Bangkok Style

The small crowd scattered about the road claps slowly to goad the next peformer into topping the one before. After readying himself with a breath the gangly baseball-capped boy launches himself at the pavement and spirals into a gravity defying head spin, limbs jerking like a spider in its death throes. The next performer does an acrobatic somersault over a passing tuk tuk. The kids dance about in unison, flip their legs up, pogo hop on their hands and finish with a pantomime-style joint bow before handing around a baseball hat for change.

I gladly hand over a note; dinner with a show, or more accurately beer with a show. After a day of 'culture' at the floating market ( an entirely different kind of tourist show) I ventured onto the bar-stuffed Rambutri Street for some Chang and social interaction. I chose this bar as I like the live accoustic sets it offers, which today made a strange backdrop to the break-dancing flashmob that appeared. I end up talking to some Germans and Swedes, and naturally one beer morphs into several. The guy from Munich seemed particularly pleased with his acheivement of squeezing a ladyboy's boobs the day before, brandishing photographic proof on his phone. The Swedish boy Oscar it seems I might bump into again in Chiang Mai.

I leave my share of the beer money and stumble round the food stalls at the end of the block back to my hostel. Another fun night in Banlamphu and another pissed Skype call to Pete. I resolve to be more sober when I phone Grandma tomorrow.