littlemissG said:

Thanks!

I had the absolute worst haircut ever today from a barber who didn't understand me. It was the front side of a shack-house located on a dirty, filthy tributary to the river here.

And despite it all, I don't care. The people here are amazing.

Wow! Just... WOW! It's SO beautiful there! Can I ask, (and please excuse my ignorance) is this the normal standard of living out there, or is your family particularly wealthy? It's just so wonderful and colourful - I'm in love!

Oh btw - you have a very sexy voice..

MrsGoodnight said:

No, this is way above normal standard of living. It's wealthy by American standards too.

The pics you'll probably see in 2 week's time will be a bit more normal or close to what you'd see in Thailand, but not really. It's my grandmom's house which used to be a raised 'shack', but because her kids (my mom and aunts) have made money, they upgraded her shack into a pretty pimped out one.

Her place will be way out in east buddha-fuck, so you'll get to see a more 'Thai' looking place than what you see in Bangkok.

My Aunt's property (The one I'm calling "Nah Ooh") is way beyond that. Even the house you see behind her fence in the ajoining property is actually one of her houses.

What impresses me most about her is that she still goes to the local markets and retains all of her behaviors that she did when she was really poor. She shops for bargains, doesnt' advertise her 'status' in public, and none of her friends are rich...they're all people she knew in the village growing up.

I can't wait to contrast the house in the village compared to this. What you'll notice being the same and consistent in both places is a warmth, generosity, and happy vibe through it all. THAT's truly amazing.

You never said it was elaborate! So beautiful!

Saw the photos on facebook. I'm sooooo jealous. Looks like you're having a lovely time, Dan.

MrsGoodnight said:

He does, dosen't he? He nearly shocked the holy hell out of me with that

Super nice

Imago said:

In was gonna say, that place looks pretty hi-so for Thai standards!

Ottensen said:

Have u ever seen Pineapple Express? He sounds like Red

Imago said:

Got to say, you're cute, too. Looks like you're pretty happy in the first picture with your Grandma.

Imago said:

Um. I have some pretty spicy pictures of the guy on the right. I'm pretty sure it's him. No real nudes but very sexy nevertheless. HOT!

Watch it now, the AIDS rates there are super high. Not to be a wet blanket..lol

Stay safe bud.

I want to go there!

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Are they like Menudo?

littlemissG said:

I would snap each and every one of those little boys!






... Ooops! Did I say that out loud?

MrsGoodnight said:

I believe...

there may be orgers...

who'd pay handsomely to watch that...

I'm jealous of the jealousy aimed at you. How come nobody was jealous when it was just me out here?

Thailand is MINE!!!

I think we need to meet up with you and constantly speak Thai around you to put you in your place.

Fauxie said:

I am jealous of you, Nick!

Beautiful photos and video - I love the big fish water feature! It makes me want to go back now, dammit...

Enjoy your stay

abierman said:

Thanks buddy.

That is a beautiful home, all those separate areas, absolutely lovely. That's on my wish list. Beautiful family, too.

So, are you, like, permanently in Thailand now? I'm out of the loop.

The new pictures you added are stunning. I love that house, the woodwork is amazing!

Fauxie said:

dude, you might get to keep Thailand. I don't know if I can deal with the heat and humidity here.

ok, here's a few things so far:





1. Bangkok is massive. I've been in a few big cities before: Hong Kong, L.A., NYC, Paris, Munich, London, etc. etc. None of them quite compare to the riot of Bangkok.

2. Bangkok reminds me of an Indian city like Mumbai or Bangalore, but with a certain westernized cosmopolitan feel to it. You never have to walk very far to run into a farang (western white guy). Whether he speaks English as his native language is a crap shoot though.

3. This city is disgustingly polluted. You can smell the smoke in the stifling hot, humid, air here, and despite ultra modern high rises everywhere, much of the city is a sprawling mess of delapitated buildings covered in water stains and mold.

4. I saw my first ladyboy yesterday in the subway. I asked her if she could show me how to switch the machine from Thai to English so that I could use it to get my subway token. It was only after she spoke that I realized she was a ladyboy---the lack of any hips should have given it away. The funniest thing about the experience to me was how unspectacular it is in bangkok. Nobody pays any attention to the fact that this isn't a man or woman in the normal sense. Everyone just kind of live and lets live.

5. The subway here is the cleanest subway I have ever scene. It makes London's subway look like a cesspool, and certain is cleaner than Paris's grimy subway. Unlike London and Paris, the rail is blocked by a wall of glass and doors open only when the train is stopped. This allows A/C in the station, and trains themselves are air conditioned. The experience of the subway and the skytrain (both connected at two stations) is a joy. I wish their routes were more extensive though.

6. The gay section of Bangkok aong Silom road is crawling with white folks. It's also very seedy feeling and I did not enjoy it. I got a good deal of attention, but being a foreigner, I would. Oddly, half the white guys ignored me as they were looking for petite 'real' Thais . I found the entire experience to be even more extreme than the often disgusting gay meat markets in the US. Soi 3 which is 'straight' wasn't much better.

7. China Town kicks arse. The food smells great, but I'm a germaphobe so I haven't yet convinced myself to go to a roadside stand and try something.

8. The charm of Bangkok is the people. Everything else repulses me. If not for the Thai people I would want to run like hell from this place. It's too big, too crowded, and too polluted. I believe Bangkok has 8.6 million official residents. Add 2 million undocumented residence, and then add day commuters, and at any given time in the city you can have 12 to 15 million people in it. It's simply massive. That's 3 to 4 times the population of the entire country of Wales, and without the beautiful scenery.

9. Everything is cheap. VERY cheap. I had a latte at Starbucks that would have easily cost me 4 bucks in the US for about 30 cents here. Amazing.

10. The verdict is out as the whether I like it here or not. I just don't know. Personally I prefer European cities over all other cities in the world. But the Thais are friendly people. YOu get ALOT of the casual trendy, unfriendly types in Bangkok (it's a big city afterall) but the percentage of nice to not-nice folks here is higher than any other big city I've been in. I've met ex-pats on facebook, a few of whom I've befriended here, and all of them noticed that. All of them also are not sure if they love or hate Bangkok.

I would also like to add that Thai Pop music is about as bad as German pop music. Possibly worse, but I'm not quite sure yet.

Imago said:

I'mma go with worse... it's a safe bet!

Imago said:

has no-one told you that the roadside stands are one of the best options for food?? Germaphobe in Thailand.....

Bangkok rocks!!!

abierman said:

I was thinking the same thing!!