Friends in High Places

This past weekend was a blast. Hands down, simply wonderful.

I owe most of its excitement to the presence of several Mercer friends and colleagues in Bangkok. These are Mercer graduates (most of them graduated in May) who are teaching English at various schools throughout the city. Coming here, I wasn’t sure about the feasibility of us even seeing each other with any frequency as Bangkok sprawls for miles and has a population of just over 10 million people. I didn’t foresee that there would me much interaction outside major holidays or school breaks. Turns out that through the efficiency of the public transport system, we can hang out quite easily, especially on weekends when our schedules are very nearly free.

As I mentioned before, this weekend was simply fabulous. Friday night the Mercer folks had their first full paycheck to celebrate. We headed to a club in the RCA district called Route 66, clearly foreigner friendly. The cover was reasonable and was actually just a pre-bought drink from the bar. A celebratory mood was evident as there was lots of dancing and laughing. Thai clubs are interesting in that a dance floor, something one would expect to be in every American club, is often absent. Groups cluster around tall tables or corner couches and merely bob to the beat. Luckily, this group is not afraid not afraid to break away from the norm. We danced our clearly American selves into wee hours of the morning when we parted ways.

Friday night was great fun, but the real treat came on Saturday evening. We ate an early dinner at Cabbages and Condoms, a restaurant that directs its profits to helping curb population growth and the spread of HIV. The restaurant atmosphere is divine, a true garden retreat amidst the busy city, and the food is locally sourced and quite tasty. (And it has an English menu embellished with pictures... score!) From dinner we made our way towards one of Bangkok’s storied SkyBars. I was quite naive as to how incredible this experience would be. From our taxis we entered a very chic building. Door attendants greeted us and we were directed, by a continuous stream of attentive service people, to the elevator. The elevator was an “express” and whisked us the the 64th floor where more service people met us at the door. The hallways were lined with incredible orchid arrangements. 2” ft diameter globes of pink, yellow and orange blooms so dense it was hard to believe that they were just flowers. Towering glass doors opened to a grand staircase which led down to the open air restaurant and bar. Stunning would be a grave understatement. Atop one of the tallest buildings in the city, the Sirocco Skybar affords breathtaking (and I mean BREATHTAKING) views of the cityscape and river. Looking out, it was hard to believe that I was a first hand witness to such beauty. The atmosphere was laid-back but very, very luxe. A liive jazz played, LED mood lighting illuminated the bar in an ever-changing rainbow of colors, and the service was spot on. I ordered a drink that I normally would have considered hideously overpriced... but I was standing on the 64th floor at a world renowned restaurant/bar, I was willing to pay my dues. I sipped my Mojito and reflected on my position. Here I was, literally, on top of the world, surrounded by good people, pursuing a lifelong dream and at a moment in life where I was utterly content, both on a micro and macro level. I really couldn’t ask for more.