I never expected that the next time I'd see these two ladies together would be in Tarn's hometown of BKK. It just so happens that Jan is travelling around Asia on her month-long journey back home to Sydney and I'm kinda but not really in the middle (geographically). And I'm not sure I remember Jan being this Aussie/bogan. She'll probably kill me if she found out I said that but if I got 1 baht for every time she said "like" and "chill"... :O Need to pick your travel partners wisely...! My Bangkok friend is as elegant as ever.
Travelling around SEA is eye opening and we literally saw the slums all the way to the riches high up on top of Bangkok. Where you can get a meal for as little as 12 baht to having a cocktail that costs 800 baht (around AUD 30). We did it all... kind of. Tried the bars - rooftop and local - and the cleaner versions of street food in the form of markets and stalls. So many colours and flavours... I want to come back. And see more sights! Due to limited time and other hiccups, we really only got to see one temple, a traditional Thai house and the infamous markets.
Tarn was such a gracious host too. We stayed right in the middle of the city in her family's house and she then invited us over to Sunday lunch with her parents back in the "suburbs". Amazing... I can only imagine how successful her parents are to be able to send 4 children to high school and university in Australia. But they are so humble and down to earth and welcoming and I felt relaxed even though I naturally want don't want to impose on people.
Favourite evening was Saturday where we are Thai (which is just as good in Sydney btw, even tarn says so), dessert and then went to this amazing bar in seedy Chinatown. And gosh felt so upscale being chauffeured around by Tarn's bf in his flashy BMW. Hahaha. Learnt about this business success story from him - this dessert place opened by a lady who has now listed on the Thai stock exchange. When it first opened, the shares were (overvalued) at 4 times the price of Starbucks. Amazing!!! Tried locally brewed stuff and loved it. Went to a rooftop whiskey bar (the really expensive one). Ate coconut ice cream. Bargained at the markets. Avoided tuk tuk rides much to the annoyance of Jan as well as refusing to eat pre cut fruits or anything that didn't look sanitary (which also annoyed Jan) but sorry not in the mood for food poisoning again! Took the subway and a really dodgy canal boat (which I also refused to do again). Walked through lots of high end malls. Tried Thai coffee and tea. Ate traditional Thai breakfast and desserts. Browsed the local wet markets. Ubered everywhere since taxis are also dodgy as fark. Sadly didn't have time for a massage.
At the beginning of the trip, I wasn't sure if I wanted to come back but I can safely say that I would want to. Maybe I can convince my boss to let me work from our Bangkok office since I am supporting Thailand!
