Bangkok - No MSG Please

With the time feeling right and being burned out from work I booked a ticket to Bangkok figuring I’d just make it easy and head to the southern beaches and islands of Thailand. Not long after choosing a flight I thought it would be a shame not to add a little adventure into the mix so I also booked a short flight from Bangkok to Yangon, Burma, which is now called Myanmar.

The Korean Air flight from Houston to Bangkok couldn’t have gone better and was about the best option to be found. Houston to Seoul with a layover of less than two hours then Seoul to Bangkok. Everything was on time and the flights were good.

Upon arrival I quickly cleared immigration, claimed my pack, got some cash from an ATM and hopped in an official taxi. I showed the driver some directions in Thai, that I had printed off the internet. As we rolled off the taxi driver informed me that Trump had won the election. We both laughed.

The dollar is strong in Thailand so Taxi with fare, tolls, and fee came out to 425 baht ($12 USD). I don’t remember there being a fifty-baht airport fee the last time I was I in Bangkok but the receipt for official taxi seemed to say there was so I didn’t make an issue of it.

This time I chose Hostel International Mid near Victory monument. It’s really more like a hotel/guest house with a dorm. The place is very nice and clean but the location is a bit noisy. It’s a sister property of a place I’ve stayed at a couple of times in the past. What I am paying comes out to less than $30 USD a night for a single room with bathroom. A bunk in the dorm is $10. The price is reasonable for Bangkok but actually a little expensive for Thailand, comparatively speaking. In general, decent budget accommodation in a major city is always more expensive.

I decided to spend four nights in Bangkok to re-acclimate and to try to shake jet lag. After such a long trip and an eleven-hour time difference the body and brain are a little out of sync. I figured it would be good to take a break to get re-oriented before heading over to Burma which will be a little more adventurous. My plan is two weeks in Burma followed by two weeks in the South of Thailand.

For my first day in Bangkok I went on a good walk around the city visiting a couple of Buddhist temples that included Golden Mountain which offers a good view along with some quirky displays and decorations along stepped paths. I especially liked seeing a golden Buddha with pink flamingos. In the evening I went out for street food which Bangkok is famous for. Pad Thai which is mixture of rice noodles, bean sprouts, egg and shrimp was what I was after. One stall looked particularly good and appeared to be quite busy.

There was a little problem with communication but I thought I ordered ok and communicated that I didn’t want the crystal looking stuff that we in America call MSG. I wasn’t sure if I was understood. The cook started cooking up several Pad Thai’s on large round flat bottomed oily pan for group who was already waiting. I assumed my order was worked in with the group.

It looked to be a husband and wife team with the husband doing the cooking while the wife assisted, took, orders, and handled the money. It was when she started dishing ingredients into the cooking that I took closer notice. For the most part everything was looking good until she stuck a small shovel into a large bowl of Phong Churot, MSG. She then proceeded to dump large amounts on each pile of Pad Thai in the later stages of cooking. I couldn’t believe anyone would put that much MSG on the amount that was being made.

There was no way I could subject myself to that sort of experiment. I figured since communication was poor to begin with I could probably just quietly wander off which is what I did. I wandered right back to my accommodation and asked the manager to right no MSG please, in Thai, on a piece of paper. A younger man working the desk is from Burma so I asked him to do the same in Burmese. He informed me msg is very popular in Burma.

MSG is widely used throughout SE Asia. The last time I traveled the region it was a bit of an issue. If I get too much it can trigger a visual migraine which isn’t fun. What I’ve done in the past is have someone write on a piece of paper, in the local language, to please not use whatever it’s called locally. Another thing I’ve done is gone to a store and bought a small packet of MSG. I’d hold it up when ordering and say the word, “No”, in the local language, which is probably a better idea in areas where literacy is not the best. I don’t think a little MSG affects me but a shovel full certainly may.

So, I passed on Pad Thai last night but today for lunch today I stopped at a place with a sign that said they had the 5^th best Pad Thai in the world. I pulled out my little sheet of paper for no MSG. The cook didn’t quite it but a woman working with him understood and made it sound like they didn’t use it anyway. Instead they had a glass with a large spoon on a table for you to add it if you like when you are served.

My second day in Bangkok was spent roaming around a bit while making some plans. I decided to book my flight out of Burma from Yangon which allows for a nice loop through the countryside. Upon returning to Bangkok I’ll spend one night then hop an overnight train south. I bought my train ticket at the station which was very easy. They have a special office for foreign tourist.

I’ve planned my time a little more than I’d normally like to but felt it was probably a good idea since I’m looking to cover a fair bit of ground. Sometimes planning is more efficient but if you plan too much you might miss out on the magic that spontaneity can offer.