Upon waking, I was still energized by the excitement of the day before. Celebrating the Chinese New Year was easily one of if not my favorite days on my journey so far. As is needed with many mornings after very eventful celebrations, I treated myself to an extra couple of hours of sleep before heading down to the complex’s gym for a workout. A few minutes on the treadmill and lugging weights around was followed by another group meditation with Morgan and Joseph. I started my meditation practice back in 2014, and it has been touch and go since then. Traveling with a certified yoga instructor and certified pilates instructor who also prioritize health and spirituality has been beneficial and motivating to rejuvenate my practice. Especially being surrounded by a culture of Buddhism and with plans of staying in a monastery in Nepal in March.
We worked for several hours into mid afternoon. I had several days of Bangkok adventures to write about and to get the blog current on. When we took a late lunch break, we water taxied close by to a quant cafe called Good Souls Kitchen. They had an extensive menu of really good sandwiches, wraps, noodle bowls, breakfast items, smoothies, and power bowls. Being the first meal of the day at 3:30PM, I splurged with a tropical smoothie, falafel power bowl, and chocolate banana pancakes, all tastefully pleasant.
Following our meal, I had an appointment for a haircut at Truefitt and Hill, a place recommended by Patrick. I had witnessed hundreds of motorbikes ripping through Bangkok the last several days, as it is the most effective mode of transportation to navigate through the congested yet widespread Bangkok. I knew that for a true Bangkok experience, I had to ride a motorbike. I had witnessed fathers driving motorbikes with the mother on the back holding infants, and I thought if they can do it, surely I can. I used Grab and hailed a motorbike that took me 5km in 10 minutes for only 50baht ($1.50USD). I held on tightly to my driver as we cruised in between lanes and weaved through the motor vehicles, exhilarated and slightly frightened at our speed and close proximity to cars that is simply the norm of Bangkok transportation. I’m not sure if I’ll ride another motorbike in Bangkok, but we still have a few weeks in Thailand ahead for more opportunities.
At this massive mall complex called the Emporium, I eventually found the barbershop and was given the royal treatment and a haircut I was very happy with. I was served green tea and water and given multiple rounds of shampoo washing throughout the process, and the language barrier between my barber and I eliminated the usual barber shop small talk which made it a very relaxing experience. Following the trim, I bought a pair of sandals and a silk year of the dog horoscarf (horoscope scarf with Chinese Zodiacs) to continue the Chinese New Year energy and bring me good fortune and style into the new lunar year. I then caught our complex’s shuttle from the nearby train station back to our Air BnB, where I worked for several hours before calling it a night.