It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I was in Bangkok. As with any city around the world, Bangkok has changed in the last year, however those changes (in my opinion) are minimal. Bangkok is still Bangkok.
The moment I arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, I felt like I was coming home, and instead of gawking around like a first-timer, I went into automatic mode, knowing exactly where I was going and what I was doing. I took my time going to customs, stopping to enjoy a wifi sweet spot (there is a small 3ft. corner where I can get free wifi) before going through customs, collecting my backpack and heading to the basement level to catch the Airport Link train into the city.
The air was heavy, laced with the faint smell of urine. The hookers were leaning against the brick walls, sitting on small stools or talking with respective ‘johns’. The sidewalks where lined with stalls selling souvenirs, t-shirts, viagara and pirated dvds. I had checked into my room at Lub-d near Siam Square, dropped off my backpack and made my way to Nana (Little Dubai) for my ultimate Bangkok treat, Shwarma.
I walked down the stairs of the Nana BTS station and onto the crowded sidewalk. It was just after 11:00 p.m. and I had an hour to find my Shwarma guy, and get back to the BTS station before the train stops running for the night. I weaved my way around people, stools, dogs and broken pieces of sidewalk towards Sukhumvit 3/ Soi Nana Nuea. As I turned the corner, my tummy started to grumble. I was close, real close. Any minute I would see my shwarma guy working from his stall on the street. Yes, it’s been a year since the last time I saw him, but I was confident that he would be there.
I spotted him from about 30 feet away and smiled.
“Yes! He’s still there!” I whispered to nobody in particular. I’m sure I looked strange. I know I smelled strange (I had get to shower 4 days worth of travel stink from my body).
“Two chicken shwarma, spicy!” Not only was I hungry, but I was trying to feed a craving. I didn’t care. I had a purpose. I stood on the sidewalk and waited patiently for my food, declining to sit down.
I was pleasantly surprised when my food was cheaper than I thought it would be. Paying 120B for two shwarma is completely okay with me. My mouth began to water as the guy placed my shwarma in a bag for me to take back to the hostel. Once I had my coveted purchase in my sweaty hands, I was headed back to the BTS and my hostel.
As I sat on the train, my tummy ached and my eyes started to droop. I was hungry, but I was exhausted. All the flights and waiting in airports was catching up with me. I slowly climbed the cement stairs to my room on the 4th floor of the hostel. I probably should have had a shower right away, but the thought of waiting was too much. I immediately unwrapped a shwarma and bit into it. My mouth felt hot as I bit down, garlic sauce running down my chin. I devoured my first shwarma in a matter of minutes, then sat on the bed and stared at the other one. Should I just dive in, or wait?
No, I am not that bad! Instead of quickly eating my second one, I decided to go have a cold shower first. I need to feel clean and like a normal human being again and eating my last shwarma like a civilized person seemed more appropriate.
Bangkok is one of those cities that feel like home. I have my small little corners that I adore and whenever I return to the city, those are the places that I want to be. My time in Bangkok was brief, very brief. I arrived from Hong Kong around 9:00 p.m. and flew out to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 10:00 a.m. the next morning. I could have slept in the airport, like all the others, but there was no way I was going to do that knowing that there was a comfy bed and shwarma close by.
My return trip was made a whole lot easier with cheap holiday deals which I snapped up early to make sure I got the lowest price for my vacation. I am already on the lookout for further budget flights and would love to return even if the shwarma guy doesn’t remember me.
About Pamela