RECONNECTION

open-air internet cafe
a backstreet courtyard
banglamphu
bangkok
thailand
i reconnect
a portrait of the thai king gazes down wisely on proceedings
james bond tumbles through a chase scene
up on a giant plasma screen
backpackers take nonchalant swigs from their bottles of beer
and check their email
the strange intonation of thai voices assaults the ears
and a fan blows cool air across the courtyard...
en route to south-east asia
my jacket lapel badges successfully break the onboard ice
'what do they mean?'
asks a second korean passenger
i patiently explain the significance of the mod symbol
(nothing to do with the raf)
then attempt to demystify the rainbow heart
'it symbolises love' i say
'what kind of love?' asks korean missionary suspiciously
'erm...whatever kind of love you want, i guess' i reply hesitantly
korean gentleman looks even more suspicious
and i quickly change the subject...
bangkok
a fragrance pervades the humid tropical air
an indelible cocktail of burning incense
coconut milk
lemon grass and kaffir lime
petrol fumes and sewers
the smell rolls back the years
i was twenty-two last time i was here...
teleported from the hurry-worry of seoul
life here seems to function in slow-mo
no-one in any particular hurry
people hang out
dally by the roadside
nibble on snacks
play with their kids....
as a bright orange sun sets over the city
i attempt to burn off some calories in the hotel pool
then relax in the jacuzzi and gaze at the sky turning a deep plum-red
a colour i have seen nowhere else...
a bouncy riverboat on the chao phraya
and i'm following the herd down to banglamphu
checking out the khao san road backpacker freak-show
the fake dreadlocks
the greasy headbands
the smelly flip-flops
the stick-on tattoos
the bangle collections
funny how conformist it all looks as an 'outsider'
(last time i was here i was a part of this scene)
some of these dudes dropping out of one form of conformity
only to take on another kind
stereotype grizzly western men
wrap their arms around the narrow waists
of voluptuous long-haired thai women
i wonder why this east-west bonding
fails to work in reverse...
up early tomorrow to check out some chedis and stupas...
sawat dee krap
f