Bangkok: The Perfect Day Conspiracy

While I claim that today was full of good luck and good timing, Nick has devised an elaborate conspiracy theory that went far deeper than I could have imagined. Below will be a detailed account (it is a long one) from each point of view on our first day in Bangkok.

Alec's Point of View

After gathering our necessary materials for the day, we headed out on the town with a simple plan: see the Grand Palace but the day turned into so much more.

We first grabbed a cab to the Grand Palace, only 300 baht for a good deal away from our hostel so off to a good start. Upon arrival, we had to go through a rigorous security check. Once through, we walked about a half mile to the entrance where we were turned away for wearing shorts. Luckily, the lady across the street had a monopoly on MC Hammer pants with elephants on them as seen below.

We then walked in to the Grand Palace and wow, Grand might have been an understatement. I will let the video do the talking for me. We finished up sweating our booties off at the Grand Palace, grabbed some grub and planned the next part of our day. Nick and I figured that we should see a few of the monuments nearby including the Reclining Buddha: less than a quarter mile away. As we got closer, a nice fellow asked where we were trying to go. Of course we replied the reclining Buddha and he directed us across the street to what looked like a side entrance to the temple. After we attempted to walk in, we were swiftly told to leave as there was a ceremony going on at the moment.

That was when we met another helpful man that gave us a map and told us which sites were open: Happy Buddha and Lucky Buddha. He went on to give survival tips for Bangkok, hailed us a Tuk Tuk, negotiated a price and told the cab driver the route we wanted to go. A total of 100 baht for a ride around to the other two temples and then circle back to the reclining Buddha after the ceremony was over. With that, the Tuk Tuk driver (Big Ben), would wait at each destination for us until we were ready to move on to the next. Here are a few pictures and videos of our destination spots.

At the Lucky Buddha temple, as we were sitting in our Tuk Tuk waiting for our driver to use the restroom, we began talking with a Thai man sitting nearby. To our surprise, this man was a tax lawyer from New York and was in Thailand to visit and support his father. After the standard trip discussion he asked where we were visiting next. I showed him the map and he was hung up on one stop that the driver put down, Ram Fashion.

As we were told by some seasoned travelers back home, (thanks Alex!) the Tuk Tuk drivers often have sponsors that give them fuel in return for bringing customers to their shop. He then went on to tell us about these Armani suits that they sold there, custom made to your fit, cut from the fabric of your choosing for $400 a piece! Not bad compared to the $$$$ suits sold back home. He then went on to explain this was the first year that the company was opening up their services to foreigners. He also mentioned that the shop gives you a lifetime membership card where they keep your measurements and you can order a new suit at the discounted price at any time in the future!

After our talk with the lawyer, we found ourselves interested in purchasing a suit. Next stop, Ram Fashion. We were quickly greeted with free beer at the store as two gentlemen helped us look at some styles of suits. One beer turned to three as we perused the catalogs. The two gentlemen at the shop explained that they were having a promotion: buy two suits and get one free. What a steal. Needless to say Nick and I, two recent grads with business degrees, will require suits for jobs in the near

future.

Did we pull the trigger? Hell yeah we did, we are now owners of three hand-tailored suits (each) that are shipped to our door for a fraction the cost of a suit back home. To sum up the day, we saw three amazing historical sites and purchased custom tailored suits.

If you are like me and can see the bright side in most situations, you would agree that today was a great day full of good fortune. If you are a bit more cynical, like Nick, you may have picked up on the elaborate ruse that may (or may not) have taken place.

Nick's Point of View

Not only did we get a "great" deal on a set of three suits, we were also hooked up with a great guide, Big Ben, around to the famous Buddha temples. Where did you end up catching on to the grand ploy? For me, it was when we experienced the suit purchases. It just seemed too good to be true. As for Alec, he became a bit skeptical in the suit shop but it wasn't until after we left that I began explaining my theory.

I started off by explaining that Big Ben had essentially gotten us to the store (as stated earlier Alec did know about this common occurrence as the drivers earn fuel for bringing in customers). But this was only scratching the surface of the conspiracy. Big Ben was simply a pawn in the grand scheme of the plan.

How convenient was it that the suit shop was on the route? How about that Big Ben went to the restroom for a good deal of time, allowing us to talk to the lawyer nearby? And that he was from America and knew this exact suit shop out of the thousands in Thailand? How about the nice guy that mapped out a route for us, hailed the cab and negotiated a "cheap" price for the entire trip? But the mastermind behind it all you ask? The kind man who pointed us in the right direction to the reclining Buddha.

All signs lead back this man that directed us essentially to where his buddy would intercept us. This was when he would plan our route and was in cahoots with Big Ben. The lawyer was clearly planted at the temple where he organically sold us on the suits. After that, the deed was done. We had been swindled into purchasing the suits.

I had to explain all of this to Alec where he finally caught on to this magnificent sting operation. It went far deeper than he could have imagined.

Conclusion

What do you make of our day? Good fortune and fun-filled or did you go the route of Nick's crazy theory? Open to interpretation! Either way, we saw some stunning sites and purchased a few high quality, custom suits. Hope you've had a few laughs at our fortune/misfortune depending how you look at it! Stay tuned for more foolish encounters.