Russian dancers, Spanish literature, Lebanese food and the Queen of Thailand

It would seem as though this blog is a mere catalogue of my weekend adventures here in Thailand. Yet again, I will be begin with the words: “This last weekend Brittany and I…” Ah well, such is the nature of a weekly update I suppose. This weekend’s adventure involved a Russian ballet, the Queen of Thailand, and seven adults in a taxi.

When I first arrived in Thailand, Brittany informed me that Bangkok is doing an annual celebration of arts and culture this fall. We decided on the spot that we would participate in at least one event for the purpose of expanding our high cultural horizons as well as having an excuse to dress up. After much discussion and time spent pouring over the scheduled events, we finally decided upon the ballet “Don Quixote” performed by a ballet company and orchestra from St. Petersburg, Russia.

After spending the entire afternoon getting dolled up with our friend Tukta, we caught a taxi to the sky train where we met up with a few friends. We took the sky train to an area of the city that is known for its Middle Eastern and Indian population and subsequent amazing food. We walked a couple of blocks to a Lebanese restaurant Brittany has been to before and ordered a tableful of amazing hummus, baba ganoushe, non bread, falafel, hameed and Turkish coffee. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and the food was very authentic. From there we hailed yet another taxi to take us to the Thailand Art and Culture Center. We stepped out of the car and into a glamorous, high society world of fancy clothes and schmoozing. Up until that point I felt a little overdressed in my black cocktail dress, but when we stepped out of the taxi I was relieved at my wardrobe choice.

The center was beautiful with covered walkways, landscaped gardens, fountains and fish ponds. We joined the crowds of socialites and expats headed into the theater. Our seats were in the nosebleed section, but the view was still very good. On our way to our seats we heard an announcement that warned all attendees to hurry and take their seats as the royal party was about to arrive. We all stopped in our tracks and stared at each other. Royalty? Royalty in Thailand is a concept difficult for Americans to understand. The royal family is revered unlike anything in our culture. They have a different language to talk about the royals and it’s actually really disrespectful to talk about them much at all. As it turned out, it was the Queen herself attending the ballet. Although she delayed the production be 20 minutes, it was so cool to be there with her and see the top of her head as she took her seat in the throne on the level below us. Every time she entered everyone stood up. I decided that I really like that way of acknowledging her presence. Very classy.

The ballet was amazing! It was close to three hours long and the dancers were nothing like I’ve ever seen before! I’m still a little fuzzy on the story of Don Quioxte, but the artistry was incredible! During intermissions we wandered around people watching and enjoying being a part of such a high class crowd. At one point we accidentally wandered our way into the throne room, only to rush out again. We also discovered that they were serving free water, orange juice and chocolates on the veranda. Man, it’s good to run with “high so” circles.

After the ballet we met a couple of other friends from YWAM and all crammed into a taxi for the ride home. Let me tell you, 6 adults in the back of a smallish car for a 40 minute is riotous if not a little hot. As soon as we shut the door the driver cranked up American dance music and we laughed. The whole ride the driver was talking to himself and giggling. When we got back to our apartment complex the guards at the gate had to do a double take when they saw all of us in the back. I think we made their night! We all went back to an apartment for drinks and brownie sundaes. It was a wonderful experience! So much fun to be dressed up! And so much fun to be a part of the intersection of so many cultures: A Spanish ballet, a Russian ballet company, Thai royalty, Lebanese food, Turkish coffee and friends from all over the world including South Africa, Oregon, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, and of course, Michigan.