Starving in Thailand

Chicken and rice, coagulated blood and cucumbers.

The second thing you notice in Bangkok, after the chaos, is the food stands on the streets. One next to the other. Nobody cooks here; it is cheaper to eat out than to cook.

However, I can’t do that. I am allergic to fish, and here they put fish sauce and fish salt on everything, and I mean everything. Here they don’t use regular salt; they use fish salt, wish it’s the pulverized scales of the fish.

So even if I order chicken, most like it has already has been marinated in fish sauce or broth or cooked with fish salt.

So, I can’t eat anything!!!!

I found a few things I can eat, but my diet it’s very limited.

The other day I ate some vegetable spring rolls, and I got a small reaction. It seems they were fried in the same oil than the fish. That is how bad I am.

Needless to say, I can attest to that it is cheaper to eat on the street than going to the supermarket. I have gone many times, and the disparity between prices is incredible. But they have a salad bar, and that I can eat.

It’s a shame because it is a beautiful place, but I can’t fully enjoy it because I am hungry!!!

If you know me or read my book or blogs, you know I don’t eat fast food, however, here I already eat McDonald and KFC. That it’s how hungry and desperate I become.

In the meantime, I keep eating boiled chicken with rice, and the sweeter little bananas I have ever had.

You need ot eat at least five bananas

Loi Krathong Festival

Mali Home Hostel is so nice, with comfortable big beds and the owners are so friendly, that I am staying doing a workaway for them for couple weeks.  They are opening another hostel near the train station, so I am helping there.

Anyway, during the twelfth lunar month, which is the full moon in November, Thai people (and many tourists like me) celebrate the end of the rice harvest, by paying respect to the goddess of the water.

My hosts took me to participate in the Loi Krathong ceremony, which consists of people gathering around rivers, canals, lakes, and releasing lotus flowers, incense, and candles arranged on banana leaves into the waterways.

 It is also a time to ask for forgiveness for polluting the waters. Also by releasing the floats, you are supposed to release your anger and frustrations giving you an opportunity to start anew, without carrying any baggage in the New Year.

Every year they also have big parades, fireworks, and music, however this year they only had a small parade as the country is in mourning for the passing of the king.

It was a great experience to see thousands of lotus arrangements with the lighted candles floating down the river.

If your candle stays lit while floating, it means that you will have good luck for the whole year. Needleless to say, my arrangement flipped over as soon as it hit the water.

Oh well…

The parade

More parade

The arrangements we bought

Me trying to get my wish come true

One of the canals in the center of  town