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November 29, 2004
the ayutthaya gang
arrived at bankok airport at 11 pm, taxi to ayutthaya, then straight to Moon Cafe for drinks at some unexpected repartee. I had been told many a yarn about this local, all fall short of the mark. Mr. Chai sits at the end of the bar with his entourage, eying me and making me nervous for a few minutes...
settled in after a few beers and made a some new friends. All accommodations save one were booked for the night so we took the only available space and, initially, were glad for it. After 22 hrs of flights and layovers, taxis and such, a bed was highly prized... only that was the extent of it.. a bed. Oh yeah, there was a fan too. No table, no chair, nary a nail to hang my stetson from. Woke from fitful rest at 7- 7:30 to street noise., motorcycles, tuk tuks. No chance of sleep so we move to Wingfah Hotel and real rooms. Here there are quiet gardens filled with gentle sounds of water, kittens hunt birds and frogs unsuccessfully in the yard. It's off the street just far enough for comfort and real calm like. Caught my first glimpse of the deity but he vanished behind a cloud of grey smoke issuing from the tailpipe of a tuk tuk. I took this as an omen and followed the trail through dusty streets to my first taste of authentic Thai food. The eatery we arrived at seemed no different than the many many others we passed, but this is where the smoke ended, so here we did partake of the sacred nourishment, gai tort gatiem, chicken, garlic and fried egg over rice. Never again will I waste my time on cereal, fruit or yoghurt. My mouth seemed to explode in a shower of flavor and might and it was all I could do not to order another plate. Napping and shopping for forgotten necessities at central bazaar before moving on to Cowboy Bar to meet The Ayutthaya Gang. Thad & Sa were there, also met Ong(proprietor) and the author David Young for the first time and was glad to make their acquaintance. After much drinking and merrymaking, Geoff and Sa call it a night, while Thad and I go downtown in search of trouble...
My first taste of thai whiskey and the revelation that "cowboy bar" is a generic term in Thailand. If there are two on the same block they are often given a number. Cowboy Bar # 1 and #2, well, you get it . After numerous portions of the blinding cane whiskey I am becoming increasingly jovial, and am the toast of this provincial town, once the capital of this great country. We met up with Bier, another of the old ayuttaya gang, and plunge headlong into a disco which is the Thai version of the Coyote Ugly theme. Six or seven heavenly tendresses grinding and bumping while pouring out strong drink to the funloving youth of this town, who are all fixated on the few farang girls in the bar. After we eat in the street, Thai style, the standard late night fare of gooey-teeo, noodle soup with chicken. This is when the evening starts to blur, the last few memories being falling down noisily while eating the noodles due to a plastic stool made to hold people of smaller stature( in other words I am the ugly American), bargaining with the motrcycle taxi lads for a ride to moon cafe, howling and laughing while clutching the bike for dear life as we roared into the humid night, and finding the angel of Moon Cafe sleepy eyed and yet still willing to serve drinks and chat with this silly tourist. She is a dream. I must be dreaming. Waking in the hotel hungover and half blind, dreading the van ride back to bankok to catch a flight down south. No mercy here, the journey more painful than could be imagined, a precurser of the pain to come.
Posted by Ken Graves at November 29, 2004 3:41 PM