Bangkok Putin
I am entering Thailand for the second time. The shock is the same, which I have to mitigate by finding myself poutine, monkeys and silence.
What a shock I had when I entered Thailand from Burma. In a few meters, the landscape changes drastically from fruit vendors on the side of the road to huge car dealerships and furniture stores. Thailand stands out from its neighbors in this part of the world.
The shock is always the same when leaving Cambodia. On one side, a few kebabs cooked over charcoal, on the other a shopping center with a Kentucky, a Dunkin Donuts, and four banks. The roads instantly widen and there are even trees in the middle of the four lanes. The contrast to Cambodia's rarely paved roads is stark.
In fact, this ease is disconcerting. I feel less in an adventure, so much is going on. In this highly developed region of Asia, I feel more like driving in Florida. I accumulate the kilometers without really having any discussions with people, they too are more in a hurry by their modern life.
One evening, I spoke with Freddy Fritz (you can't invent it), my German friend with whom I drove the equivalent of two months in Tajikistan and Burma. He's back in Germany, in a “real job” as a teacher. He knows that I am heading towards Kuala Lumpur and that I will stop pedaling soon. His advice from Europe is timely.
Take all the smiles you can on your way. Believe me, people have money here, but they've lost their smile.
Bangkok (Putin)
Getting into Bangkok is easier than I would imagine for a city which houses nearly sixteen million inhabitants ! There are road options outside of the highways.
In the city center, I head for a restaurant that I have dreamed of for months: Bangkok Putin.
The restaurant owes its notoriety as much to the fact that it serves poutine with "real curds" as to its known owner, the globetrotter exploding. Bruno Blanchet. Like many others, I go through the doors hoping to see the famous Bruno. I will finally have an excellent discussion with Onnicha, his girlfriend and the real owner of the place. And as if to meet my buddy Freddy, Onnicha smiles enough for all of Thailand.
Onnicha, owner of the restaurant Bangkok Poutine
With his cook, who never believed in making poutines!
Onnicha tells me that Bruno is however very rarely a visit to the restaurant now. Rather, it is she who spends all her days here, serving an international clientele. She was also the one who had the idea of serving poutine, when a few years ago she was exploring different new menu options.
- Bruno, what typical dish from Quebec could I add?
- Uh ... poutine ?!
The actor then got into the cauldrons and showed his Thai woman how to prepare "real poutine". He explained to her the importance of the three different main ingredients and the various other varieties. It functioned. Today, half of Bangkok Poutine's clientele are from Quebec, and line the restaurant's interior with letters thanking Bruno for serving poutine in Thailand. I ask Onnicha if he minds seeing all these thanks not even naming her.
All of these letters come from clients who increase my income. They can thank whoever they want!
I understand who the real businesswoman is in this couple.
What about poutine in all of this? I would have taken a picture for you, but it left too fast for me to even think about it before I finished it!
To the south
I take the south direction after Bangkok. The highway is huge, eight lanes wide in total. Everywhere on the edge, more McDonald's, Kentucky, and gas stations every few miles. I feel like driving on the 20, if the 20 was twice as big. It doesn't sound too exotic!
After a bit, I managed to branch off to parallel paths and follow the edge of the shores of the Gulf of Thailand. Well, there you speak, that's the kind of becyk that I like!
One afternoon, I even saw several monkeys on the side of the path. I stop to take a picture of them, and when I turn around, I see a few embarrassed footsteps rummaging through my bags for food!
Despite the highways and McDonald's, the ever-present heat and my accumulated fatigue, these monkeys bring me back to the beauty of cycling travel. Find surprises on the side of the road, share emotions with people, and even animals. Take the time to capture moments or landscapes in photos. Let many others pass just to keep them in mind. And take all the smiles I can.
