Nope, that's not Bangkok. That's Hong Kong. And yes, it is beautiful. How kind of you to say.
But I'm in Bangkok.
I took a few pictures of Bangkok, but the shots were obscured by smog and copious mini-cycles.
After a day of delicious soups and walking, I went to get a pair of cell phones for Rami and I. The walk was basically a tour of the motor cavalcade of Bangkok, as nearly every shop someone was either fixing an engine, about to fix an engine, or thinking about fixing an engine. Okay, a couple of people were selling meat on a stick and eating them while dreaming of scooters, cars, and other vehicles that have engines in them. Down each side street, more shops selling engine parts and helmets. But I reminded myself after twenty minutes of walking that I was in the market for a cell phone, not an engine, and so I passed the shops by and continued on.
The mall was four stories and ridiculously packed full of vendors. The fourth floor, the electronics floor, had what seemed like a thousand vendors, all selling new and used phones. I had been told that a used phone went for 600 baht (about 20 bucks), but Rami, who I'm meeting in a few days, had said 450 was his price range.
They laughed at this poor soul. Admittedly, I am white. Now, Thai people are very very nice, but that doesn't mean they don't have businessmen, and those businessmen suck like all businessmen, and they wanted my sweet sweet American cash. The used phones, unlabeled and unadorned by prices, were my target, but they were quoted as nearly as expensive as the new phones (800 baht). One dude, and I call him a dude in the pejorative, let me knock down a few hundred baht for two gruesome looking phones—like, early nineties—and then had the audacity to charge me an extra 100 baht each for the chargers. But because Thai people are all so nice, I simply smiled, nodded thank you, and said I'd return.
Shaw...
Meanwhile, I was delighted to find a new enticement, pancake tacos, some with crème and fruits, others with cheddar cheese topping (I don't claim that it is actually cheddar) and upon tasting, it was actually colored coconut. Reticent to take a picture of a taco pancake vendor, I walked by a few times for a mental image to form, then snapped a quick shot. Then I reminded myself that I needed the phones, and so I asked a security guard how much they should cost. He smiled and said, “600-700,” and so I started to think I was crazy.
In a change of tactics, I began to quote the price I wanted. This yielded some prehistoric phones that would have been super funny to present to Rami. But, being a weight-minded climber/hiker, I knew a two and a half pound phone would only upset him. Finally, I got a Thai guy to ask about two phones, and he was nice enough to ask a lady at one of the seven thousand cell phone counters. She quoted him a price, then I became the customer and thusly became the proud owner of a T Mobile and Samsung for 500 baht each.
Note to self. Women are nicer to men.
Second note to self. Write follow up to Art of War called Art of Avoiding Tourist traps.
Final note to self: Get pancake taco!
