Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Bangkok B-Boys Bouncin' on the Boulevard
So...Bangkok.
This year's trip was a little different from last year's, first, because last year I had a week of business before vacation whereas this trip was pure fun, and second, because last time was my first time but this time I knew my way around. Sort of.
I left for BKK Wednesday morning my time, getting in 26 hours later, which put me at the hotel around 11pm BKK time Thursday. Don't let international date lines confuse you, you get the day missing day back when you come home. Not that that helps with jet lag. I called my friend Raberd to touch base with him as I'd be spending most of the coming weekend running around with him. I was planning to buy a cell phone once I got there, something that will work in Thailand as well as later in Singapore (thank goodness for interchangeable SIM cards rather than 2-year contracts), but he had an old phone he could give me, saving me a bit of money that can be put to much better purposes. Anyway, he planned to stop by the next morning on his way to work.
Friday came, Raberd stopped by, I got a phone hooked up and proceeded to do a few things around town by myself. Adrian sent a suit with me, one he'd had made there last year, and I took it to a local tailor so he could make a few copies of it. Adrian had gone through GQ and picked out some colors and fabrics he liked and had me look for those -- I ended up ordering 4 suits for him, and a couple shirts for myself. I did a little shopping for myself, then went to get a massage ($15...in Thailand, I will get a massage every day if I can at those prices) and followed that with a facial. I never pamper myself like that at home...between the cost, and the ability to find a salon/spa where I'm not made to feel like a freak because I'm the only guy, I don't go out for things like that, but it feels SO GOOD and everyone should do that every day. Well, not EVERY day, because then it becomes an obsession rather than pure fun, but ALMOST every day.
So Friday was spent kicking around Bangkok, and following a little disco nap Raberd picked me up and off we went to dinner, then out to meet his friends at a bar. This was a nice change from last year because this bar was not in the Patpong area (which is full of tourists) but at Lumpini Park, which is where the locals go. Nice, because I didn't feel like a piece of meat...these were Thai guys who were not necessarily looking into hooking up with a foreigner, and since I wasn't looking to hook up either, that was perfect. The club was lots of fun, plenty of cuties to look at, I liked Raberd's friends, and hey, they picked up the tab (one thing I noticed on the entire trip, Singapore as well as Bangkok, was how hard it was for me to pay for anything...everyone kept treating me like a guest!). As that place closed around 1am we headed back to Patpong to go dancing, though we couldn't get into DJ Station (too crowded by then) and had to settle for one of the overflow bars nearby. Raberd and I were both pretty tired by 2am so we took off..fortunately he lives near my hotel so we could share a cab with no problem.
Saturday and Sunday were spent running around Bangkok with Raberd, who I should add is a marketing account executive for MTV Thailand. They were having a big street festival on 28 October, so to publicize it they were having little pop-up roadshows around town every weekend (I don't think Raberd had a day off for 6 weeks, what with roadshows every Saturday and Sunday). Our first show was at Victory Monument Saturday at noon, that being a crowded place where the Skytrain and buses come together. We got there and the sponsor and the MTV film crew were there, but no DJ or dancers. Uh oh. He started making calls and waking people up...the DJ showed first, then the dancers trickled in, and by 2pm they were breakin' it down. The DJ, whose name is Yod, was pretty cool, and he and I talked for a while as we waited for everyone else. Nice guy, and pretty cute for a straight guy.
Once the dancers got going the show was good, but the crowd wasn't really getting into it. The MTV folks were trying to give away Sprite (the sponsor) but people didn't seem to want any attention on them so they backed off. I suggested they hand it to the kids, who would then give it to their folks, 'cuz kids don't care, they'll take anything free, especially from strangers.
Afterwards we grabbed lunch, then he had to go do another roadshow and I had to go take a nap. He called me later and said he was too tired to go out, which I thought he might be, so I just went out to Patpong by myself and went dancing. Fun was had, and no money boys tried to scam me. I was relieved, yet oddly disappointed that I didn't get hit on.
Sunday was another round of the shows, though these went a little better than Saturday's. I hung out with one of the dancers this time, another cute straight boy, and he ended up buying me lunch. One thing I've gotta say, I appreciated all the folks who spoke English with me. Lots of Thais won't speak English even though they studied it because they don't want to get it wrong and lose face. I noticed this last year and again on this trip, but Raberd's friends appreciated that I was running around with them and made the effort, and of course their English was lots better than they expected. And certainly much better than my nonexistent Thai language skills.
We did another show Sunday night, and Raberd was exhausted afterwards. I could tell he was about to drop, and the poor boy had to go to work Monday, so when he dropped me at the hotel at 9 and said he didn't think he could go out, I wasn't surprised. Something had gone wrong with the show for the next day and I knew he needed to get home and work on fixing it before he could think about going to bed, so I understood, but it was too bad we didn't get to go out more as we were both looking forward to it.
As for me, I went to a go-go bar and talked to a cute go-go boy, and that's always fun for me. I don't even mind tipping him for his time, it's cheaper than buying some guy in the US a drink and talking to him, so why not. And they always express the best wisdom, as this young man did when he said "I do not like this job. It is not a good job. I want to work in a grocery store. Or be Prime Minister." This is why I love go-go boys.
Monday I was off to Singapore (yet another tale, and a more relaxing one) and then Friday I returned to Bangkok. First thing I did was pick up the suits and the shirts from the tailor, then went and did a little more shopping for myself, picking up a couple things from shops I really liked last year. (yay for inexpensive cute underwear!!) Raberd, unfortunately, got stuck helping with a big MTV show for another sponsor that was going on that night and was unable to go out again. Alas. I just went out to the bars along Silom Soi 4 in Patpong and had a couple drinks, watching the show as it went by (the outdoor bars are great for people watching, and Friday night's a great time). Around midnight I was thinking of going dancing, but I had to get up at 4:15am to go to the airport for the flight home, and I'd only gotten about 3 hours sleep the night before in Singapore. The waiter at Telephone told me he thought I should go to the hotel and get some sleep. When even the waiters tell you that you should go home, you know it's time to go.
So fun was had, massages were received, tailor-made clothes were purchased, facials were administered, good memories were revisited, new parts of Bangkok were seen, an old friend was reconnected with, new people were met, and MTV was hung out with. All in all a good trip to Bangkok. The only downside is, Raberd has distanced himself from me. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with a comment we made after Sunday's first roadshow...he said, "I want the shows to be perfect, and I want to show you a perfect time, and I do not think I am doing either." The poor sweetie was busting his ass to help me have a good time while he work was demanding a LOT from him. I told him I was having a great time, doing exactly what I hoped, but I think he was embarrassed and felt he lost face, and in that culture that's enough of a reason to distance yourself from someone. Or maybe I just said or did something wrong. I don't know but I hope whatever it is he'll come back as the Raberd I know soon.
And if not, at least I've got some good memories.
This year's trip was a little different from last year's, first, because last year I had a week of business before vacation whereas this trip was pure fun, and second, because last time was my first time but this time I knew my way around. Sort of.
I left for BKK Wednesday morning my time, getting in 26 hours later, which put me at the hotel around 11pm BKK time Thursday. Don't let international date lines confuse you, you get the day missing day back when you come home. Not that that helps with jet lag. I called my friend Raberd to touch base with him as I'd be spending most of the coming weekend running around with him. I was planning to buy a cell phone once I got there, something that will work in Thailand as well as later in Singapore (thank goodness for interchangeable SIM cards rather than 2-year contracts), but he had an old phone he could give me, saving me a bit of money that can be put to much better purposes. Anyway, he planned to stop by the next morning on his way to work.
Friday came, Raberd stopped by, I got a phone hooked up and proceeded to do a few things around town by myself. Adrian sent a suit with me, one he'd had made there last year, and I took it to a local tailor so he could make a few copies of it. Adrian had gone through GQ and picked out some colors and fabrics he liked and had me look for those -- I ended up ordering 4 suits for him, and a couple shirts for myself. I did a little shopping for myself, then went to get a massage ($15...in Thailand, I will get a massage every day if I can at those prices) and followed that with a facial. I never pamper myself like that at home...between the cost, and the ability to find a salon/spa where I'm not made to feel like a freak because I'm the only guy, I don't go out for things like that, but it feels SO GOOD and everyone should do that every day. Well, not EVERY day, because then it becomes an obsession rather than pure fun, but ALMOST every day.
So Friday was spent kicking around Bangkok, and following a little disco nap Raberd picked me up and off we went to dinner, then out to meet his friends at a bar. This was a nice change from last year because this bar was not in the Patpong area (which is full of tourists) but at Lumpini Park, which is where the locals go. Nice, because I didn't feel like a piece of meat...these were Thai guys who were not necessarily looking into hooking up with a foreigner, and since I wasn't looking to hook up either, that was perfect. The club was lots of fun, plenty of cuties to look at, I liked Raberd's friends, and hey, they picked up the tab (one thing I noticed on the entire trip, Singapore as well as Bangkok, was how hard it was for me to pay for anything...everyone kept treating me like a guest!). As that place closed around 1am we headed back to Patpong to go dancing, though we couldn't get into DJ Station (too crowded by then) and had to settle for one of the overflow bars nearby. Raberd and I were both pretty tired by 2am so we took off..fortunately he lives near my hotel so we could share a cab with no problem.
Saturday and Sunday were spent running around Bangkok with Raberd, who I should add is a marketing account executive for MTV Thailand. They were having a big street festival on 28 October, so to publicize it they were having little pop-up roadshows around town every weekend (I don't think Raberd had a day off for 6 weeks, what with roadshows every Saturday and Sunday). Our first show was at Victory Monument Saturday at noon, that being a crowded place where the Skytrain and buses come together. We got there and the sponsor and the MTV film crew were there, but no DJ or dancers. Uh oh. He started making calls and waking people up...the DJ showed first, then the dancers trickled in, and by 2pm they were breakin' it down. The DJ, whose name is Yod, was pretty cool, and he and I talked for a while as we waited for everyone else. Nice guy, and pretty cute for a straight guy.
Once the dancers got going the show was good, but the crowd wasn't really getting into it. The MTV folks were trying to give away Sprite (the sponsor) but people didn't seem to want any attention on them so they backed off. I suggested they hand it to the kids, who would then give it to their folks, 'cuz kids don't care, they'll take anything free, especially from strangers.
Afterwards we grabbed lunch, then he had to go do another roadshow and I had to go take a nap. He called me later and said he was too tired to go out, which I thought he might be, so I just went out to Patpong by myself and went dancing. Fun was had, and no money boys tried to scam me. I was relieved, yet oddly disappointed that I didn't get hit on.Sunday was another round of the shows, though these went a little better than Saturday's. I hung out with one of the dancers this time, another cute straight boy, and he ended up buying me lunch. One thing I've gotta say, I appreciated all the folks who spoke English with me. Lots of Thais won't speak English even though they studied it because they don't want to get it wrong and lose face. I noticed this last year and again on this trip, but Raberd's friends appreciated that I was running around with them and made the effort, and of course their English was lots better than they expected. And certainly much better than my nonexistent Thai language skills.
We did another show Sunday night, and Raberd was exhausted afterwards. I could tell he was about to drop, and the poor boy had to go to work Monday, so when he dropped me at the hotel at 9 and said he didn't think he could go out, I wasn't surprised. Something had gone wrong with the show for the next day and I knew he needed to get home and work on fixing it before he could think about going to bed, so I understood, but it was too bad we didn't get to go out more as we were both looking forward to it.
As for me, I went to a go-go bar and talked to a cute go-go boy, and that's always fun for me. I don't even mind tipping him for his time, it's cheaper than buying some guy in the US a drink and talking to him, so why not. And they always express the best wisdom, as this young man did when he said "I do not like this job. It is not a good job. I want to work in a grocery store. Or be Prime Minister." This is why I love go-go boys.
Monday I was off to Singapore (yet another tale, and a more relaxing one) and then Friday I returned to Bangkok. First thing I did was pick up the suits and the shirts from the tailor, then went and did a little more shopping for myself, picking up a couple things from shops I really liked last year. (yay for inexpensive cute underwear!!) Raberd, unfortunately, got stuck helping with a big MTV show for another sponsor that was going on that night and was unable to go out again. Alas. I just went out to the bars along Silom Soi 4 in Patpong and had a couple drinks, watching the show as it went by (the outdoor bars are great for people watching, and Friday night's a great time). Around midnight I was thinking of going dancing, but I had to get up at 4:15am to go to the airport for the flight home, and I'd only gotten about 3 hours sleep the night before in Singapore. The waiter at Telephone told me he thought I should go to the hotel and get some sleep. When even the waiters tell you that you should go home, you know it's time to go.
So fun was had, massages were received, tailor-made clothes were purchased, facials were administered, good memories were revisited, new parts of Bangkok were seen, an old friend was reconnected with, new people were met, and MTV was hung out with. All in all a good trip to Bangkok. The only downside is, Raberd has distanced himself from me. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with a comment we made after Sunday's first roadshow...he said, "I want the shows to be perfect, and I want to show you a perfect time, and I do not think I am doing either." The poor sweetie was busting his ass to help me have a good time while he work was demanding a LOT from him. I told him I was having a great time, doing exactly what I hoped, but I think he was embarrassed and felt he lost face, and in that culture that's enough of a reason to distance yourself from someone. Or maybe I just said or did something wrong. I don't know but I hope whatever it is he'll come back as the Raberd I know soon.And if not, at least I've got some good memories.
Monday, October 30, 2006
I Swear
I will have Bangkok and Singapore tales up here soon. But I just flew to Honolulu today and I am beat, and i have some very important meetings tomorrow, so they will have to wait one more day...
But hey, I'm in Honolulu, so does anything else REALLY matter? And the answer, of course, is "no."
But hey, I'm in Honolulu, so does anything else REALLY matter? And the answer, of course, is "no."
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
No Foolin'
I swear, I swear, I really have stories, but sitting down and typing them up takes time which I just haven't had this week. Then again, I'm not sure that anyone other than Ivan, Jerwin (though he goes by another name at times) and Dancin' Mike are reading this anymore...
Anyway, tales of MTV b-boys and fried stingray will be here soon.
Anyway, tales of MTV b-boys and fried stingray will be here soon.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Zzzzzzzz
I managed to stay awake for most of work today, so props to me!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Jet Lag's a Bitch
...but at least I had fun. I'm back from my trip to Bangkok and Singapore, and there are tales waiting to be told. But they will need to wait until I get just a little bit more sleep. I don't know what has the heaviest impact: the 12-hour time difference, or the 28 hours of travel it took to get home.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Road Trip
Leaving in a few minutes for an 11-day adventure. Details will follow. Customs and immigration personnel around the world, beware!
Friday, October 06, 2006
I Completely Forgot But...
...last Sunday, October 1st, marked 6 years of this journal. Yay for finally sticking with something.
Of course, the first 5+ years were on Diary-X before it crashed and I lost a year's worth of entries that I'd failed to backup. My bad. And I'm only slowly getting the backed up archives onto this site ("slowly" is defined as "I haven't uploaded any in about 2 months").
But now I'm here and still around, posting a bit less often than at first, but hey, life has gotten a bit more full than then.
Of course, the first 5+ years were on Diary-X before it crashed and I lost a year's worth of entries that I'd failed to backup. My bad. And I'm only slowly getting the backed up archives onto this site ("slowly" is defined as "I haven't uploaded any in about 2 months").
But now I'm here and still around, posting a bit less often than at first, but hey, life has gotten a bit more full than then.
