As were the 100 baht bets of my Bangkok days.
It all started on a trip to hedonism island, also known as Ko Samet. Actually, pretty much any island in Thailand can earn the title of Hedonism Island. A few bucks and a lack of self control can turn any place in Thailand into a hedonistic paradise.
Anyway, we went down to Ko Samet and promptly drank ourselves into oblivion, as one is wont to do when drinking alcohol of unknown strength from buckets. One of the bartenders at the bar there was relatively attractive; at least, that's what our bucket goggles would suggest.
A colleague and I struck up a bet- who could get the bartender to kiss them first?
My game plan was something like this: completely forget the bet and carry on with my night. I was a whirling dervish of tomfoolery and had no time for concentrating on such nonsense.
Steph, on the other hand, had the eye of the tiger and won that very first bet with photo evidence of her kissing the bartender. I passed her the inaugural 100 baht bill without knowing that we had begun a journey of wagering that would take us all over South East Asia.
A side note. For those of you who aren't aware, 100 baht is about 3 bucks, or was when we were in Thailand. It's not a lot of money. No, we weren't in this for the money...we were in it for the glory.
THE RULES: Only the person currently holding the 100 baht can propose a bet. It cannot be so completely ridiculous that no one will be able to complete it- it has to be feasible. It should be legal. It shouldn't be so dangerous as to prove deadly. That sort of thing.
100 Baht Says You Won't...
1. Stick your hand down that hole to the elbow. The sewage system in Thailand is different than in Canada. Generally speaking, the drains are open rather than covered with grates, and they are probably deeper, given that when it rains, it basically pours sideways until the streets are completely flooded with knee-deep water. All manner of creatures come out of those drains. Frogs, cockroaches, rats...there are rumors (probably true) that the sewer system in Bangkok is infested with crocodiles let loose by irresponsible jerks who bought little ones at the market and then discovered that a 10 foot croc doesn't make for a great bath time pal. I attempted this bet but retreated from those black depths when my finger touched...something.
2. Get into that car covered in vines. We were on a road trip and went to some picturesque lookout. Someone else had gone, too, but abandoned their car. It had been completely engulfed in greenery (which almost definitely concealed about a billion different bugs). I have a picture of Steph in the car. 100 baht well won.
3. Dance with the Ajarn. The Ajarn is the boss of the school- the guy who started the school with his brother and two sisters. The big cheese, the head dude. I drank a tower of beer as tall as me and danced with him, which not only earned me a 100 baht but made me his favorite. I can't say if it was because he thought I was a good dancer or thought it was funny.
4. Eat the soup that moves of its own accord. On another road trip, we stopped at a small town and had lunch. Well, only a few of us ate, because there were only two things on the menu- stir fried mixed vegetables, or some kind of spicy soup. About half ordered vegetables, about half the soup. Those of us with the soup discovered that it was not just spicy, but unearthly SPICY. The soup was so hot, it was trying to escape itself, and was moving around in the bowl. Seriously. It swirled without us doing anything. Everyone tried a bite, and confirmed that even the soup thought it was too spicy. No one won this bet. I'm pretty sure that someone working at the restaurant won a bet in the back, though.
5. Eat some other gross thing. We had lots of eating bets. Bugs. Street meat. Mystery snacks. I actually never ate a bug- on purpose- in Thailand. I did accidentally eat a chicken butt. Not good.
6. Eat a candle. This was the beginning of the end of the bets. A new guy came towards the end of my year there who seemed awesome but then turned out to be completely insane. He tried to get on board with the 100 baht bets, which had been a solid game for months, and took it to a level where it was just weird. He took a candle while we were out at a restaurant and bet us that he couldn't eat it.
A side note. What the hell is it with boys and eating candles??
First of all, he didn't have the 100 baht, so he couldn't propose the bet. Second, it was never a "Bet I can't" thing. It was "Do this thing and I'll give you the 100 baht". Third, don't eat a candle!! What the hell.
...but he did.
I can't think of the hundreds of other bets we had offhand. Touch this gross bug. Talk to that weird guy. Wear this ugly thing. Take a picture with that hilarious whatever. But this candle-eating business was the end of it- he ate the candle, despite our protests and total lack of interest in his candle-eating prowess, and we reluctantly handed over the well-traveled, never spent and always enjoyed 100 baht bill.
...it was a sad day.
We don't have a three dollar bill in Canada (and why not?? I ask you.), but we do have a five dollar bill, and I might just get this going again. Five bucks says you won't... it has a nice ring to it.
Moral of this story: Who has five bucks they can lend me? I have a game I want to play.
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