So this was it.....the final day in what has been a magnificent stay in Bangkok. I am already out of the hotel we had been staying in-we are now in a place 15 minutes from the airport, a good thing given our 7:10 am flight tomorrow morning.
Dad still had some work to attend to after breakfast, so I used the last few hours before heading towards to airport (we left around 3:00) to take in some more of the city. I set out for the market around Victory Monument, hoping to catch a glimpse of it during the day. I thought it might be bustling on a Friday but, while people were still out in numbers, it wasn't as busy as when I visited during the later hours. There were probably more people traversing the bridge-ways above and passing through the Sky Train station than there were in the market.
Quickly finished with that, I ambled in the direction of the hotel, when I crossed the train tracks, the same ones that pass behind our hotel. I took a look down and saw that a platform ran alongside, and along the platform were squatter-type homes. Ever the intrepid traveler, I walked along platform, which often-times groaned at my steps, passing by the endless row of informal dwellings. Now, if I were in Argentina or something, I would have never done something like this. I think for Cape Town it goes without saying. Despite its size though, Bangkok is incredibly safe, and I never felt threatened walking through what was obviously a downtrodden area. Instead people didn't really seem to mind my presence, and, in the way only Thais can, still managed a bright smile despite obvious economic hardship. I have really come admire the Thai people. For many, even while having to deal with difficult lives (for instance, standing on your feet all day cooking food in a stall in the blinding heat), they find a way to put on a friendly face. It ain't called the Land of Smiles for nothing.
I took the tracks all the way down to where they again intersected with another major road. I walked back and stopped into a slightly-larger shanty that housed a boxing ring and weight-lifting equipment, obviously a place for Muay Thai training. A sign (in English) offered lessons to foreigners, but I had to indicate to the proprietor that I wouldn't be taking any lessons today. I appreciated him letting me snap some photos though.
Pretty soon our agreed upon time to skedaddle from the hotel, 3 o'clock, drew near, and we linked up in the hotel lobby and hopped into a cab for the ride to the airport hotel. The drive on the highway towards the airport got kind of interesting. You know how, in the United States, we have that space between the guardrail and the lanes, something called the breakdown lane? Yeah, well, here in Thailand, they just turn that into another driving lane. Thought I would share that for those of you who always make sure to obey the traffic laws.
Which is where I sit, right now. Its a massive hotel, and, for a Best Western, has a real feel of luxury to it. I think they might have gone a bit overboard though. Anyway, the hotel is located along what is obviously a major highway feeding into Bangkok, so traffic is quite heavy. In the immediate area, alongside the road, there are a handful of medium-sized covered markets and some shops. To break up the evening a bit, we walked through, also appreciating the cooling, breezy air. There appears to be some industry along the road as well, such as steel production, so my thought is that markets and shops serve workers getting off of shifts. There are also some housing units set farther back from the road, and quite a few kids in school uniform were out, so maybe a school is in the area as well. Either way, it was buzzing with activity, just like so much of Bangkok.
I am sad to be leaving Krung Thep. I always have a special feeling while in Asian cities. I am not sure what it is or how to describe it, but its a good one. I feel it might be a product of that fact that, outside of North America, Asia is where I have spent the most amount of time (OK, OK, I am sure having a thing for Asian women has SOMETHING to do with it). Either way, I quickly fell in love with Bangkok. John Burdett, the author I gave mention to here yesterday, described the city as "organized chaos". I think that is about right. First impressions are that chaos reigns here in the city, but there does seem to be some purpose to it-everyone knows what they are doing, what they will be doing, and where they will be going. From a vistor's perspective, at least mine, Bangkok doesn't really offer all that much in terms of sites and touristy things (It may seem that way, but aside from the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho, there aren't all that many must sees). This, of course, is just fine with me. Bangkok, where 8 million officially live but probably many more in reality, offers up something even more important, something that most interests me: something I like to call the Human Element. The people of Bangkok, and of Thailand, are wonderful people with a fascinating culture, a quirky-sounding, sing-song language, delightful food, lovely dispositions, and admirable work ethics. The efficiency, cleanliness, and user-friendliness (for foreigners in particular) of the Metro and Sky Trains deserves mention as well...still blows my mind a bit when I think about it. It doesn't hurt either that, to me at least, many of their women are drop-dead gorgeous. The one's that aren't are usually cuter than (insert which-ever cliche you like, cause it will work). Despite covering so much of the city and knocking off the sites that interested me, this is certainly a city I will be coming back to. I would actually describe Bangkok as a place that does not need any touristy sights at all to be an attractive destination. Watching the ways and means that the people in Bangkok go about their days and live their lives makes for spectacular viewing. Just step out into the sweltering heat, merge into the teeming crowds, and walk around with no particular direction, or squeeze into the Sky Train or Metro and go along for the ride just for the sake of it, just to see the mass movement of people, and what the daily grind is like for a Thai worker or student, both on their way to work/school or as they head home. Revel in the city's organized chaos. Welcome to Bangkok, welcome to the Human Element.
So tomorrow I have to a catch a really early flight, meaning its going to be a really early morning from me. Next report will be from home base, in Whitesboro, New York, provided it hasn't been buried in snow yet.
This is Adam Kwiat, The Four Corners, Bangkok, Thailand.
Dad still had some work to attend to after breakfast, so I used the last few hours before heading towards to airport (we left around 3:00) to take in some more of the city. I set out for the market around Victory Monument, hoping to catch a glimpse of it during the day. I thought it might be bustling on a Friday but, while people were still out in numbers, it wasn't as busy as when I visited during the later hours. There were probably more people traversing the bridge-ways above and passing through the Sky Train station than there were in the market.
Quickly finished with that, I ambled in the direction of the hotel, when I crossed the train tracks, the same ones that pass behind our hotel. I took a look down and saw that a platform ran alongside, and along the platform were squatter-type homes. Ever the intrepid traveler, I walked along platform, which often-times groaned at my steps, passing by the endless row of informal dwellings. Now, if I were in Argentina or something, I would have never done something like this. I think for Cape Town it goes without saying. Despite its size though, Bangkok is incredibly safe, and I never felt threatened walking through what was obviously a downtrodden area. Instead people didn't really seem to mind my presence, and, in the way only Thais can, still managed a bright smile despite obvious economic hardship. I have really come admire the Thai people. For many, even while having to deal with difficult lives (for instance, standing on your feet all day cooking food in a stall in the blinding heat), they find a way to put on a friendly face. It ain't called the Land of Smiles for nothing.
I took the tracks all the way down to where they again intersected with another major road. I walked back and stopped into a slightly-larger shanty that housed a boxing ring and weight-lifting equipment, obviously a place for Muay Thai training. A sign (in English) offered lessons to foreigners, but I had to indicate to the proprietor that I wouldn't be taking any lessons today. I appreciated him letting me snap some photos though.
Pretty soon our agreed upon time to skedaddle from the hotel, 3 o'clock, drew near, and we linked up in the hotel lobby and hopped into a cab for the ride to the airport hotel. The drive on the highway towards the airport got kind of interesting. You know how, in the United States, we have that space between the guardrail and the lanes, something called the breakdown lane? Yeah, well, here in Thailand, they just turn that into another driving lane. Thought I would share that for those of you who always make sure to obey the traffic laws.
Which is where I sit, right now. Its a massive hotel, and, for a Best Western, has a real feel of luxury to it. I think they might have gone a bit overboard though. Anyway, the hotel is located along what is obviously a major highway feeding into Bangkok, so traffic is quite heavy. In the immediate area, alongside the road, there are a handful of medium-sized covered markets and some shops. To break up the evening a bit, we walked through, also appreciating the cooling, breezy air. There appears to be some industry along the road as well, such as steel production, so my thought is that markets and shops serve workers getting off of shifts. There are also some housing units set farther back from the road, and quite a few kids in school uniform were out, so maybe a school is in the area as well. Either way, it was buzzing with activity, just like so much of Bangkok.
I am sad to be leaving Krung Thep. I always have a special feeling while in Asian cities. I am not sure what it is or how to describe it, but its a good one. I feel it might be a product of that fact that, outside of North America, Asia is where I have spent the most amount of time (OK, OK, I am sure having a thing for Asian women has SOMETHING to do with it). Either way, I quickly fell in love with Bangkok. John Burdett, the author I gave mention to here yesterday, described the city as "organized chaos". I think that is about right. First impressions are that chaos reigns here in the city, but there does seem to be some purpose to it-everyone knows what they are doing, what they will be doing, and where they will be going. From a vistor's perspective, at least mine, Bangkok doesn't really offer all that much in terms of sites and touristy things (It may seem that way, but aside from the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho, there aren't all that many must sees). This, of course, is just fine with me. Bangkok, where 8 million officially live but probably many more in reality, offers up something even more important, something that most interests me: something I like to call the Human Element. The people of Bangkok, and of Thailand, are wonderful people with a fascinating culture, a quirky-sounding, sing-song language, delightful food, lovely dispositions, and admirable work ethics. The efficiency, cleanliness, and user-friendliness (for foreigners in particular) of the Metro and Sky Trains deserves mention as well...still blows my mind a bit when I think about it. It doesn't hurt either that, to me at least, many of their women are drop-dead gorgeous. The one's that aren't are usually cuter than (insert which-ever cliche you like, cause it will work). Despite covering so much of the city and knocking off the sites that interested me, this is certainly a city I will be coming back to. I would actually describe Bangkok as a place that does not need any touristy sights at all to be an attractive destination. Watching the ways and means that the people in Bangkok go about their days and live their lives makes for spectacular viewing. Just step out into the sweltering heat, merge into the teeming crowds, and walk around with no particular direction, or squeeze into the Sky Train or Metro and go along for the ride just for the sake of it, just to see the mass movement of people, and what the daily grind is like for a Thai worker or student, both on their way to work/school or as they head home. Revel in the city's organized chaos. Welcome to Bangkok, welcome to the Human Element.
So tomorrow I have to a catch a really early flight, meaning its going to be a really early morning from me. Next report will be from home base, in Whitesboro, New York, provided it hasn't been buried in snow yet.
This is Adam Kwiat, The Four Corners, Bangkok, Thailand.
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