Fitting For Bangkok

I'm here at my old haunt, the Four Son's Village Guesthouse. The most difficult task I have had to do so far is to make a local call. I was trying to reach Santa Dennis but his phone didn't work. So then I called "Monkey" (one of his Thai ladies) and she said to try his number again. I kept getting cut off or running out of change.

So then I braved the forty degree Bangkok heat in a tuk-tuk. I called my buddy Joe, but he just never arrived.

I went to a Jewelry store to buy special gifts for Sarah and her sister, who I refer to as Cara-Rae, in honor of her favorite character in literature. I hope you two like these gifts. The jewels are very special in Thailand. These are the saleswomen who helped me; Flower and Apple (I think those are their stage names).

This is the reclining Buddha. He is the largest statue in any of the Temples. I didn't really get any kind of special feeling here though. It was just a fun tourist place.

You can get some idea of the size from this picture.

These Japanese school children came rushing up to me collecting names and countries. I traded them for a picture of themselves. They ran away giggling with my cards. Oneecheewah, if you see this my young friends!

I'm not sure who this guy is but he just looks so familiar I had to snap a shot.

This is Maureen and her daughter Anita, from Coventry England. They showed up and sat beside me so we started talking. The curator of this Temple handed us those same Dragon sticks that you showed me Vivyan. They are like tongue depressors inside a cylindrical box. You rotate the box until one stick falls out. I got number 26 and so did Anita. The fortune paper for #26 says: "Just like a dying tree in a dry land, suddenly refreshed and soaked with rain, reviving back to life. Strengthening and brightening up required. In order to achieve common targets, compromise and discussions recommended. Patient recovering. Lost persons will be found. Mismatch is likely. A good luck coming your way."

I mentioned to Maureen and Anita that my Mother has decided to do the Garden Tour of England in May. She said that is a wonderful time to go because everything is coming into bloom. This is the swirl of Life here as I travel. Strangers are dear friends for a moment and then they move off into the swirl. This is when I realize how we are all connected.

Somsoc, I took this picture for you. You mentioned a dream about something like this. It also has a good tie in with the book 'The Da Vinci Code'. By the way, thanks again Vivyan for that book. I have run into a tremendous number of people who are reading it right now.

I had my final fitting for my suit today. It's an Armani cashmere dark pinstripe suit with a silk lining and three custom shirts, light blue, ivory and white and second pair of slacks; 16000 baht. When I come back in early April I will pick out the ties. The only problem is that I don't like the way the suit looks with my sandals. And what's the dress code on socks?

Suits Me

My sleep patterns are messed up from the travelling. I had a siesta this afternoon and almost had a full night's sleep by mistake. I create my own world here in Bangkok by making a task list and then going on mini adventures to complete the tasks. One of those tasks was to start looking for a suit. My buddy Ted, in Calgary, bought a couple of silk suits in Thailand that were a great price. I met 'Sunny' who helped me out.

He offered me a suit made from Italian cashmere with two cotton shirts for 5000 baht. ($160) I liked him and I think he would do a good job for me but Ted suggests I go north to Chiang Mai and look at the silk suits.

I saw some kimonos that I thought were very nice too. They are selling for 1800b ($60) Is that a good price?

The clothes are generally very cheap when it comes to shirts blouses and dresses. I thought some of these were pretty. They cost about 150b ($5).

Task 2. Book an Elephant Trek. I went to a travel agent and booked a trip Ted recommended. It takes me Kanchanaburi, where the Bridge on the River Kwai was built. It's a 3 day adventure including an elephant trek, a ride on the infamous railway, some rafting, and all the travel and accommodation for 1500b ($60) It's cheaper to go on this trek than to stay where I am.
As for tomorrow, I'm thinking of doing the Tatanakosin Temples and River Walking Tour that is outlined in my 'Lonely Planet' Book. I would just take a cab to 'Tha Tien and start from there.