long weekend fun

Friday, our long weekend, had been quite the relaxing day: in the morning I did laundry and cleaned my apartment, and in the afternoon I went to lunch with Santiago to a very unexpected but great new organic restaurant, Sustaina (I think). As it turns out, most areas along Sukhumvit Road (where I live) are more expensive areas (this I knew already); Soi 39 (where I live) is particularly Japanese area, and therefore has many Japanese shops, residents, and restaurants, such as Sustaina. Although we entered into a little organic food shop, when you emerge upstairs into the restaurant area you find yourself in a light, airy space with comfortable wicker furniture, elegant table settings and attractive walls. Additionally, the toast set, when ordered with the pumpkin soup, is a wonderful 4 course meal for a maybe less than quarter of what it would be in New York. Adding to the comfort of the meal, since Santiago and I lingered for sometime chatting (partly of what our respective trainers would say about the piece of cheesecake we split), our waitress brought us some complementary sweet tea. The rest of the day was spent wandering through the local shopping mall (a different sort of animal from what we have in the States) before heading to a nicer local grocery store and wine shop (Sutter's White Zinfandel was more than $20 a bottle!)

During the rest of the evening, I sat by the pool for a bit and then did a light workout after lighting Shabbat candles and eating a nicer, Shabbat dinner. I had an almost uncontrollable urge to break into a round of "wherever you go, there's always someone Jewish, you're never alone, 'cause Gd made you a Jew." After one line, though, I managed to stop myself.

Saturday progressed similarly to Friday. I went out to the pool, swam a bit, read some, and napped. There is something especially satisfying about sleeping outside, the fresh air, the occasional breeze; maybe its the naturalness of it, maybe its the warmth of the sun instead of a fabricated blanket,I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps one of my favorite things to do is nap outdoors. Saturday evening found me back at California Wow!, my local gym. Just after I got home, I got a call from Kun Giant, my trainer, calling to check up on me, seeing that I am working out properly. Exactly what I need to stay motivated-- someone to answer to, who will judge me, that I won't resent for judging me (unlike family members or friends.

Today, Sunday, had much more substance to it. I met up with Kun Beam (a coworker) and her younger brother around noon, and they had a full day planned for me to start getting me to see Bangkok. Our first stop was the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, a new museum about the history of Bangkok/Siam. Although the majority of the tour was sans English, due to the museums extremely media based exhibition and interactive aspects, I was able to get a lot out of it and appreciate its detail. From the 4th floor coffee shop, we had a near-panoramic view of the city, overlooking the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha next-store. Which was our next stop. After lunch, that is; as we were near Beam's old high school, we went to a favorite noodle shop of hers where I got my first authentic pad seeyoo. Tasted like what I get in New York. Which is delicious. Before finishing lunch, I was introduced to toast, a yummy Thai dessert with a sweet bread dressed in custard.

The temple grounds were massive, each building and element within the compound constructed with the utmost care and detail. The Sleeping Buddha himself was nearly unbelievable; we all know going into it that the statue is incredibly long, but actually seeing it is beyond what can be expected. On a side note, anywhere in a Buddhist country, if a doorway has a raised entry, do not step on it. It is the residence of a diety. step over it.

After this temple, the three of us boarded a boat for a short ride across the river to a second temple compound. This temple had been built by King Rama 2, and was the royal family temple at the time. Also incredible to see, the details,the workmanship, at every corner. A perfectionist's dream, really.

Following this temple, we journeyed on to a market where inevitably Beam and I ended up shopping. Her brother soon deserted us.

The day ended with a boat ride along the canal to the BTS station (after all, Bangkok is the Venice of Asia)where we headed towards home.

Throughout the entire day, I was repeatedly overwhelmed by the attention and generosity of my friend and one-day guide. She planned the day ahead of time, taking into account what she thought would be most interesting for me, what was near each other, what were the sort of things it would be better for me to have a local around for. Both she and her brother put me first, and I began to see that despite the surface appearance of the city, inaccessible and forbearing, the spirit of welcome in the people can more than compensate.