Back From Bangkok (part 2)

Its taken one day to re-adjust back to Singapore, and how life needs to go back to normal. By normal, I mean hectic. By hectic I mean mindless activity carried out at a pace that leaves no room for thought.

But I spare a moment here to recollect a little abt my trip.

Its been a while since my family spent time together on a trip. We’ve all been so busy we don’t even have meals together like we always used to anymore. So traveling once a year used to be what we set aside to spend quality time with each other. I remember trips way back, to nearby countries like Hongkong, China, Thailand, Indonesia, even Penang. Then we had the long ones like South Africa, Australia, Europe, and Hokkaido. This time round we went back again to Bangkok after more than ten years. The last time I was there I was still a really small kid. I still remember gazing at this old picture of my time there in utter horror, since it showed me being carried in the arms of an ah-kua. We had gone for one of those shows, and I swear my memory must have blocked out that traumatic incident to preserve my sanity. Yet there the photo served as evidence of my stolen innocence, and I swear it must have contributed in a big way to the fact that I’m now resigned to spending the rest of my life with a man.

But I digress.

Time spent with the family was great. We don’t do enough of that anymore. I watch movies that always show Florida as the retirement home for old folks whose children seem to be on another planet, and I think to myself I’m glad that doesn’t happen much in Singapore. After all, Ang Mo Kio and Jurong is still less than an hr’s travel away, unlike Florida and Texas. But the fact of the matter is, I still don’t spend as much time as I think I shd with my family. I always allow myself to schedule something that takes up the slot that says “go home for dinner”, telling myself that having worship practice or meeting up with a friend I haven’t seen in a while is more important. The fact usually only dawns on me later that I prob have spent more quality time with that friend than my family. That I spent more time trying to “build bonds of fellowship” with my ministry co-workers, and decided that bonds with my family can take a back-seat. So much so that I even resent it when my parents complain I spend too much time on church.

So the travel was good, taking time out to again get to know what kind of clothes my mom likes (the expensive ones), to what sort of food my dad likes (the oily and salty ones, other than the cheapest one), to what my sis looks at everytime she starts shopping (only the sale carts). It was fun also to just stand around on the public transport arguing abt what’s the best route to take, or the best plan for the day to explore as much as we can, making decisions as a family.

Thailand was actually pretty confusing for me. The people were all generally really friendly and mild, peace-loving and kind. I really liked the general tone of their culture. Singapore has much to learn from them abt the gentleness of spirit that a metropolitan-wannabe state like Singapore always seem to leave behind. Yet along with that are the ugly sides which are so obvious – Prostitution makes up ten percent of the country’s GDP, so I’m told. Piracy of all kinds is something they’re nationally known for, and its hard to look at just abt any woman and not wonder if she used to be a man.

The tele-network was pretty weird. I had a hard time trying to message people back in Singapore. First of all somehow I kept messaging the wrong people with the wrong messages, then there would be a network failure where messages couldn’t be sent through. I realize only now that my handphone actually stores these messages that fail and keep trying them at regular intervals till they get through. End result is that my friends complain they received abt 5 -7 of the same messages suddenly. My sis had the same problem, only worse. She couldn’t make any calls at all.

I started having a bad headache on the second day, which developed into a fever. Still, it was a short trip and I wasn’t gonna spend it stuck in a hotel bed. So I just took my panadols, and gamely went through the public transport system with my family in search of the best bargains around. And I arrived at one conclusion – my mom’s knee condition is just a scam to retire early. She walked for three days on end, through department stores and night markets, and not once did she complain of having knee pain. I, on the other hand, was limping by the third day. My left knee was in a pretty bad shape from not sitting down 14 hrs at a stretch for three consecutive days.

Still, we had our share of incidences with a con-gang who tried to convince us that there was a big sale going on in a government sanctioned retail outlet that was worth going for. The guy was real smooth, and that was what popped a red flag in my mind. Even my sis nearly fell for it, and the guy had already turned around to hail a cab for us to take us there, until I stepped in and told him we’ll go there on our own, and basically dismissed him. It was spooky, since its usually my sis who was the street savvy one. Still, its not often that I’m the sharp one who saved the day, so I guess I deserve my five minutes’ worth of fame as family super-hero that guarded me and my sister’s inheritance. Grins.

The traffic in Bangkok is scary. The cars leave a margin of only ten centimeters or less between each other, yet they managed to continue driving at speeds of up to 80km/h. No kidding. Them cab drivers are all amazing. And every trip works out to only abt 50 baht, which translates to 2 bucks here. Unbelievable! To think that the S’pore flag-down fare is already $2.40 to begin with!!!

There was also an incident where my sis decided to cancel a massage appt at the last min, only to have the guys come extort us for money. They tried calling our room repeatedly, after which they got the tour guide to tell us they wanted 300 baht. After that the tour guide tried to claim she would have to fork out the money herself if we don’t pay. This time round my sis stepped in when I didn’t know what to do. She demanded to see the guy’s name card, and told our tour guide she planned to make a formal complaint. The guide freaked out and didn’t talk about it anymore. Grins.

You know, I look back to something I posted earlier and I’m convinced I’m right. Money really does make the world go round. You become more attractive to those around you, you can get things done, and you tend to be a more accomplished man if you are rich. Of course, some would protest that being rich isn’t as important as being a nice guy. But I looked around me in Bangkok, and I see so many who are very nice people, being trampled by so many who make a living off treading on others. I guess being nice really isn’t enough.

Bangkok was quite an experience for me on the whole. It was the first time I was traveling on a non-guided tour, and it meant I needed to be more into it, unlike those trips where we just followed instructions, and waited for our arrival to find out where we had just reached, and what we are to see. And I think it was a good trip. After my sister’s marriage, it also helped my parents feel more relived that they didn’t lose their daughter, but that she’s still there.

Next trip March 31st, to Shanghai.

Grins.