Holed Up in the Hotel 16.7.08

It's Wednesday night. I'm holed up in my hotel room drinking 100 Pipers scotch that I bought at Seven Eleven and working on my website (www.vicariouscollection.com), and trying to avoid the call of the ever present siren of Bangkok nightlife. Even as I write this I am receiving a call from a friend calling me to one of the events raging on at this very mintue.
Tomorrow and Friday are big Thai national holidays. Buddhist lent they call it. And apparently, you can't buy alcohol anywhere for these two days. THIS, I am really interested to see.
No alcohol for sale in Bangkok? It's like Vegas here, or maybe I should say Vegas is trying desperately to be like Bangkok, because in Thailand you can drink ANYWHERE, ANY TIME OF THE DAY. You can buy beer or mixed drinks for about 50 Bhat (about $1.50) each at one of the many makeshift cafes that sprout up on the street in Khao San road or Sukhumvit Road. These cafes consist of nothing more than a pull cart stacked with bottles of liquor, a guy taking money and making drinks, and a few orange plastic chairs he/she spreads around for patrons.
Or perhaps you would like to just drop in to a store and get something to-go. No problem, hit up one of the ubiquitous 7-11's (hugely popular in Thailand, they are everywhere) get a beer for 31 Baht (a little less than a dollar) and step out the front door into the street after they pop it open for you. Or just buy a whole bottle of liquor from them and pop it open with your buds while your at it.
Need to get in a cab and go somewhere? No problem, take your beer or booze with you and drink as you go.
So, you get my point, it's going to be interesting to see these two days unfold, because if there is one thing that Thai people are more serious about than putting on a non-stop street party, its Buddhism (something like 95% of the population considers themselves Buddhists).

On another note, since blogging last, I visited Silpakorn University's Fine Arts department again which was damn awesome and really impressive. I saw two shows at two of the three galleries they have on campus. One of the shows was by an American artist from New Orleans who was an artist in residence at the University and had one of the greatest shows I have seen in recent memory up. I absolutely loved it. I'll share pictures soon. He was totally out of his mind.
I also went and visited a gallery called Ardel, in some place way outside of town that I can't remember the name of. But the gallery was fantastic and had some work up in the cafe (that I actually enjoyed a lot more than the main exhibition, go figure) by a student that I had just met actually, and I was so impressed I bought one of her pieces right then and there. The gallery was by far the most bright shiny new contemporary spaces I had seen yet, with Astroturf for grass. HA! Anyway, just some other quick highlights, ate some durian fruit, did some more shopping for dresses for the site at Pratunam, and just enjoyed being in Thailand! I'll link some photos to this link soon I promise, until then, carpe diem my friends! You know I will! Ha!