Home Away From Home part 2

I woke up to pigeons cooing and a rooster’s crackle.  Welcome to Bangkok – urban and rural.

I moved into my new place on Thursday with a Thai woman about my age.  She greeted me with the best chicken coconut curry soup I ever tasted and a promise to teach me how to make it.  (It’s easy, she says, the trick is balancing the fish sauce and the lime.) She also says her mom and sister are amazing cooks and visit once a month.  I think this could work out well.

So the other place didn't work out (went to someone who was available for a 1-year contract), but living with a local had always been my first choice.  Nok, my roommate grew up in Bangkok and knows the city well. She’s already introduced me a $12 Chinese acupuncturist and an English speaking monk who runs Saturday studies across the road. I had my first class in Buddhism and meditation this morning. There’s also a definite perk to having a Thai speaking roommate who can get on the phone with my confused, non-English speaking taxi driver to direct us both home late on a tipsy Friday night. Yes, I think this could work out very well.

The place itself is nice – bright, cheery, high-up and breezy with multiple balconies and en suite loos. It’s a 12 unit gated complex with a pool, Jacuzzi, garden, and security guard.  It even has an elevator! (Anyone who’s ever visited me in SoNo and been stuck lugging shit up all the stairs will get my excitement.) It might sound like the lap of luxury, but for $380 a month - utilities and weekly cleaning service included - it would be silly not to. Plus there are three dogs, a cat and a giant blue and gold macaw in residence. They belong to the caretaker and are all very helpful in keeping me from adopting a street cat to take home to my parents… again.

You can see pics of the place here… http://bangkok.craigslist.co.th/roo/4055666658.html

The funny thing is, when I came to see it last weekend I arrived via the BTS (Thai subway/tube/metro) and walked 15 mins down a leafy side street. I figured 15 mins to the main road wouldn't be too bad, even if the area felt a little sleepy. Ha!  What I didn't realize (until I moved in) was that just 5 mins in the other direction is the Thai version of SoNo with all kinds of fun bars, restaurants and shops - kind of an open-air pedestrian street market. http://www.kvillagebangkok.com  

No train to keep me up, but plenty of suffering with Bruno Mars karaoke until 1am instead… and then there’s the damn rooster and pigeons. Oh well.