Bangkok – Peace Amidst Chaos

Getting a Thai massage on our first day in Thailand was definitely a good call. After an eight-hour flight delay and a case of missing luggage (which we did eventually recover), a relaxing massage in an air-conditioned room was a perfect welcome. Massages are offered literally everywhere in the Khao San neighbourhood,  but we chose the Wat Pho Massage School, located on the temple grounds that also house a 42-foot-long gold reclining Buddha, quite a sight to behold.

The massage school was dimly lit, not in a dingy way, but in such a way as to enhance the relaxing atmosphere. It smelled sweetly of citrus fruit. The room was hushed, but not silent; the masseuses chatted softly with one another as they worked. They have incredibly strong hands. During some parts of the massage, I couldn’t help but visibly wince, but I knew it would feel good later on. I was surprised to find that part of the session involves cracking your back, as well as all of your fingers and toes. However, Ellsa and I agreed that the strangest part was when they pressed their fingers into our ears. I know it is supposed to be a full body massage, but I am really not sure what that was supposed to do. Nevertheless, it’s amazing how relaxed you feel afterward, even if you didn’t feel particularly tense beforehand.

A surprising highlight in Bangkok was our hostel. We stayed at Suneta Hostel on Kraisi Road. Our first night was spent in a small private room with a double bed. Our second, in cabin dorms, which are effectively large wooden cupboards with sliding doors, each containing a single mattress, a light, and a TV on the wall opposite your pillow. For someone claustrophobic,  it would have been a terrible experience, but Ellsa and I both found them rather cozy.

One of the best things about hostelling is the people you meet, and Bangkok was no exception. On our second morning there, while Ellsa was recovering from jet-lag, I spent a leisurely breakfast getting to know a 28–year-old filmmaker from a small country in Africa.  We compared homelands in terms of population distribution and climate, neither of us having experienced the extreme temperature of the other’s home. We discussed his work and mine. The topics were nothing special, but what made the conversation memorable was that we were both genuinely interested in it. Also, neither of us were in a rush to be anywhere, a factor that I think limits us too often in our day-to-day lives.

Right before we left Bangkok, Ellsa and I had a great game of Bonanza with a young Brit named Josh and a Scot named Cleo. At first I was worried they were going to take back their offer to join in, since the rules to the game are a bit overwhleming, but they stuck with it, and the four of us had a great time. I love how easily card and board games can break the ice.

It seems pertinent to note that our travel setbacks on the way from Vancouver to Bangkok were actually blessings in disguise. While the long delay meant a somewhat uncomfortable night spent in the airport, and the missing bags were a tad stressful, as we didn’t know whether they would turn up at all, everything worked out extremely well. For one thing, we didn’t have to carry our bags around as we made our way from the airport to the hostel on the first night, and the airline had them delivered early the following morning. Even better, we arrived in the evening, and were thus able to sleep off our exhaustion and adjust to a normal sleep schedule quite easily. In contrast, our original itinerary would have had us arrive in the morning, and I’m sure we would have struggled to stay up that day and sleep that night. I’m thankful that everything worked out so well, and happy to be reminded that God’s plan is always better than our own.