Short Story 3
Bangkok, Thailand
[THAILAND] Navigating Bangkok Alone During the Pandemic
July 2021
Contents
Introduction
This short story unveils certain experiences I had while working and living in Bangkok, Thailand during COVID-19. You'll get an honest account and my thought process in 2020, the year of radical change. Without further ado, let’s get this show on the road!
Confusion
March 2020 is a massive shift in the world. With people staying at home to help prevent the virus from magnifying, the question is, for how long? Nobody knows.
Some economic analysts are predicting a global recession. Where I work, the company’s clients are primarily small businesses from the US, and America is in a downturn because of the pandemic. Based on emails, Slack messages, and virtual meetings from the co-founder, I could get laid off this year.
After today’s company meeting via Zoom, there are new changes a week before my ninety-day probation, effective April 1:
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15% pay cut for all staff (20% for senior leaders)
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No 2-3% pay raise every six months
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The end-of-year bonus is now eliminated
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Yearly employee allowance (medical, dental, vision, gym membership, books, training courses) cut to 50%
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More salary reductions or layoffs if the company’s balance sheets are in the red
The updates make me think subjectively instead of rationally, causing me not to see a future with the company. Whether I'm happy, sad, or mad about life, satisfied or dissatisfied at work, my get-stuff-done mentality doesn’t change.
Curfew
HR from work notified staff that the Thai government announced a new rule concerning COVID-19. A mandatory curfew (10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.) starts today (Friday, April 3, 2020) to prevent new cases. Whoever gets stopped in public by authorities during the curfew can face two years in prison or a twelve-hundred-dollar fine—or both. Bangkok has been in quarantine for less than a month, and now, there’s a curfew.
One week later, Dennis sends an email to staff about rumors that Bangkok might have a twenty-four-hour curfew. I type "bangkok 24 hour curfew" into Google's search bar, and the results on the first page say the new policy isn't valid. Other recent articles from the Bangkok Post, Bangkok’s daily news media, claim that the government will consider twenty-four-hour lockdowns if people don't follow the curfew.
On the other hand, while stores in the US are experiencing a shortage of toilet paper, some Thai nationals are stocking up on booze in Bangkok. Two days ago, on April 8, Thai authorities announced a ten-day ban for the sale of beer, wine, and hard liquor in all shops throughout Thailand. The reasoning is to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
April 10 to 20, 2020, is Songkran, Thailand’s New Year. A canceled week-long holiday isn’t going to stop alcohol consumers from buying. With a population of almost eleven million, social distancing, and the 10:00 p.m. curfew, I wouldn’t be surprised if liquor sales go through the roof in Bangkok on April 8 and 9.
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Authentic What?
One restaurant on Sukhumvit Road takes us to the most isolated county in the world. Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant, a government-run establishment by North Korea, serves authentic North Korean cuisines in Bangkok.
From the outside, the closed green curtains prevent me from checking out the inside of the restaurant. The small glass entrance door has “No photos” and “No smoking” signs.
I push the button to open the sliding door, triggering the alarm buzzer to go off. The door doesn’t budge, despite that the restaurant is up and running. I look at the woman at the front counter, innocently refusing to touch the door. She comes to the entrance and opens it, and I’m the only customer inside at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday.
The Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant has a strange vibe. It’s as if my every move is being monitored by cameras in the four corners. I feel tense. The Korean woman eyes me a few times. They aren’t hey-you’re-cute, or I’m-interested-in-you looks, but not hostile either. She’s probably making sure I’m not taking pictures or doing anything fishy.
The woman goes to the back of the restaurant. Nobody else is inside the dining area. My ego prompts me to take out my phone to snap a few pictures of this old school-style restaurant. The noise of the flash sounds loud inside the confined space. A few minutes later, the lady is back at the front counter and notices me on my phone, but I’m playing it off as if I’m reading a text message.
She turns on some North Korean music, which is making me feel comfortable. While my food is being prepared, I walk to the bathroom and see a written "Out of order" sign. The Korean woman tells me to go upstairs. There’s a sign saying, “VIP area.” As I walk up the stairs in dim light, she’s looking at my front pants pockets to ensure I don’t take out my phone.
In the tiny upstairs lounge are two rooms with flashy VIP signs on the doors. The one-person bathroom is large and contains a shower area without curtains. I put two and two together, realizing that the “VIP area” is a place to host private parties for exclusive guests (horny men with power and money) to get their happy ending(s). Ladies or sheltered men, if you said, “Huh?” ask a grown man who has been around the block or Google what a “happy ending” means.
I eat my dinner consisting of Pyongyang beef, kimchi rice, and sour green pancakes. On a scale of one to ten, the North Korean food at this place gets a seven and a half. If you’re in Bangkok, put Pyongyang Okryu Restaurant on your checklist. The food isn’t stellar, prices aren’t low, but the experience is worth it..........
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