statues, cinema, stuck in the sex district, soccer and soup

Today started innocently enough. We checked out Jim Thompson's house, which was an exciting experience for me because of the real-life unsolved mystery of it all. Jim Thompson, Bangkok expat, disappeared without a trace in 1967. People think his remains are probably somewhere in Malaysia, but nobody knows how he died. His house still stands, and it is gorgeous. All teak and full of antiques. I could live there, easy.

The house was just a short walk away from the movie theater, which was plush! and a good way to spend the hottest part of the day. We had the VIP seats in back and got to eat hotdogs and drink beer throughout the show. We saw The Killers, a kind of floppy movie made hilarious by Catherine O'Hara. Also, it was fun to watch fellow Iowan, Ashton. So all in all it was a totally enjoyable experience.

After the show we looked at an area map and realized we were close to Patpong, Bangkok's red-light district. I thought it would be an amusing curiosity, but got immediately creeped-out on arrival. And then it started pouring rain. So we took refuge in a bar and alternately watched soccer and the working girls (boys?) make their way down the street. When the rain let up we headed home, with one last stop for soup and the rest of the soccer game.

Somehow all that took over 12 hours. Please excuse the lazy writing, it was a long day. Tomorrow we will rest.