Friday was by far one of the best days we have had in Thailand so far. We were able to leave all the rules and worries of Mercy behind and just enjoy the environment, the way we want.
We got dressed up and headed out to watch the International Dance Festival with SiJie at our favorite park. There were dancers from all over the world performing a variety of different types of dances from the tango, to hip-hop to ballet. The talent was amazing. The show runs all weekend.
We left the festival and thought we would head to the Dubliner, an Irish Pub down the street from the park that Father Joe has recommended on several occasions. One of our students works there so we decided to grab something small to eat as it is quite expensive and see if she was working. The Pub is three floors and was very crowded – always a good sign. We found Ged and spoke with her for a few minutes. As we went back downstairs to eat a man seated us at our table, so we asked him if he was the Wayne Father Joe told us to look for. Turns out he was! He is the manager at Dubliners. As soon as he found out he worked for Father Joe he was thrilled. He spoke very high praises of Father Joe and his work. I guess they have known each other for years, and ironically, Father Joe and his “right hand” were just there for lunch today. He seated us at a table and asked us if he could get us something to drink. We all ordered a Heiniken, and he came back with a glass that could probably hold 2 beers, and it was filled to the very top. He also gave us VIP cards so that every time I go there we will always get 10% off of our meal and drinks. He also brought another man to our table, a man named John. Well it turned out that John is the owner and he told us to order what we want, drink what we want, enjoy ourselves as tonight was on the pub! He also added that there will be lots of music, lots of shots and maybe some drunkenness. Well as soon as he walked away from the table our first three shots of many showed up. He asked that we come to the table full of all of his friends at the front – a table that everyone in the whole pub could see us. He then introduced us on the microphone for EVERYONE in the bar to know who we were and what we were doing in Thailand. For the rest of the night we had people coming up to us and telling us about their experiences with Father Joe, the organization and how great they think we are.
Our meal showed up, and it was the BEST meal I have had since I have been here. My meal included asparagus, corn, MASHED POTATOES, and half a chicken! There was so much food I could not even eat it all, but it was sooo good. I was so excited to finally have potatoes. We have been day dreaming about them randomly throughout the past month. Father Joe told us we could buy them at Tesco, but we do not have anything to cook them in.
At Dubliner’s, we also met a few fellow Canadians who were now living in Thailand which was fun. They shared some tips and stories of their experiences here so far.
As we began to enjoy more of the live music played by an Irishman, we decided it was time to get out of our seats and break out our dance moves. Most of the songs were classics such as “Brown Eyed Girl, some Bryan Adams, Johnny Cash, etc.” I guess you can say they are classic considering I knew all the words to all of the songs. It was not long before we had instruments in our hand and were dancing and playing along with the singer. We were quite the entertainment, so much so that he asked for our number so he can notify us of upcoming shows at the pub.
Throughout the whole evening we were taken care of, from our drinks, to our food to just plain hospitality. It was wonderful. We felt like royalty. I imagine when we go back again, which we will; there will still be many many free perks. We tried to leave about 3 or 4 times and we were always persuaded to stay. We wanted to but we had already had other plans with friends and this was supposed to be a grab and go kind of meal. However we do have plans to go back very soon. When we were in Dubliner’s it felt like we were back at home in a pub somewhere in Nova Scotia. This experience will help me get through the next couple of rough weeks we have coming up.
We finally said goodbye to our new family and were off to our next adventure in a taxi. At this point it was 12 am and traffic was stalled. We had a great taxi driver who spoke some English and changed the radio to songs that we would know. His name was KiRat. So if you are ever in Bangkok, look for him (I know Bangkok is huge but he is soo worth it!) I think we even told him we would miss him when we dropped us off at RCA.
So we are now at RCA, Radio City Avenue, a street FULL of bars that cater to our age group. Each bar had a huge outside patio type of thing that was full of people. Instead of buying drinks here, you bought the whole bottle of liquor and mix and did it on your own. Each bar showcased different kinds of music, and you had to be 20 years old to get in. We went to the hiphop bar to meet Cedric, another volunteer at one of the preschools and some of his friends. We managed to find him quite quickly. We grabbed a couple of stools and brought them over to a table. However, I had a bad stool and when I picked it up the bottom separated from the seat and it fell on my foot. Ouch! Its pretty colors today.
After sitting outside and catching up we went inside to dance. We came to the quick realization that Thai people do not go to the bar to dance, but go to stand around like a bunch of sardines in a can. We got up on the stage and tried to change that quickly. Before we knew it, we had everyone around us dancing with us and having a good time. Most of them spoke English so it was nice to have some small conversations on the side. I was offered ecstasy which was interesting. No I didn’t take it! But I had no idea what she was giving me so my reaction was quite humorous. Don’t worry mom, I made you proud. After much dancing, it was 2 am and they were kicking us out. Back to the taxi and back to Mercy we went. Time for bed.
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