Bangkok, quien te ha visto y quien te ve!*

Among the many things that I never imagined I would do in exotic Thailand, was attending the theater to watch The Phantom of the Opera.

While visiting Bangkok for Songkran’s holiday in April, I saw the advertisement of the play at a metro station. I pointed it to Gejo and he told me he had never seen it. I had seen it in London many years before and loved it. How could I live with the thought that he, an actor of musical plays, would miss the chance to see it? That would never happen!

A few weeks later, then, we were back in the capital for the Phantom. We stayed at The Eugenia, a boutique hotel featuring an Indian British-colonial flair that is totally enchanting. The rustic wooden floors, antique details, and a pond-looking pool make you forget that you are in Sukumvit, a centric neighborhood in one of the busiest cities in South East Asia.

The play was… Well, amazing! What can I say about it that has not been said before?

After the play we experienced a different kind of cultural activity. We had dinner and a few drinks at one of the many go-go bar streets in the city, close by our hotel. People of different ages, origins, and backgrounds visit these segments in town to buy a little love or to enjoy the curious scene:  lovely creatures wearing very little; men selling apparently useless items (oversized teddy bears and fruit baskets?); moms begging with their babies; foreigners filled with excitement; music, smoke, alcohol, lights, voices, laughs, everything entangled along one short block.

On Sunday, after a good coffee (yes, I used not to drink coffee and I used not to drink shots of Sambuca either!) we paid another visit to Jatujak. It was hotter than the last time and the hang over did not make it any easier… Still, we managed to walk around and buy a couple of things. Before I had to go to the airport we sat at the Jatujak Park, right by the lake. On the other side of the world, people also like to lounge in the sun, chat with friends, buy food for the pigeons and enjoy the passing Sunday afternoon. Despite being 10.5 thousand miles away of from our native land, it felt so familiar.

Jatujak Market

*I find you so different, after all this time!