The North Gate Jazz Co-op
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THE RED TRUCK TAXI (Sonthaew)
During that crazy first red truck taxi ride last night (it seems like weeks ago) we heard about a Jazz Club at the North Gate of the old city. Bracing ourselves for another jarring ride in the back of a red Songthaew, we checked Google Maps to find out how far. What a surprise, it was across the street from our hotel...across the street of terrifying traffic that stops for no pedestrian. Should we take a cab to go across the street? That just didn't seem right so we started walking in the general direction of the club. Another surprise, we come to a crosswalk with a traffic light - there must be only a couple of these in the entire city. We press the button and wait for the light to change. It changes, we walk. Remember me saying they don't stop for pedestrians? It doesn't matter if the light is red, it doesn't matter if there's a crosswalk - they don't stop. They do give you a running start so we scurry across the pavement, over the moat and into the old city. We find the club but the owner says we're too early. If we come back in an hour she'll guarantee us the best seat in the house.
INTO THE WOODS WE GO...
We find a nearby coffee house called "Into the Woods". It has a theme based on children stories. There are stylized trees growing out of the floor and the background music is strangely familiar. It's a Thai version of "Supercalifragilistic". We feel a little like Alice in Wonderland and the coffee is wonderful too. We make a note to come back another day.
EVERYBODY COMES TO RICK'S
When we return to the club, the best seat (a beat-up leather couch) is awaiting us. The jazz starts playing, the beer flows and we're fascinated by the diverse crowd. Now we feel like we're in Casablanca. "Everybody Comes to Rick's". We're sweating bullets and a guy walks in wearing a heavy leather bomber jacket. A weasely guy in a crumpled panama hat is hiding in a dark corner. Beautiful Thai women sip their cocoa colas. A burnout hippie time-warps in from the sixties. Music was enjoyed and good times were had. Being a little tipsy, we began our walk home again. It was a little quieter and the traffic less daunting. During the evening, the street in front of our hotel had been transformed into a late night food market. How convenient. Corinne struck up a conversation with one of the vendors and we were soon watching him cook us a banana pancake from the back of his motorcycle. Nothing smells better than a late night food market, especially when you've had a few drinks.
THE KHAO KHA MOO COWGIRL
We walked on towards our hotel and came across the famous Khao Kha Moo Cowgirl. She was featured on Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" television show. This beautiful woman in a cowboy hat and boots spends her evenings with a meat cleaver chopping away at a table of boiled pork. She got a bit of a bad rap for being cold and distant but Corinne talked her and found her quite personable. She was even happy to pose for a photo. It was the perfect end to a memorable evening.