bangkok’s chaos in a inch-high pottery bowl

well i wasn’t exactly looking for a culinary revolution when i wandered into this noodle stall on khiuan khon road but here we are. turns out my hand was hovering over a bowl of 거리 음식 and the chef-this gritty old guy with hands like cracked yak meat-just smiled and said ‘okay? have i said now?’

so yeah. i did. and it was good? maybe? idk. the broth was running and the noodles were probably undercooked but whatever. in bangkok’s logic, good enough is a myth. i just checked and it’s this sticky heat where your skin feels like it’s been dipped in lukewarm broth. 96% humidity and all. not my start, but hey. it’s a vibe. if you get bored, chiangmai is just a short drive away. though don’t ask me what ‘short’ means here. traffic’s a existential crisis.

blockquote i heard that the jem-praduk market is where tourists go to cry. or is thatJust something a local warned me about? i can’t tell. the rumors say the fish stall there sells fake tuna. but then again, is that even a thing in 2020? maybe not. i’ll let you know when i find out. it’s not like anyone’s keeping score.

i’m still not sure how i feel about the weather. it’s 26.23°c and somehow feels hotter. maybe because the air smells like fried durian and bad decisions. or maybe my face is just sweating from the memory of that last dive into the ocean. yeah. that’s right. the ocean. i jumped into it. not because i’m brave. because the sign said ‘free’ and i’m terrible at saying no. local told me there’d be sharks. they were lying. or maybe i was. who knows?

speaking of lies, i saw a photo online from unsplash that looked like this ghostly statue in a room. turns out it’s a real thing. somewhere in bangkok. i tried to find it but my gps gave me directions to a gas station instead. classic. i ended up at this random alley where people were selling betel leaves and hopes. not sure if that’s a thing. it felt like a betrayal. like i’d broken a pact with the city.

another thing-reviews. something a local warned me about? definitely. not a serious warning. more like a drunk text at 2am. ‘don’t eat that skewer. it’s for dogs.’ i did. it was good. turns out dogs love it too. or maybe i’m lying again. who am i to fact-check under these conditions?

images are everywhere. one shows a person on a rock next to the ocean. another is boats floating like they’re having a quiet moment. irony. i’m here in a city that’s 180 degrees different from that. busy. loud. urgent. but also, weirdly, quiet. like the humidity is holding its breath. maybe it’s judging us. who knows.

i added some links because who doesn’t need a distraction? tripadvisor says the bts is 90% broken. yelp claims the talkapple cafe has the best mango sticky rice. and the local board said if you ride a motorbike at night, you’ll either die or make a new friend. i went with the friend option. he gave me a coconut. or was it a water bottle? i forgot. either way, it was tropical.

map placed here:

another image shows a hindu deity statue. weird. i didn’t ask for it. but it’s there. adds to the chaos. and one of the images is boats. which is also weird. connections. or maybe not. i don’t know. just rolling with it.

p.s. if you like this mess, check out my washitsu lens on unsplash. same sloppy vibe. or don’t. i won’t chase you. probably.

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