Midnight Race

Thanks to basket-weaving Mike, 24 of us had a fantabulous weekend in Bangkok. Most of us did the typical Singaporean thing by quadrupling our luggage weight with clothes, shoes, accessories, snacks, and even cartons of mango. On the way to the airport we had a biggest-shopaholic-poll, and surprise winner Dorothy spent over a thousand Sing-dollars in just 2 days trekking around Bangkok. Shows that one can never beat the true blue bargain-hunting aunties.

Next to shopping, our favourite past time was exploring the spas. Thanks to big sis Na-na, we found an excellent day spa called Spa 1930, housed in a 70-year old home recognised as one of Bangkok's architectural heritage buildings. It was a house built for a prince, and I must say I felt like a queen with the 4-hand massage, so beautifully synchronised that it felt like a slow-motion Thai dance gently rubbing away all your worries. We also checked out Thann's the next day. It was pretty good, but lacked the ambience and personal touch of Spa 1930. We had a great time nonetheless, it was most hilarious to watch Mike frantically gesturing to us when he thought he was getting a male masseur, and then Mike showing up outside the room in a bathrobe.

The best memory of all was tuk-tuk racing down the midnight streets of Bangkok. While the rest of the folks continued their bargain-hunting at Sun Lum, Mike, Will, 3M and myself went to check out Khao San, the backpackers' heaven. A few jugs of Singha beer later (al fresco at Molly's with a nice big tree), we decided to ditch the cab and head back to the hotel in tuk-tuks.

As usual we bargained and got 2 tuk-tuks, each at 100 bahts. And with the usual evil glimmer in his eyes Mike waved a note to the tuk-tuk drivers and said the fastest driver would get an extra 50 bahts. Mike and 3M speeds ahead in the first tuk-tuk, and I congratulated myself for being smart enough to stick with Will and not daredevil Mike. Mike refused to give up and started waving a 100 baht note, egging both tuk-tuks on. Two traffic lights later our tuk-tuk driver finally got the message and revved up so abruptly that it felt as if our tuk-tuk was going to tip over backwards.

Speeding down the almost-empty streets at midnight was simply... glorious. Maybe it was the speed, maybe it was the Singha beer. It was as if we were racing with the streetlights that had suddenly come alive. The cool night breeze sent electrifying chills down our necks.

The colours of Bangkok melted into a wavy blur, curving and twirling in the nightsky like Van Gogh's starry night. Perhaps it was just my eyes flooded with beer. But perhaps it was the waves of our carefree laughter.