Things to do in Bangkok while you're not there yet.

Yesterday, after spending most of the afternoon looking for appropriate teacher wear, I found myself in Powerbooks. Over this past week, I have kept constant contact with W, our boy in Bangkok. He has generously offered that I can stay in his flat. I have a choice between being marooned in his living room or sharing his huge bed. Other perks if I stay at his place:

(1) He’s got a Lonely Planet Thailand.

(2) I get to raid his kikay cabinet. The boy is vainer than me.

(3) He has really nice bedsheets—linen—whatever.

(4) I’ll have a tour guide once he gets off work.

I’ll be staying for five days, and I really don’t want to be much of a burden although he insists I’m not. (Well, let’s see him change his mind after I get there, mwahahaha!)

I had also told my mother that I’ll be leaving next month. And of course she wanted to know who’s going with me (nobody), and where I’ll be staying. Initially I told her I’ll be taking a package that includes airfare and the hotel, but since W already offered, I might take him up on that. Mother vaguely remembers W as the tall guy from high school who used to walk me home, and is naturally alarmed that her only daughter would be staying with this guy for several days, in a foreign country. I knew what she was getting at, but I just shushed her with screams like she just proposed incest: That is sooo *not* happening.

Anyway, I told W that I might still book myself in a hotel even for a day. Just to know what it’s like to be alone in a strange land. Now the thing is, I’m still not sure where helives in the city exactly, as my attempts to find Soi Changwattana 10, Tungsonghong, Laksi on the map were not successful. So I’m still waiting for a proper response. I’ve been warned that if the place turns out to be in the outskirts, I’ll just be tiring myself out with the commute going around the city. I don’t want to plague him in the middle of the work week, I want to be able to go around the city on my own on Wednesday and Thursday.

I figure that all this will make sense AFTER I find out where in freaking Krung Tep W really lives. But before that, I need to find out where I can book myself a flight going there via Lufthansa, because W insists that’s the cheapest fare going. I’ll try to check with the travel agencies. Need to do this within the coming week.

Also found out that I will have to modify wardrobe. Originally planned to bring mostly jog pants, shorts and shirts, and one pair of jeans. But recently found out that you won't be let into temples and other stuff if you show even a measly amount of skin. And you can't look at the monks in the eye. So I figured I'll bring along a sarong to cover me up just in case.

One of the things I want to do is take pictures. Now my camera is old and I think it might be dead, and it's one of those point and shoot things. I need to either have old camera fixed, but new camera, or borrow camera. I don't want to spend on a camera just for this trip, so I have to figure this all out.