, heading to the kitchen that reinal location
The waiter returns shortly with a tray of condiments: an ample bouquet of fresh basil worth e pickle, and a couple of nam priks, one reminiscent of a Mexican salsa enerous plates of crispy chicken pieces showered with chewy fried garlic slivers At home, ould eat this by hand, but instead we follow the lead of Thai diners by cutting offthe, like a two-step country dance: first a taste of chicken, then a nibble of the intensely anise-scented basil When Bill branches out to the fiery papaya salad, he al down accidentally on a whole chile,with dried shrireen beans for crunchy sweetness Except for that inadvertent bite, everything gloith unoodness
The same holds true at Rut & Luk, a seafood eatery in Chinatown near the intersection of Yaowarat Road and Soi Phadungdao, oddly nicknamed ”Soi Texas” Our information puts the restaurant on one of the four corners, but no such luck It turns out to be down a side street, a rudiround level, co washtubs used for cleaning plates Without any place to eat, it looks weird and bewildering, as our expressions probably do to the cooks staring at us froo upstairs, so we troet to another brightly lit dining room
Except for a couple at one table, we're the first to arrive on a Sunday evening, though the space fills up completely within thirty minutes Theus to identify the specialty ant, a whole fish baked in foil with loads of black pepper and garlic We each order one of these, a beer, and an oyster okok It's a hearty bellyful for both of us, wonderfully fresh and flavorful
Chote Chitr impresses us evenPhouthon, but we know the lane intersects the larger Tanao Road at sohborhood just east of the Grand Palace In our search, alk past the street once, decide we've gone too far, double back, and walk so allowed lots of time to locate the restaurant, we still arrive on the early side for lunch; the cook-owner is sitting at a table in front prepping vegetables by a ss off another of the five tables and seats us at it
A delightful lady, we gradually discover, she speaks English well and offers to help us with her four-hundred-item menu, all in Thai From online reports on the restaurant, we've decided in advance to order a couple of Thai classics, mee krob mee krob and banana blossom salad Cheryl asks her, ”What else would you recommend to fill out a little Thai feast?” and banana blossom salad Cheryl asks her, ”What else would you recommend to fill out a little Thai feast?”
She thinks about the question briefly ”I would get a green curry with chicken and the eggplant salad calledthe fresh lear, which is coeetable, sht sauce with shallots, kaffir liar, cilantro, dried shrireen chile The lovely banana blosso of ta with shrile of thin, caramelized rice noodles fried crisply, the mee krob arrives with shrimp seared perfectly on serious wok heat and a syrupy sauce enhanced by a rare, sour citrus known as som sa som sa Well balanced in all respects, it has none of the cloying sweetness often associated with the dish in the United States The green curry inspires awe, dancing a tightrope of contrasting flavors high above any other version either of us has tasted The tender chicken gives it body, and fantastically fresh Thai basil adds spicy anise undertones Two kinds of round eggplants swim in the broth, one the size of plump peas to eat whole so that they pop in the ives the curry its brilliance ”Justthe curry paste the traditional way, by hand daily Not many people bother with that anymore” Well balanced in all respects, it has none of the cloying sweetness often associated with the dish in the United States The green curry inspires awe, dancing a tightrope of contrasting flavors high above any other version either of us has tasted The tender chicken gives it body, and fantastically fresh Thai basil adds spicy anise undertones Two kinds of round eggplants swim in the broth, one the size of plump peas to eat whole so that they pop in the ives the curry its brilliance ”Justthe curry paste the traditional way, by hand daily Not many people bother with that anymore”
They certainly don't seem to atus to abandon the quest for good street food, drives us to seek inside shelter for most meals at places reachable by foot, taxi, or public transportation without getting soaked Once each, we take a chance on the upscale Thai establishments at our hotels At Sala Rim Naam in The Oriental, which excelled on our previous visit, Western sweet and salty tastes dominate the ersatz Thai dishes In Spice and Rice at the Sianature drink, the Red Elephant (watermelon juice with vodka and a splash of Curacao), and the handso a dies to buy from the staff
The kitchen comes closer to authentic Thai tastes at the Spice Market in the Four Seasons Hotel and Celadon in the elegant Sukhothai Hotel The chefs at both, obviously talented, deliver a local riff on what the international hospitality trade characterizes as ”fine dining” They translate Thai ideas and flavors in worldly ways, satisfying inthe robustness and complexity of the cuisine at its truest Celadon's duck curry or the Spice Market's banana blossokok
If hotels must cater to international interests, ish they would handle it in a straightforay, as The Oriental does at its bountiful buffet breakfast, served in a beautiful setting right on the river Area growers provide the lusciously fresh fruit and other produce, and skilled bakerscroissants and pain au chocolat flakier andon your nationality or just your druthers, you can load up on dis, bacon, and more Our two breakfasts here thrill us more than any of the faux Thai meals at fancier hotel restaurants
Thais play metaphorically with food innoodle) refers to an i noodle) refers to an important person, and khoa mai plaa man khoa mai plaa man (new rice, juicy fish) describes the passionate early stage of a romantic relationshi+p We revel in soet is (new rice, juicy fish) describes the passionate early stage of a romantic relationshi+p We revel in soet is manao mai mii naam manao mai mii naam (like lime without juice), not worth the bother (like lime without juice), not worth the bother
In the few scant decades since a bridge first connected phuket to the Thai e offshore island has become a tourism phenomenon It leaped quickly into ide proht economic vitality and jobs to southern Thailand, and spawned a flock of copycat resorts in the region Since our days of writing travel guides to the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Mexico, we've been curious about the prodigy and eager to see it The devastating tsuna the Christ phuket desperate for visitors and te prices down, other lures for us on this trip
The fabulous Amanpuri resort slashed its rates for the first ti the cost of its entry-level Garden Pavilion roo of ours to stay at one of the Aman properties-particularly this one, the first of the elite chain's hotels and a model for the rest On Bali, we had dinner at the A deep into our travel budget to indulge in a one-night, half-priced stay here
An indulgence it is Our bungalow sits a forty others of various sizes, all shi+elded fro the restaurants, bay, broad and sandy beach, and large, blue-tiled infinity pool After leading us up several tiers of stairs to reach the rooradually to the a spaces, one in the sun with a couple of chaise longues and the other a covered pavilion, or sala, with a ceiling fan and a low Thai-style dining table with co Bill says, ”Add an outhouse and this area alone would shame most hotel rooms”
But there's more, of course, inside, all exquisitely understated in the hotel's gracefully unfussy way Stunning ork in macah, which resembles rosewood, envelops us everywhere, on the floors, shutters, desk, night tables, bea probably the largest,orchid either of us has ever seen To keep us froe stand, vanity, toiletries, even phones if ish, plus a choice of a shower or a soaking tub in case ant to wash our pampered bodies at the same time ”How come there's only one toilet?” Cheryl asks Bill ”I'll take it and you can have the outhouse”
One night for us equals foura simple pre-departure room-service lunch in our swimsuits at our sala Our other lunch and a dinner feature Thai specialties, better prepared than at any of the Bangkok hotels where we tried silorious seafood, both of us order lab talay lab talay for our introductory repast shortly after reaching the Amanpuri A chopped mix of small shrimp, calamari, scallops, fish, and kaffir lime, it comes with rice The kitchen seasons the dish assertively, trying with some sincerity to follow our request to make it Thai-style for our introductory repast shortly after reaching the Amanpuri A chopped mix of small shrimp, calamari, scallops, fish, and kaffir lime, it comes with rice The kitchen seasons the dish assertively, trying with some sincerity to follow our request to make it Thai-style
At dinner, we stop first in the bar for the house specialty, a lie liqueur In the evening Amanpuri offers a choice of two restaurants, an open-air poolside pavilion for Thai food and an enclosed air-conditioned space for Italian fare, currently, of course, the trendiest of international cuisines Opting as always to eat local, we take a front table overlooking the pool The waiter presents us with a se drinks list that includes some Thai wines pro our server about the wine choices, we order a bottle of a red Monsoon Valley, a blend of shi+raz, black Muscat, and native pokdu vineyards in the Chao Phraya Delta grapes grown on floating vineyards in the Chao Phraya Delta
The wine does ood match for our food selections To start, we share yaam poo miy green rass A nearby aquaculture farm raises the meaty crabs, as briny and fresh as any just taken in the wild For a reen rass A nearby aquaculture farm raises the meaty crabs, as briny and fresh as any just taken in the wild For a ai, a spicy southern jungle curry with chicken, full of contrasting flavors and textures Cheryl opts for a spicy southern jungle curry with chicken, full of contrasting flavors and textures Cheryl opts for goong paad bai graprow, goong paad bai graprow, stir-fried shriht up our night stir-fried shriht up our night
Breakfast the next ift of chocolate cookies that she devoured yesterday, Cheryl tries sooods, a small sour-cherry muffin and a pain au chocolat, pain au chocolat, supplemented by a bowl of tropical fruits, red currants, and strawberries topped with yogurt Bill considers the ”phuket” breakfast with rice porridge and Chinese sausage salad but chooses instead a hash of the local black crab Baked rather than skillet- or wok-fried, as he thinks a hash should be, it's a little meek until he requests and adds the chile-and-fish sauce named nam pla prik supplemented by a bowl of tropical fruits, red currants, and strawberries topped with yogurt Bill considers the ”phuket” breakfast with rice porridge and Chinese sausage salad but chooses instead a hash of the local black crab Baked rather than skillet- or wok-fried, as he thinks a hash should be, it's a little meek until he requests and adds the chile-and-fish sauce na out of our swimsuits, we leave reluctantly after the lunch in our sala, taking a co to our next hotel, the A Beach area Our driver speaks English well, so we ask about the tragic tsunaress ”phuket is , but residents will never outlive theirhis fa at different hotels I didn't find out for hours that she was safe A was there Nothing at all Everything washed out to sea” Cheryl timidly inquires if the rest of their faood friends Most people lost loved ones” Each of us expresses sympathy, but we feel feeble in our efforts
A conventional beach hotel similar to thousands of others in the world, the A on a sliver of sand not connected to the bustling main beach The location allows us to walk at will into town-the restaurant, nightlife, and shopping headquarters of phuket-but to escape the crowds at other tih a s to our ocean-view deluxe room With tsuna to see we'll be sleeping forty feet from the shore
The tourist literature in the roouests, none in the least appealing to us Many visitors apparently enjoy taking boat trips to secluded beaches and smaller islands, such as Phi Phi Don, where you will be ”a” on the hillside, and Phi Phi Lae, the movie set for Leonardo di Caprio's The Beach The Beach Others see, sea canoeing, waterskiing, and touring underwater on a Yellow Sub remotely related to Thai life and culture Others see, sea canoeing, waterskiing, and touring underwater on a Yellow Sub remotely related to Thai life and culture
After this dispiriting reading, we head into town in the late afternoon for a firsthand look at the hub of the hubbub It doesn't set new standards for tacky-ier in a world awash in it-but it certainly reeks of banality Intransplanted to Florida or Mexico without anyone noticing the difference Scads of junky shops pack the th of the crescent coast, each with a hustler out front to tempt in the tourists ”Hey, Boss”-every man's name-”you want a Rolex?” ”Please, Madas” In tune with the ti flaunts a ”Rock Hard Cafe” and a billboard-proinal Thai Elvis”
Only two features set the town apart fros: a scarcity of restaurants with local food and the openness of the sexual lures You can find huevos rancheros all over Puerto Vallarta and conch fritters anywhere in the Keys, but don't go looking for kaeng tai plaa kaeng tai plaa or another southern Thai curry in Patong Restaurateurs think visitors really want fan calls ”Euro Pian” dishes Scandinavian places abound, but you won't be left out in the heat if you prefer a Hungarian goulash, Gerain baseer or another southern Thai curry in Patong Restaurateurs think visitors really want fan calls ”Euro Pian” dishes Scandinavian places abound, but you won't be left out in the heat if you prefer a Hungarian goulash, Gerain baseer
sex seems to sell even better than dinner, watches, and jewelry In what local maps call the ”Hot Zone,” in the heart of town, tiny lanes branch off of Bangla Road, each lined on both sides with open-air bars with stool seating and nah Heels, Crazy Girls a Go Go, Luck Bar, sex Stock Exchange, and, for e of a don Notices often indicate ”every body welcoe oddity, like the restaurant claiuide, but we eventually decide they mean what they say, that everybody's body qualifies for action
In another area, slightly less prohtlife thrives in clubs such as Spartacus and Jaled n