A Moment in Bangkok

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What can I say about Thailand that hasn’t been said before? In 2007 Thailand received 14.46 million foreign tourists. It is a must-see destination and an essential stop on the well-trodden backpacker trail of Southeast Asia. It has something to offer everyone-culture, beaches, adventure, shopping, resorts, spas, and great food. The variety of tourists flavors are evident in the county-from the college crowd looking for a great party to retirees on a package holiday. Because of its diversity it is safe to say that everyone has a very different experience in Thailand depending on his or her individual tastes, so all I can really do is to recount mine.

Like many other instances on the trip, our time in Thailand can best be described as random. We hadn’t planned on going at all, but since the Bangkok airport is a major hub for Southeast Asia’s budget airlines, we figured we mind as well check it out on the way to our next destination:Cambodia. I think that complete lack of planning made our stay all the more fun. We really didn’t have any expectations in terms of what we wanted to see, and so spent many satisfying days wandering around Bangkok on foot and tuk-tuk.

The city did turn out to be a lot different than I had imagined. I think a lot of this was due to the fact we stayed in the suburbs rather than the infamous Kao San Road. At first I was disappointed; it was sprawling, disjointed, smoggy and packed with overflowing tour buses. Once we started exploring, however, I really came to love it.

Our fist view of the city was the sparkling airport terminal and once on the road surrounded by nice, shiny cars it instantly became clear that Thailand was much more affluent than its neighbors. We stayed at a small bed and breakfast run by a Thai family somewhere in the suburbs.

Walking to a shopping complex nearby to find some dinner, we passed down an alley full of mangy pariah dogs sniffing in the bushes, yelping, chasing one another, and napping in the road. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dogs in one place in my life. Spurred by memories of running in the Central Oregon countryside and being chased by various farm dogs along the way, I instantly was on the defensive, though not a single one of the pariahs noticed us. This became a usual routine in Southeast Asia, marching through a group of feral dogs without batting an eye.

Our host family had three adorable, pampered dogs of their own, who all woreT-shirts. They were horrified to discover that we had just come from a country where dog is frequently on the menu.

On our first day in the city we went like moths to a flame to the Royal Palace only to find, of course, that everyone else had the same idea. It was certainly impressive, but also hot and overwhelmingly crowded.

As a side note: on the way to the Royal Palace we encountered an all too convenient scam. Several men approached us and warned us the palace was closed for lunch. They offered to take us via tuk-tuk to some other sights in the city, including the Golden Mount, for only 5 Baht! The catch is that they stopped at stores along the way selling way overpriced merchandise and expected you to shop like mad. Then the driver would make a commission from the sales. Well, we went to the Golden Mount and got driven around the city, but didn’t partake in any shopping and politely declined the repeated offers. Finally, we told the driver that we had to meet our (imaginary) friends back at the palace. He returned us to the entrance, we paid the 5 Baht, and left. Obviously, the driver was none to pleased, but we had gotten a 2+ hour tour of the city for 15 cents! I almost felt bad, but that’s what you get.

After escaping the palace we wandered along the waterfront and hired a longtail boat for a tour. Probably my favorite memory of the city was whipping around the canals overhung with greenery and flowering bougainvillea. Over the next several days we continued to explore. Some other notable highlights:

• The Red Cross Snake Farm. We found it in the guidebook and went to check it out. The snake farm workers deal with poisonous snakes to create anti-venom. Each morning you can go and watch them extract the venom from the snakes (no easy task) and the entrance fee goes to help the cause.

• Lumphini Park. It was wonderful strolling around away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The park is beautiful, green, and a great place to chill out. We rented a paddle boat and milled around in the pond among giant water monitor lizards. The first time I saw one I almost leaped out of the boat in shock.

• The Bangkok Zoo. Obviously, if you have limited time in the city you might want to skip this one as you can see most of these animals at home. It was almost completely deserted when we were there on a weekday and very quiet and peaceful. Also, it is in a really nice area of town surrounded by park-like neighborhoods and several government building with sprawling lawns.

• Muay Thai or “Thai Boxing” was fantastic. We went to the Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium and bought the mid-price seats which were perfect. Most of the foreigners sit ringside on the floor, and most of the Thais (betting and screaming enthusiastically) are caged in near the top of the stadium. So we were pretty much alone swilling beers we bought at the BBQ stands outside and enjoying the action.

We also spent a lot of time walking by the river, eating, and visited the infamous Suan Lum night bazaar. Altogether we had a wonderful and relaxing time exploring the city. Our host family was extremely kind and helpful. Thailand is incredibly interesting and really stands alone among other Southeast Asian countries as having a history of political stability and economic success. Incidentally, it is the only country in the region not to have been colonized. I am unfortunately hazy on the exact historical happenings, but believe that it was purposefully left as a barrier between the colonizing forces of the British Empire stretching across India and Burma and French Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam).

I could go on, but as I have said these are only my impressions. Bangkok is the kind of place that is certainly pays to go and see for yourself.

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Photos

Painting
The Royal Palace

Red Cross Snake Farm
(the non-poisonous variety)

Muay Thai
Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium

Night Market
Bangkok