jdenparis

 Welcome to jdenparis.com.  I'm jd, and I just graduated from college.  For one year before med school, I'll be working and living in Paris, and traveling the world with my job.  Below are my stories, photos, and videos.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

sky bar / amazing bangkok cyclist


Good morning (EST)!

When I last wrote, I was getting ready to head over to Sky Bar, a bar on the top floor of one of Bangkok's tallest and nicest hotels. The group consisted of myself, Nathalie, Jayson, and Selma (pictured in that order). We enjoyed the AMAZING view of the city, but had to head indoors when the lightening, thunder, wind and rain became unbearable and unsafe. Our 500 baht cocktails were delicious and a not-so-welcome reminder of the NYC / Paris drink prices we must return to after Bangkok. It was a great night, and we headed back pretty early in order to be energized for our bike tour the next day!

After our enjoyable Saturday night, Nathalie and I took a bike tour with ABC - Amazing Bangkok Cyclist. This tour promises to take you to sites you wouldn't normally see as a tourist, including a wholesale market, a floating market, narrow back streets and alleyways, and a brief stop on the river.

The company was founded by a dutch guy (very friendly in his emails - he actually wrote me "okidoki") -- a perfect fit since the dutch are very friendly and use bicycles as a primary means of transportation. The dutch, apparently, also stick together, as on our tour of about 10 or 12 cyclists, Nathalie and I were the only non-dutch (she is Parisian, and I, a native of New York). Before heading out, we were given a briefing in ABC's headquarters, 2 metro stops from our hotel. Here we were introduced to Apple and Boom, our young Thai guides. The two girls were full of energy and very enthusiastic, and from the moment we arrived they were extremely welcoming and hospitable.



During the welcome session, we met the other bikers - a young dutch couple, a flight crew from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and maybe one or two others I can't remember right now. We mostly spoke with the flight crew, who are put up in the luxurious hotel where in which the sky bar resides! Now THAT'S a dream job. I had the great pleasure of speaking at length with Frank, a bursar (I'm told this is like an in-flight flight manager), about the impending energy crisis and its implications on air travel. Jerome, the 21-year-old 747 pilot (the first 20-something I've interacted with in about 3 weeks) told us that it takes 130 tons of fuel, or 7 full tankers, to power a 747. Damn. We spoke about the cost of diverted flights (hotel costs, fuel), and some interesting stories about in-flight emergencies they've experienced (blown engines, which is no big deal cause the 747 doesn't NEED all 4).

The tour was AWESOME! I'm so happy we went. It may even be the highlight of the trip, because they completely delivered on all of their promises. We saw so much stuff I'd never otherwise have the opportunity to see. The best part, though, is that Frank and Jerome had each done the tour before, and said its different every time! Sweet - I'll treat anyone that meets me here next trip.

As we headed out, the dutch were all asking if I'd be ok on the bike - apparently America has a reputation for producing non-bikers. Little did they know that I biked to work for 1 MONTH this summer (... 1 mile from my house). We wound through narrow alley-ways, across 4 lane divided highways (yikes!), and finally arrived at a bustling wholesale market. Here, all of the restaurants and hotels buy their supplies for the day early in the morning, and serve it to the unsuspecting public that night! mmmm. There were live chickens, live fish, dead chickens, dead fish, whole pigs, pigs legs, chicken claws, bugs, insects, SACKS of peppers and other fresh veggies, snakes, and more, just to name a sampling.

Apple led us through while Boom stayed behind and did a little shopping for our first snack. We sat down at an old wooden picnic table in a clearing and awaited Boom's arrival. She brought with her rambutan (red spiky fruit - see pics), logan (another fruit), and angel's hair and crepes. Fantastic, fresh, and refreshing! Good pick-me-up, but I was ready for more.

Next, we continued biking under the railway, through more narrow passages, and passed the rather depressing site of what must be Bangkok's poorest. They live in literally these one room shacks. The children are all in high spirits though, hi-5ing the dutch that are skilled enough to do so while riding :) (I was mostly videotaping with one hand).

Next stop was a trip across the river. The riders and bikes were all loaded into a long and narrow boat that is propelled by what looks like a tremendous jet engine. After the Heart of Darkness / Apocolypse Now opening sequence, we biked some more on some REALLYYY narrow cement pathways through the jungle (wore my deet) and arrived at the weekend "floating market" (I put this in quotation marks because this isn't the REAL floating market, it's just A floating market). Here, we parked our bikes and walked through the narrow and busy aisles, stopping periodically as Boom and Apple bought us traditional Thai snacks. The highlights were curried fish heads, quail eggs, Thai pancakes, and these little leaf pockets filled with prawns, ginger, chili, and peanut. This was honestly the best food I've had on the trip. I wish I knew about the market before so that I could have eaten and shopped there more, but even now I wouldn't be able to find it :/ - guess I have to do the tour again!

Finally, we saddled up and biked a bit further, arriving at a "restaurant" several minutes later. This place was actually a lean-to / deck on top of a river with a picnic table. Famished, we gathered around and waited for our meal to arrive. We were given a big plate of fried rice and one of noodles. Not spectacular, but very delicious and VERY welcome after a long day of biking.

Crossing the river and heading back, I was tired, dehydrated, and fully saturated in my own sweat. After our 6 hour journey / guided tour, I had sampled the best food of the trip, learned a great deal about the Dutch, made some new friends, seen markets, streets, and produce I'd never otherwise have seen, and gotten exercise to boot! (Haven't quite been making it to the gym on a daily basis as planned...) WELL worth the 2,000 baht (~60usd) all inclusive fee (bikes, food, water, guides, all provided).

Well, I'm off to go get my 'first fitting' on my custom tailored suit!! Wish me luck :)




A bientot,

2 comments:

ABD et al said...

SO important to TRAIN before a big BIKING EVENT!! Good thing you rode your bike to GREAT OCEANS every day...

Camp Unger said...

did u get to try Beer Balls or Deer Balls?