The Siamerican

Yesterday, Sunday morning at about 10.00 a.m., the Siamerican Wanderer departed his Bangkok apartment, bound for Cha-cherng Sao province, about 70 kilometers east of Bangkok. Some friends at Uni had planned a Sunday trip to check out some local attractions, grub and hang out, or as such is called in Thai, Tee-yo เืที่ยว…

Three Thai girls, all Business English majors at BUIC, Da, Nancy, and Whaan, along with their guy friend, Champ, an Entrepreneurship major, and a foreign exchange marketing student from Norway, Runie, went via train that left from Hualampong station. The Siamerican was considering joining them on the train, but decided to take his bike instead, as he had never been out that way on the bike previously.

On the way, still in Bangkok, the Siamerican was pulled over in a traffic police check trap that was set up right on the otherside of an overpass bridge. Apparently, that particular overpass on On Nut road forbid motorcyclists to use, even though there was absolutely no sign warning such, at least not from the side that the Siamerican Wanderer accessed. The police explained that some teenagers had stolen the sign, but still insisted that the Siamerican Wanderer was at fault and needed to pay up to 400 baht!

Hearing such ridiculous rationalization, the Siamerican became enraged and phoned his couzin and uncle in law, who is a colonel in the Thai army. After much complaint, the police eventually lessened the fine to 100 baht, and the Siamerican was reluctant to pay, though happy to be out of there, having wasted so much time with such injustice.

Continuing on On Nut road (Sukhumwit 77) which turns into Lad Grabung road, the long medium congested highway passing along the northern flank of Suvarnabhumi International airport eventually meets up with highway 314 just south of Cha-cherng Sao city.

Roughly midday, the Siamerican met his friends at Da’s house in the heart of the medium sized city, and the group of six went to a local touristy market along the Bangpagong river, had a large lunch and walked around the market for some time before continuing on to the Sand festival via sawng taew.

The Sand festival is fairly new annual ordeal-attraction of Cha cherng Sao province featuring various works and sculptures of local, regional, and international landmarks and statues, made entirely from sand. Some of the features include a Vishnu statue, Thai royalty symbols, Eiffel Tower, New York skyline, the Great Wall, and dinosaurs, among other things.

After a round there, the gang continued on to a grand new temple called luong poh sothorn, or something like that, and the group went in to make traditional merits. Afterwards, the others went to recieve their Chinese style chopstick fortune telling at the temple, though the Siamerican didn’t care to find out what random sticks has to say about his future, and just waited outside for the others to finish.

By evening time, the gang was back at Da’s house to shower and relax. Whaan and Champ had to go back to Bangkok, and the remaining four (Da, Nancee, Runie, and the Siamerican) went on to have Korean style Barbecue, or Mhoo Ga-ta หมูกะทะ near by.

After a stuffing dinner, the gang burned some calories walking a few kilometers to Carefour superstore as to buy some social glue for the night, some Finlandia brand Vodka. The gender balanced social night of cards included Rummy and Hearts in between drinks and laughs, eventually leading into an innocent game of spin the bottle / truth or dare.

By 4.30 a.m., the bottle was empty and everyone was tired, agreeing to finally split and sleep, ending the party. Everyone joined for breakfast at about 11.30 and just laxed around until 2pm where it was time to head back to Bangkok. Da, Nancee, and Runie caught their train and the Siamerican continued on his own on the bike, taking a slightly different route back.

On the return leg, the Siamerican took highway 314 southbound, and instead of turning west on Lad Grabung–the route he came by–he kept straight all the way down to Banbagong district near the gulf of Thailand, joining up with highway three/ Sukhumvit road, the famous coastal-paralell route, going through the gut of Samut Prakarn, and ultimately right back in the heart of Bangkok.

About halfway through Samut Prakarn on highway 3 (Sukhumvit road), the Siamerican experienced yet another misfortune, though minor. He ran out of petrol, several kilometers away from any station. Walking his bike along the fast paced highway, a motorbike taxi eventually stopped to help and offered to push along the Siamerican to the petrol station.

Topping the tank at a 100 baht, the Siamerican continued through Samut Prakarn city and up into Bangkok, just beating rush hour. He stopped to tune up his bike with an oil change, break and chain tightening, amounting to 140 baht, and continued to pay his hefty 2000 baht phone bill at Tesco Lotus on Sukhumvit soi 50 before heading home.

For some pictures, scroll on down…

…Stay Tuned…

From Left to Right: the Siamerican, Rune, Nancee, Da, Whaan, and Champ