The King's B-Day

I went for a ride on the back of a motorbike to check out the festivities in honor of the King's Bday (he turned 83) (+ check out my video post called "Motorbike Ride" for a true taste!):

Here's the bike-taxi driver, named Ék:

 going against the grain:

Indians in a Túk Túk:

everything was lit up with lights:

it was a C-R-A-Z-Y scene...

TONS of Thais...

 concerts...

And, as if that wasn't enough, there were these beautiful, BIG, FLOATING candle-lamps in the sky!

(How they did this I do not know):

(this photo: north191@hotmail.com)


Then, after this mind-boggling journey, I went to Q-Bar:

which is run by Denis (through José Ruiz):

and Travelin Matt from Philly (cap), and DJ Tech 12:

and the lovely Rachel, who even speaks Spanish! 

One might assume she's Thai, but she's half Spanish, half Chinese, from Australia, and chilling in BKK!

BKK is unbelievable.

Check the "Motorbike Ride" video.

Exceedingly Spicy

Exceedingly spicy, ridiculously delicious Tom Yum Gung:

with a bamboo shoot salad to cool things down a bit:

the cook, making people delirious with hot chillies (prík):

Meanwhile just outside the restaurant...

And so much more...  reporting on food in BKK is an endless task.

Crabs with Curry!

Chatuchak Market

Chatuchak Market, usually called JJ Market (I think because the "ch" is kinda like a "J"), is a huge operation - impossible to convey the size thru photos.  The largest outdoor market (though under these rooftops) in SE Asia, some say the world...

Muay Thai shorts (Thai Kickboxing):

a HUGE amount of stuff...

An amazing magician (here he's making a spinning card hover):

  

loosies:

Drinks that caution won't allow me to try (though I'd love to):

I think the sign below translates as "Chicharrones!"

local musicians jamming (including a Rasthai):

 And the inevitable police hassle:

Note to cops around the world:  Stop hassling musicians and go find some crime.

Cabs are Colorful!

Cabs are colorful around here:

Rice v. Snow

You've heard it said that Eskimos have a hundred words for "snow," but from the looks of it, there must be that many words for "rice" here in Thailand.  on top of my notions of white rice, brown rice, long grain and wild rice, here they distinguish between all those plus early rice, mid-season, mature rice, off-season, late-season, uncooked (which they mash up for some dishes), unmilled, plantation rice, mountain rice, "pretty rice," many types of fried rice, and, of course, sticky rice.  The list goes on...

Small World!!

I was hanging with my old friend Chika Watanabe from NY (via Japan, Latin America, and now Myanmar)!

We had dinner @ this great street joint:

Prawns w/garlic, green papaya crab salad, and morning glory greens

 A motorbike rode right through the restaurant

 and nobody flinched:

then we went to a local spot to  ชิลชิล (expression for "relax": pronounced "chill-chill").

a couple of the cutie bartenders

 and all-day breakfast!

 Though we opted for an all-night musicfest instead!

See BKK Singing!

Sebastián!

My sister Naomi & Bro-in-law Adam have given me a nephew and the world a cute kid!  Welcome Sebastián!  Congrats to the parents and the grandparents!  Aunts and uncles!  And he already went to one of my openings last night! (through a dream induced by the below postcard-invite).  I can't wait to meet the little fella when I go from Bangkok to Brooklyn...