Spa treatments and Chinatown (again)

This morning the Morning market Motorcycles woke me up around 5. I had fallen asleep the night before writing about my food tour, and wanted to finish it before my day started. I finished it up and feel back asleep. I woke up again and it was 11:30 am. It felt soooo good to sleep in.
I had Spa treatments scheduled for 3pm at a really nice hotel called Shanghai Mansion in Chinatown. I had discovered this place on line last year and liked that it was a good hotel right in the middle of Yaowarat Rd (The main road that runs through the middle of Chinatown. - It has been referred to as “a dragon, who curves it’s way through the heart of Chinatown”.)
I had originally made reservations to stay at Shanghai Mansion for the week, but then found my airB&B in a different neighborhood and changed my mind.
Funny enough, I later learned it was home to one of the best spas in the city, AND was also the meeting place for our food tour last night.
1st off, I got a GRAB (Asia’s version of UBER) to pick me up and take me to the hotel for my spa appt. I hadn’t used them yet and it was quick and inexpensive. It was a young woman driver, which I thought was cool, and she managed the chaotic traffic like a pro.
I had booked this spa treatment on line and it was a bundle for 3 1/2 hours. It consisted of a salt scrub (60 min), head to toe massage (90 min) facial (60 min).
Normally in the States, I go to a massage school. A good massage at a “good quality” place runs about $100 an hour, right? So at one of the best spas in Bangkok, at this 4 star hotel, I paid $125 (including a generous tip) for 3 1/2 hours. And it was amazing.
After it was over, I needed to change a large Thai bill (1,000 baht ). I thought maybe since I had spent all afternoon in their spa, the concierge might be able to help me. Yep, they scrambled to get me smaller bills and I was good to go.
Now this hotel is in the MIDDLE of the bustling chaotic food stall Heaven on Yaowarat road. You literally step out of the hotel into the thick of it.
I knew exactly where I wanted to go 1st. We had gone there last night on the food tour and I have seen it on YouTube videos. This guy makes these light crisp doughnuts. He rolls the dough, cuts them into small strips and fries them right there. But the piece de resistance is the sauce that comes with them. It’s a Pandan custard. Remember, pandan is considered the “ vanilla of SE Asia” and the taste is “grassy with nuttiness and vanilla verging on Coconut”. And, I forgot to mention this last night, this guy has earned a Michelin Star!
So I made a bee line for that guy. And it was even better the 2nd time. Since I had been there last night, I knew there was a mango lady around the corner. So as I did so, I ran into my tour guide Tom from last night! He was with a tour group doing his thing. I called out to him, waved like an idiot, held up the bag of doughnuts and told him I had come back. Then told the group he was with he was the best guide in the city and they made the right choice. A little bit later on that evening, I ran into him again after his tour was done, and he asked me about the rest of my trip. He said it sounded like I hade made good choices and that I was going to love the places I was headed to.
So the sheer volume of food vendors on this road is astounding. I discovered they have side streets of the main drag where it’s a bit quieter and you can actually sit and eat. Vendors all have these small tables and small plastic stools you sit on. So I found a nice lady who was makes bowls of noodles, wontons and pork in broth for 60 baht ( $ 1.53 USD) and she gesture me to sit down while she was getting it. She gestured towards the forks, and it felt good to grab the chopsticks instead. I had been eating all of my wontons, stir fries, dumplings, and such at home with chopsticks for the last 8 months. I wanted to get comfortable so when I got here I’d be comfortable. And it paid off. I had my Anthony Bourdain moment. Sitting on a small plastic stool in Asia, eating local, like a local (well, it was kinda touristy, but you have to start somewhere). And I felt comfortable. Comfortable being alone, comfortable being a woman alone. It was a good moment.
The one thing I have brought the most of one this trip are individually wrapped Wet Ones. Since I’m taking so much public transportation and eating street food, I’m well aware of the importance of washing my hands. Also, wiping down utensils if they are not disposable. And I just remembered, I bought (and brought with me) a travel set of utensils including chopsticks. 🤦‍♀️ Yeah, it might help if I put it in my bag and took it with me.
So I walked down the other side of the road for a bit. It was the most Westerners I had seen in one place since I got here. Lots of Australians, Eastern Europeans, French and Dutch. Interesting people watching for sure. I found a lady who was selling mango sticky rice, got some and headed for the metro and home. I had worn my Keene “Whispers” and hadn’t planned on taking public transport home. The metro (MRT) has very long stretches to walk and my feet were feeling it by the time I got home. But those shoes are wide, they let my feet breathe, and most importantly, my toes are covered. So they were definitely a good choice to bring.
Interestingly enough, not one person has yet to ask me if I’m traveling alone. No one on the tour, or my guide, or the ladies at the Spas. That may change, and I have a cheap gold band to wear on my left hand if I feel it to be necessary. But so far I haven’t. ❤️Read more