A sudden knock on the door. The cleaner outside the door humming to herself. Her knocking wakes me up again. I had gotten up to my alarm at first but fell back asleep, and it was already checkout time. I scrambled upright and started getting ready while shouting 'Wait a minute!' through the door. I took a shower and fixed my hair.
The door was knocked again, so I said 'Please wait 5 minutes' and hurriedly got ready — brushed my teeth, put on sunscreen, shaved, packed my things into my backpack, done. I was about 20 minutes over, but I handed the key to the cleaning lady.
At the counter, still half-asleep and not fully awake, I said, "I gave the key to the cleaning lady. I'm checking out, please." I thought they'd charge me extra, but it was fine, which was a relief.
Crispy pork and a body that's still not at 100%.
I sat on a nearby sofa and thought about lunch. I remembered the fried pork place I went to the other day was insanely good, so I decided to go there.
It really was delicious. I ordered the same crispy pork-and-rice set, and since I remembered one plate wasn't enough last time I added egg fried rice. It was only 150 baht in total, super cheap. I ate my fill, but I left a little. Maybe I wasn't fully recovered yet — my stomach felt a bit shocked.
I got off at the wrong station, saved by a bike straight out of the film 'TAXi'.
The station was within walking distance, so I decided to walk. But I got really tired along the way and drank all my Pocari Sweat. I bought two more bottles at a nearby 7-Eleven, then decided to call a motorcycle taxi.
And then trouble happened. The station this time was "Krung Thep", but I had it wrong. Actually Krung Thep station is the next station after the one I was trying to get to — about 8 km away in a straight line. Oh no! I panicked.
But departure was at 14:15 and arrival was scheduled for 14:05. It'll work out! I put my faith in the taxi. This motorcycle taxi was just like the French film 'TAXi'. The guy wore cool wind-blocking sunglasses and blasted along at 70–80 km/h. He was seriously so cool. I almost fell off the back several times, but we made it to Krung Thep safely. I ran through the terminal and just made the train!
I sat down, soaked in sweat. I was truly relieved. This was definitely due to my lack of research. Why do I find researching this much such a bother? I need to reflect on my overly optimistic 'it'll be fine' attitude.
One hour in a non-air-conditioned carriage with all the windows wide open.
The carriage I booked had no AC and the windows were wide open. After an hour, we arrived in Ayutthaya. It had been a while since I'd been to Ayutthaya, and it felt a bit nostalgic. Actually this was my second time — last time I came on a day trip in January with an Indonesian friend I met at a hostel.
I quickly booked a taxi to the hotel. There was a Grab case on the back of the taxi, so I was worried whether I'd be able to fit with my 18 kg backpack, but I managed to get in safely.
Come to think of it, if I were muscular it'd weigh about the same, so I guess it's not really different from carrying one person.
A DIY hotel and an owner full of thoughtfulness.
I checked into the hotel. The owner was very kind and it seemed they had just opened. There was only one other guest besides me, and the room really felt like it had been DIY-built. The receptionist didn't speak English, so she called the owner who came running right away. He explained everything astonishingly politely and kept telling me "watch the stairs" several times. He was the embodiment of thoughtfulness. I was really impressed.
I rested as soon as I entered the room. The air-conditioner worked so well it was almost cold. Today I was meeting a friend named Fah, so I took a nap until our 7 PM meeting time.
Night with Fah — hot pot and Ayutthaya's ruins
I took a nap, showered, and got ready. Fah was coming to pick me up at the hotel. I thought it was so cool that she was going out of her way to come after work. When I went outside I couldn't see her at first, but then she called "Kota!" so I noticed her immediately.
To my surprise she had come by car. I had been 100% convinced she'd come on a bike, so that really surprised me.
She immediately took me to a local restaurant and we ate Ayutthaya's famous Isaan cuisine — papaya salad and a style where you put meat and vegetables into a hot pot and dip them in sauce. Fah led everything. She fetched water, prepared the hot pot, and got everything. I felt almost embarrassed at how I didn't have to do anything.
The hot pot tasted really good. It was almost the same as Japanese sesame hot pot. It was my first time trying papaya salad, but meh — neither particularly delicious nor bad.
We talked about our universities, work, and our plans for staying in Thailand. Fah had lived in Chiang Mai for ten years and had gone to university there, so she knew Chiang Mai inside out. She told me about lots of recommended restaurants and hotels. She was really supportive and kind.
She said she's coming to Japan in December and excitedly talked about her plans. Apparently she's already been to Japan about five times. She loves USJ, and that's the main focus of this trip. She loves roller coasters. I told her about buying a yearly pass in university and going every week, and about places like the Osaka Aquarium, Kyoto, and Nara. She's going to spend New Year's in Japan, which I thought was awesome!
After dinner she took me on a tour of Ayutthaya's ruins. She slowly drove me around nearby ruins and I learned a lot about Ayutthaya's history. When we arrived at the hotel we promised to meet again tomorrow and said goodbye.
Fah is the type to think very logically, and I felt like I'd met another interesting person.
