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There is so much of Bangkok to see and just not enough time to see it all! Every nook and cranny has something to offer. As we thought about needing a little “pick me up” to get the day going, we remembered energy drinks were invented in Asia…we of course went straight into a 7-11 to buy a couple. Instead of cans, they had little mini glass bottles with writing we didn’t understand but they were next to red bull so we assumed it was an energy drink. As we started walking around, we cracked the bottles open and took our first swig…it was very syrupy and sweet. Giff finished his like a shot and I sipped mine a few times before deciding I just couldn’t get it down my throat-Ick.
We were walking through what looked like the jewelry district of Bangkok which a local informed us was of poor quality created for tourists. As we kept walking through the crowds of people under the many power lines crisscrossed along the streets, we saw a street food vendor on the corner and there was a line of people waiting to get a bite. Giff insisted we join the line and it was a good thing he did. The vendor had a huge bowl of oil, a huge pile of bananas still on their stalk and a bowl of various nuts mixed together. Inside the bubbling oil were sliced banana pieces which were first battered with the nut mixture. Even though the vendor had a line going down the street, she would not pull out those bananas without the perfect golden crispness to bite into. There was also a magazine clipping not in English clipped to the cart…we were clearly not the only ones who found out about the great banana stand. Giff finally got to the top of the line, handed over his $2 for a bag of the deliciousness.
We also bought a few slices of pomelo (fruit) from another vendor because it is all over the place…but it is not on our favorite things to eat list. We kept walking checking out the different areas of the city. Everywhere we turned there was food…is it time to eat again yet? Yes…we found a small restaurant serving duck soup, we ordered one to try it and ended up ordering a second one. It was fresh made broth with all kinds of Thai spice and fresh herbs not to mention sliced of duck and it was so cheap but oh so good! After lunch we continued walking through the streets, there was a cute silverware store selling all kinds of stainless steel silver sets…the one we wanted was sold out. We also found a little shoe shop which had really nice workmanship on leather shoes…it was small and family owned. How could we not buy shoes to help stimulate the economy here?
After spending the day walking around, we found our way back to the tailor shop for Giff’s final fitting. Unfortunately they had some things wrong and we spent more time there than we planned…and now we have to return again tomorrow which we were disappointed to have to do. We made arrangements with the tailors and were on our way to find dinner. We actually decided to go right back to that vendor who grills the salt crusted fish and serves it with that amazing sauce made fresh with a mortar and pestle.
We drank our beer as they cooked our fish sitting at another small plastic table and watching the buzz of the street. We ordered a fish each this time…no more of that sharing stuff and we grew quiet as each delicious piece of fish was shoved into our mouths. We had a long day so walked down the street to our hotel to unwind after dinner for the evening.
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Published by Giff Kabat
I grew up in Ohio as a kid, so of course I went to college at “THE” Ohio State University. I graduated in 2001 with a major in business finance. A month after graduation, I moved out to California with my college girlfriend (whom I married in 2005)…and started my career in sales (industrial sales for 5 years…then moved into medical laser sales for 4 years).
In 2009 I was 31 years old. I had a great job, a new house, and a beautiful wife. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better…my wife and I found out we were going to have a baby. Everything was going according to plan…and I couldn’t have scripted a better life for myself.
Then in the same year…everything changed. My wife, Brandey, called me when I was on my way to work and told me over the phone, something I never thought could be possible in a million years. My beautiful 30-year old pregnant wife was just told that she had breast cancer. At that moment, everything stopped all at once. I immediately went to her…and learned of our new plan…which began with her needing surgery immediately…and the rest we would find out later.
The day we returned from the hospital after Brandey’s surgery…my father died. He had been battling an aggressive cancer of his own…and although he was the one person I wanted to speak with about Brandey having cancer…I never told him. My sister, Brooke, had just gotten married a few months ago, and although he was weak, he was able to walk his little girl down the aisle of her wedding. On the night before my sister’s wedding, Brandey and I told him that we were pregnant and about to make him a grandfather. It made no sense to tell him that everything had changed for us…so he died in peace knowing everything was “the way it should be” for his only 2 children.
2010 was the worst year of my life. We had lost our baby…and for 12 months I watched my wife fight cancer with multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and drug therapy. It was a difficult year for us…but we made it. When you go through something like this in life, you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you. I was amazed at the strength and courage of my wife…and how many good people there are in this world. I will be forever grateful for the ones who never ceased to amaze me with their kindness during this hard time. Family, friends, and sometimes complete strangers…helped us make it through this. I am, and will always be especially grateful to my mother, who was with my dad at the very end, when I couldn’t be there, and when things were at their worst. She has been so supportive throughout all of this, and without her everything would have been so much harder for me.
It’s 2011 now…and the plan we have for our life this year…is to make it the best year of our lives. Brandey is officially in remission from breast cancer and she has a 95% chance the cancer will never come back. Besides the love that I have for my wife and family, the loves of my life are food, wine, and adventure travel. My wife and I love traveling to new places, seeing natural wonders, and meeting new people from different parts of the world. So for the next 400 days…we’ve decided to travel the world…and celebrate our lives. There are so many things I took for granted in life that I will never take for granted again. My father worked for over 30 years at the same job with the same company…rarely took time off…and died at 64 years old right after his retirement. For me, this trip is a combination of a tribute to him, along with wanting to spend the time of my life with the “love of my life.”
* The only thing I will miss while we are gone is our family and friends (who we hope will meet us somewhere throughout our trip) and especially our 3 little kitties we left with my mom in Ohio to catsit for the next 400 days. I will also miss watching “American Football” over the weekend…but I’ll do my best to check the scores in the middle of the night.
GIFF
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