Mini Adventure: China Town and Little India

So tonight just exemplified the sentiment I have been writing about and experiencing for the short time that I have been here: the universe wants us to experience Thailand to its fullest. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. We always travel with the right number of people for either the mode of transportation or the number of seats at a restaurant, and always manage to find little havens of culture and happiness that make the experience that much more amazing.
We decided to go to dinner tonight in China town and found a street that the Lonely Planet book recommended. We ate fried noodles with seafood that came on a steaming hot plate, and it was so delicious and so filling. Definitely got my 70 Baht worth (less than 3 dollars). We then decided to walk to Little India to get dessert, and made a pitstop at a 360 degree revolving restaurant at the top of a hotel, not to eat or drink, just to check it out. We finally made it to our destination, a small dessert shop that Lonely Planet also raved about, but alas, it was closed.
However, on our walk back, we found what looked like a lit up restaurant, walked in, and soon realized it was a Sikh temple. Instead of ushering us out because half of us were improperly dressed, we  were asked if we wanted to go upstairs. Without hesitation we agreed, took off our shoes, put on head coverings, and headed up gender-separate staircases to the fourth floor. Upon arrival, we were immediately given just what we had came for: Indian dessert. As it turns out, we decided to explore Little India during the celebration of the birthday of the 10th Sikh Guru, and this time of the year, the Sikh people read their holy book from beginning to end without stopping, normally a 64 hour process. At the temple throughout the entirety of the reading, different people tag in and out in order to not interrupt the reading and food and chai tea are constantly being served. A lovely woman who taught music at the temple talked to us and explained to us that we are always welcome in their space. Not only were we welcome to observe, but we got basically another free meal on top of the meal we had already paid for in China town only a 15 minute walk away.
I had never been treated so kindly by strangers.
The night ended in a tuk tuk ride back to 3J, 6 people in one tuk tuk.
What a night.