Bangkok Streets

A guff of hot sticky warm humid exhaust hits your face as a family of mosquitoes swarms above your head. Flourescent light spread their luminous fingers across the dusty black tarred street. Motorcycle engines spin past like rockets and boats racing. Its a bearable heat and exhaust fumes as your dislikes gets confused by normality. A wicker basket ball bounces up and down on thin strong legs and focused heads as it flies over the net waiting for another knee. Much like a minature soccer ball hackey sack volleyball game. Thai boxing moves hit the wicker ball like magic out of thin air. Steel rusted carts and large metal wheels array the field of vision down the cart and my sense of smell lingers to pineapple or mango salad with fresh lime and peanuts to garnish. Or fried bananas boiling in a large metal wok. Fresh barbecue chicken meats dangle on a stick roasting under smoked wood. Tapioca pudding steamed under metal cups with a peanut sweet glaze and cilantro and lettuce to savour. Roasted corn pudding with sweet coconut cream and salt and surgar mixed and mixed to mixed on yum with yum. Raw meats spanned out on ice displaying choice. A swoop of the spoon, fast into the bowl: fish sauce, sugar, salt, chili vinegar, a squeeze of lime, fish balls, blanched noodles in chicken boiled water and thai basil and cilantro. yummmm. Deep fried dilis fish pregnant with small ikura balls and hot sweet chili sauce. Barbecue smoked chicken sate with sweet and spicy peanut sauce.
The lady behind the cart smiles as we sit down motioning to her vast array of meats, yes pork for two. Quick movement of spoon and wrist hit the bowl. A magical feast for the senses under the flourescent lights, and rocket engine tuk tuk sounds, and the mosquitoes buzzing above my head having a feast of their own. Different colors glare out as different shades of fabric shiny to our eyes pass us and people sitting idle for the next baht to pass into their hands. A swap of the dollar hitting their stock with good luck. Pam Pam pam pound. She smiles. Good luck. Thin legs swing in bar stool stands as makeup and hair gloss looks with chance tonight. Random white skin foreigner glares back behind dark bar stool kissing and talking to their girlfriends. Red light everywhere. And loud music.
Large table top kegs pour cool chilled beer with lots of laughter and loud music from the cover band stage. Row after row, like a lighted conveyor belt conveys the wild taste of the tongue. Fried crablets, pad thai, mango, papaya salad with prawns and peanuts and fried fish balls. Sawabadee krap Hello . .smiling back to the ancient recipe cooker standing and waiting for my order.