The Other Side of the World - #2

A place where you order a kiwi smoothie, and someone starts peeling a kiwi.  And blueberry soda pop... I took one sip, and ordered another.  Yes, real blueberries.  Things don't say, "% fruit juice" here.  It's like the idea of cutting fruit juice with acid and corn syrup never even occurred to them.

I started my fourth day in Bangkok alone, my cousin having disappeared like a thief in the night.  Or maybe he disappeared like a busy traveler, having crammed as much of the Land of Smiles into three days as we could.  Either way, I was on my own, but had to keep moving.  I had just gotten my 4G setup, but my glasses and clothes shopping would have to wait.  I had an appointment in Pattaya with a dentist.

Negotiating is one thing I have no experience with, and was not prepared to do so with a dentist.  Half of me screamed, "Don't short-change the guy with a needle in my skull."  The other half said, "I really need to get this work done."  I got the six fancy replacements in the front, which composes 95% of my smile.  One was actually filling a missing tooth.  I got the two cheaper caps you can't see, but he talked me into getting the titanium bonded to ceramic.  I still paid just under $3,000, but I didn't get the rest of my teeth whitened like I had hopped.  Maybe I can still look into that at the end of the trip if I'm not broke by then.

I had four silk dress shirts commissioned from a taylor for $22 a piece.  Now that I know a little more, I think I could have talked him down to $20, or even $18 if I purchased five.  And of course since they are custom, I had to customize them.

As for other clothes, I found the quality questionable, and I don't have the knowledge to do the answering.  Two items I purchased had the stitching fall apart.  I've decided not to buy my new wardrobe here.  I honestly don't want to lug the clothes around anyways, and I can get the clothes I have laundered at reasonable prices.

With a mouth full of temporaries, I headed back to Bangkok for glasses.  It was a hassle to say the least, but it didn't have to be.  Two minor communication issues caused quite a bit of unnecessary waiting.  But I spent that time waiting in Bangkok, so I had fun.  When I got them my new lenses, they were high quality, and inexpensive.  Then it was back to Pattaya to have my new teeth affixed, which I would also describe as high quality and inexpensive.

I write this now from my my $40 a night eighth floor condo, while a gentle breeze wafts in through one of the massive windows.  It, of course, has a big screen LCD, and a kitchen; both of which I've never used.  I recommend it.