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| Oh, pisang mas. How I've missed you! |
Unlike in my (very recent) past, I was relatively organised for this trip and noted the name of a few hostels I thought I'd check out, as well as actually writing down how to get there. But this being Bangkok, and me being me, I wasn't hugely surprised to find myself wandering around in a daze for a while without being able to find my destination. After satisfying my strong desire for a fresh coconut, I asked a few people who all smiled very kindly and pointed in the same direction, in which I meandered. I accidentally stumbled upon a tiny, leafy alleyway tucked away behind Soi 11, and thought that it was so peaceful and pretty that I wouldn't mind if I were staying here. And then I realised that the very building I had been ogling, hidden behind greenery and crooked balconies, was my hostel.
It's called Suk 11 Hostel and it's on Soi 11; there are many numerically-labelled roads angling perpendicularly off Sukhumvit Road, called "Soi 1", "Soi 2" etc. The odd numbers are north of the main road and the even numbers south. This place is far bigger on the inside than the outside. It's a beautiful, traditional wooden building, with dark wood planks and red brickwork lining the floors and walls. On each floor there's a long, crooked corridor, with doors set back from the main passageway leading off to the rooms. The corridors are floored with creaking wooden planks that are narrower than its width, a little like train tracks, so that the surrounding space is filled in different places with gravel, long thick bamboo stems, loose laid red bricks, or large ceramic pots. Lanterns form soft interstices in the dimness, giving the impression that I am walking along a well-lit mine shaft. This sense is further strengthened by the bones of the building having been purposefully exposed: red bricks, white mortar and wooden beams gleam through like parts of a skeleton. But this is a finely furnished abode: there are ornamental bird cages, healthy pot plants, ebony elephants, and fishing nets swinging from the ceiling. Sometimes there's a sudden window up to the sky and the sunlight blazes in, illuminating a straw hat collection or an interesting collection of beer bottles. There are many shrines to Buddha, and somewhere I found a tiny book and map collection with cushions piled on the floor. Every white space on the walls and ceilings is filled with happy graffiti from the lodgers: hundreds of languages and thousands of names, leaving good wishes for travellers, and deep regret at leaving. There are strict in-house rules for this memory wall: "Oversized or non-sense will be erased", so you can be sure of a quality read throughout. There are at least five floors, the top one being a roof garden, although I found at least three different roof gardens - one replete with luxurious plants that grew to form a verdant tunnel overhead, another with a pile of woven baskets and rusty vintage bikes piled high at one end, and yet another with roof-top showers for those who enjoy a view. I think the staircases move around, and I know for sure the bathrooms do. I found a spacious one earlier with a lovely Georgian-style enamel toilet and sink, but when I went back later it was gone. There are so many doors and staircases here that I feel sure I could wander through the passageways and discover a new treasure at every turn.
I arrived a couple of hours too early for check in, so I left my bag there and went for breakfast in the restaurant next door. I immediately ordered tom yum soup and fresh papaya salad: I had been salivating over these particular dishes for some time. Next stop was a quick haircut to alleviate some of the head sweat, and after checking in to my room, I went for a wander.
I headed for the small river north of Sukhumvit. I had been told of a river boat bus which whizzed up and down the river to both ends of the city in a matter of minutes, whereas a trip in a tuk tuk to the same destination would take an hour or more in the heavy traffic. I found a platform for the boat bus where a few people and some sleepy homeless dogs were waiting, and, not knowing which way to go for the downtown area, I jumped onto a boat and hoped for the best (if I had thought about it, it would have been easy to work out, as the river was a direct line east to west, but my brain was full of airline air at this stage). After a while I realised that I had chosen the wrong direction, which didn't really matter, as I just wanted a boat ride, and left at the next stop. I wandered slowly back to my area through residential streets with large leafy gardens, until, quite weary, I arrived back at Sukhumvit.
The street market stalls were out by this time, offering everything from Thai silk boxing shorts and t-shirts with tacky slogans, to carefully prepared fruit, to porn, viagra and dildos. I declined the latter offerings and opted instead for some fresh pomegranate juice, a rich, dark red, and some mango. There were a lot of beggars at this hour: a painfully thin man with one leg amputated and the other wasted and useless, dragging himself prostrate along the ground by his arms; a young girl with no arms; a woman holding an unconscious baby. The people work constantly here: every shopkeeper and driver of taxis, tuk tuks and motorbikes is on the lookout for custom from likely and unlikely buyers. I reflected on the last time I was here a decade ago, and how my aversion to material stuff has grown over the years. I remember buying a fair amount of things from markets, and I have no desire to do the same now. I think I have changed a lot more in ten years than the city has, and it seems to show on my face, because I wasn't hassled at all walking through the market, as I saw other travellers being called after and shown fine watches - Rolex, no doubt - and haute couture handbags ("Gucci for verygoodprice, miss?").
I stopped for a bowl of pork noodle soup with unidentifiable but deliciously crunchy bits floating in it, which was quickly assembled in a food cart by a tiny man on a street corner who spoke as little English as I do Thai (which is none, except for "thank you"), and, having nearly fallen into my food with fatigue, headed for bed. This morning I left at 6am for the bus station and am now en route to Cambodia. I will detail this journey in another post, as I feel it may be quite useful.
I'm noting down the following price guide for my own interest and future reference. Most street food dishes seem to be around 45 baht, which is about one euro.
- Airport to Praya Thai (Airport city line): 45 baht (1 euro)
- Praya Thai to Nana (BTS Sukhumvit line): 31 baht. I think these two journeys combined took around 45 minutes or so.
- Haircut: 350 baht (about 7 euro). This is especially pleasing because I take major issue with the prices women are charged in Europe for a simple haircut, when men can pay a reasonable amount for a quick in-n-out. It's not as if we have more hair ends to be cut than a man does.
- River boat bus: I don't know how much this was, because I wasn't able to pay for it. I had my wallet out and looked questioningly at the conductor each time he passed collecting fares, but he continued to pass me by each time. Boarding was a fairly haphazard process and people were leaping on and off dextrously and swinging from the outside of the boat like acrobats, so the fact that he knew who was due to pay (except me) was impressive.
- Pork noodle soup: 50 baht
- Fresh prepared mango: 50 baht
- Pomegranate juice: 40 baht
- Fresh coconut: 40 baht
- Tom yum soup: 45 baht
- Papaya salad: 45 baht
- Large bottle of water (2 litres?): 13 baht (about 26 cent)
- Single room in Suk 11 Hostel: 539 baht (12.50 euro). The best thing about my room was the air con. It also had a secret door (unsurprising in this place, but pleasing nonetheless) which led onto a little balcony. No ensuite bathroom but that is definitely not a problem in this building. Free wifi and lots of sockets in the communal areas; top notch food including homemade cakes in the restaurant just outside (run by the same people); friendly and sensible staff. There was a 100 baht deposit for the room key, but because I was leaving earlier than the hour the staff start work in the morning, it was ok to not pay the deposit and just make sure that I returned the key. There was also no problem leaving my bag and going for a wander to fill the time before check in, and if you book a return trip you can leave stuff here for up to two weeks. Little common sense things are wonderful. Sheets, towel, soap and loo roll are provided (these things are important to know here). To get there take the exit 3 from Nana BTS station and Soi 11 is the first street on the left, about 50 metres away from the stairs. Suk 11 Hostel can be found in the left turn (leafy alleyway) just after the 7-11 on the left hand side of Soi 11. http://www.suk11.com/
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