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I finally get some cash. So the first thing I do is splurge on fried noodles by the roadside. 25 baht.

A gracious man, maybe in his 40s, motioned me to the makeshift sidewalk table. He had matrona blond hair and the aplomb of a maitre’d in some snooty French restaurant. How could I refuse?

While the sidewalk maitre’d goes behind his stove to prepare my noodles, his daughter, maybe 14, sits behind him and reads mangga. Apparently, her role in this family enterprise is bus girl. As after he fries my noodles, she serves it to me on a plastic plate. Later, he reminds her to give me some water too. (Thanks, i was kind of gagging on the chilis there.)

So i enjoyed my authentic pad thai and enjoyed the view from my VIP table - a man in the middle of the street scrounging in his bag for something, the sky train trundling above us, the indian restaurant inviting people in for Happy Hour, the white dudes looking to get lucky, the thai GROs looking to get luckier.

And after i finish my meal, i manage to fake it that i'm thai.

"Pi ka, thao rai ka?"

and he answers in some thai phrase i of course don't understand.
Haha, i managed to squeeze out two firsts despite this busy week.