Huh.

Who knew that the original school of traditional Thai
massage was located in the very temple that was closest to my hotel AND the one that I so happened to be wandering around? Feeling as though I couldn’t ignore such a sign from the universe, I made my way out of the 90 degree heat into an air conditioned pavilion at Wat Pho, where I was worked over by a small but surprisingly strong Thai woman for 1 hour for the cost of, wait for it, $12. I know, right?! As I discovered the next morning upon waking with a multitude of bruises up and down my legs, traditional Thai massage is a bit more “aggressive” than its more relaxing, American counterpart.

Feeling a bit more adventurous on this second day of my solo sojourn, I decided to partake in a boat tour of the many canals along the Chao Phraya River. I meandered down to the pier, negotiated a price for a 1 hour tour and set off with my driver in a traditional longtail boat. We passed riverside houses on stilts and I spied quite a few monitor lizards sunning themselves on decks and embankments. After about 20 minutes, we slowed to a stop as we waited with a group of other longtail boats by a fragrant sewage treatment facility. It was then that I drummed up a conversation with 2 women in the boat next to me. After laughing about the stench hanging in the air, I learned that Linnea, an American, and Carol, who was originally from Ireland, both lived in Malaysia and were in Bangkok to participate in a graduation ceremony that had just taken place at Wat Arun (the temple that my hotel balcony overlooked). It seems that a group of girls from remote regions of Thailand were sponsored by a charity and a GoFundMe account was set up to help fund their studies in a Nursing Assistant program in Bangkok founded by a Buddhist monk. The furthering of their education and their subsequent employment meant that this group of girls would not be exposed to the travesty that is human trafficking, which sadly, is far too common in countries such as Thailand. Carol had photographed the event and was staying on in Bangkok but Linnea was headed to the airport later that afternoon to return to Kuala Lumpur. Upon learning that both Carol and I would be alone in Bangkok, a suggestion was made that we explore the city that night together. After giving Carol my hotel name, we agreed to meet in the lobby before grabbing a drink and taking Bangkok by storm……