We decided to get a different guesthouse for tonight, so we went to the Wild Orchid Villa to see if they had any vacant rooms. They had two rooms with a double bed and A/C, and a single economy room (without A/C) for the five of us. I offered to sleep by myself in the single room without A/C, Arrio and Sam took one room, and Blake and Dalton took the other. As soon as we checked in and dropped off our backpacks, we scurried to catch a taxi to church.
Church was scheduled to start at 9am (for the international ward) and 1pm (Thai ward). We wanted to go to the international ward so we could not only understand what was happening, but also because we wanted to meet some people from all over the world.
We found a taxi that would take the five of us on meter. This particular driver was awesome! I felt like I was in a Fast & Furious movie with Paul Walker (RIP) as the driver. He was flying in and out of lanes. He passed a guy in the same lane that the guy was driving. The funny thing is that he was sniffing some sort of herbal medicine. Arrio asked him what it was for. The guy didn't speak any english so he let Arrio see the bottle. It said it was for vertigo. hah! We were a bit scared for our lives, but we thought the guy was a boss.
We made it to church a little late, but just in time to take the sacrament. Church was amazing! I've never been somewhere with such a diverse group of people. There were Indians, Thais, Pakistanis, Englishman, Sotts, Germans, Americans, Phillipinos, Vietnamese, etc. We were all together worshiping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I felt how much God loves ALL of His children. He wants what's best for them. How beautiful was that experience!
A Pakistani man came up to us and invited us all over to his house to eat Pakistani food for the next Sunday. He seemed to be the happiest man on earth. He had a smile on that could melt the heart of even the most calloused of people. His English was less than broken, but Blake and I had a marvelous conversation with him in a language that cannot be spoken. I was seriously considering just postponing our trip up to Chiang Mai just so we could experience dinner with this man and his family, but I thought it best not to. It was hard for me to tell him we were unable.
After church we went to get some food at a restaurant which was suggested to us by some members. I can't remember the name of it, but it was pretty fantastic. I tried my first dish of sweet sticky rice with mango. Oh my holiness! It was like the ideal of beauty manifested itself into a physical form and resided in my mouth for a time. I made it a goal to eat as much of that stuff as possible while in Southeast Asia.
After our meal, we rode the underground subway over to Bangkok's central park, Lumphini park. Within one minute of walking into the park we spotted fish, then turtles, and then a monitor lizard that was about six feet long. We all exploded with excitement to see it, and, in the paradon of touristic fashion, we took our cameras out and began gathering evidence.
A security guard of sorts started walking towards us. We thought that he was coming to tell us to stay away from the lizard. He did just the opposite. He encouraged us to get closer. This man went right up next to the lizard and grabbed its tail. The lizard began thrashing back and forth. I definitely recorded it happening. We all got really close to it and took some awesome pictures. Arrio even got a hold of the tail himself.
After exploring the park, lifting weights with some locals in the outdoor gym, and resting for the better part of an hour, we head to 711 to get some water for the orchestra performance that was to happen in the park. On our way, we purchased some coconut ice cream from a local vendor. The ice cream was put on top of some white bread which I have never seen before, but enjoyed.
The orchestra performance was very impressive and soothing to the soul. Bach, Mozart, and others were played as the sun was setting. Blake and I rented mats from a guy for 40 baht. It was a relaxing evening which contrasted greatly to what happened next.
At this point, we still had not ridden a tuk tuk (pronounced duk duk), so we decided now was the time to do it. It took some negotiating to get one to take all five of us all the way from the park to Soi Rambuttri, but we finally got the job done. A tuk tuk is a tiny motorized back which carries a sort of wagon around its engine in which the passengers ride. These things are everywhere in Bangkok. We paid 150 baht between the five of us (30 a person, $1 USD). It was scary, yet exhilarating, especially at night time with all of the colorful city lights.
We ate some Thai food at a little restaurant off of Soi Rambuttri, and then retired to bed.
Tomorrow will be a resting day. I need one.
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