how to make a bunny melt
I felt rather like these exhausted bunnies at the Chatuchak Market after a few days of whirlwind house-hunting in Bangkok. That's what I'm going to use as my excuse for not blogging a bit about it until now ...
Bangkok was a surreal experience. It felt like it had to be at least 35 degrees Celcius every single day that we were there, yet at least three-quarters of the people walking around on the street, in the sun, were wearing long pants. One of our relocation agents even wore long sleeves everyday, which led me to believe that she must have been an alien in disguise.
The homes that we looked at were surreal, definitely. Much larger than our house in Calgary (and one had marble floors and columns), but there were no Canadian-style yards to speak of. A patio, and one had a small pool, but no grass to run around in. Most had their air-conditioning units turned off because they were vacant, which kind of made me regret not choosing a home on our very first day, because two fewer days of stepping into sauna-like homes would have been a good thing.
The result of our home-search is that we'll be spending the next 3-4 years in a very large apartment that has a swimming pool and a playground. It's in a gated community where ex-pats probably out-number the Thais 3-1, and I wonder if I will be disconcerted or comforted by the level of insulation from what normal life in Bangkok is supposed to be like. If I walked for 15 minutes, I'd come to a Starbucks, not a street-side food cart. Nonetheless, this location offered the best commute for Chris to his office, and for Madeline to preschool and beyond.
One evening Chris and I took a table-service dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya, and that was a definite highlight of the trip. We didn't have a chance to see the Grand Place or any of the wats during the day (though Chris did this past weekend). I really enjoyed cruising the department stores, as well. It was really good to see what kinds of thing were available in BKK if need (pretty much everything, it turns out, and much much more).
Chris and I walked down Ratchadamri Street on our first night in Bangkok, and I had thought that the young man selling food to feed the baby elephant by his side would be the most bizarre thing that I would see during our brief trip. I was proven wrong when we came upon the pet section of the Chatachuk Market and saw over-heated bunnies wearing doll-sized dresses. I'm not sure how many baht they were going for, but I really hope that every single one of them was liberated from the market to live a new life amid air-conditioning. Same goes for the squirrels on leashes ...
I am very much looking forward to reading about your adventure in this new land. It already sounds as if it will be quite interesting. The heat. Ugh. Ick. I wonder how long it stays that way.
Posted by: chronicler | June 25, 2007 at 08:57 PM
I am glad you had a good trip. Except for the bunnies and squirrels. Can't wait to read more and also about the food!
Posted by: Ani | June 25, 2007 at 09:33 PM
What an adventure you're embarking on! I hope you settle in quickly and that you enjoy your time in Thailand.
Posted by: Helen | June 27, 2007 at 01:20 AM
Isn't the pet section of the Chatuchak Market crazy?! At first I thought the little squirrels were dead since they didn't even move an inch when I approached them... maybe they were paralyzed from the heat!
Posted by: domestic girl | July 03, 2007 at 07:48 AM