Bangkok - living it up

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27 October 2010

Bangkok is everything Cambodia wasn’t and it is refreshing. I am not sure how long we will ride the crest of this particular wave of familiarity but, for now, we are enjoying it.

We are staying on the edge of China Town which means a hike to the places of touristic interest. That’s fine by us though since it means that we are also have to stray some way from our hotel before being set on by hawkers. Tuk Tuk drivers excepted.

This morning we set out with our trusty guide book in hand and a rough plan of where we wanted to go. Since the place that we are staying is posh, it is impossible to leave without a)being asked if we require a taxi and b) the look of surprise when we say that we don’t.

I had read that Bangkok has a Sky train and that mode of transport was therefore infinitely more appealing. We therefore decided to head in the direction of the closest Sky Train station which, fortuitously, is sandwiched between 4...5...6...(in truth, I have no idea) shopping centres. These are Malls par excellence and individually, let alone between them, trounce on Meadowhall and Blue Water and make The Drake Centre look like a village high street circa 1949. They are immense.

The first mall that we hit is MBK which is the lowest rent of the lot but still jam packed full with five floors plus of ‘stuff’ and, not forgetting, the obligatory Multiplex Cinema.

To two sets of eyes that have spent two months in Vietnam and Cambodia, of greater note than even the scale of the potential shopping experience, is the cleanliness. How they manage it in a city as polluted as Bangkok goodness only knows. In comparison to the places that we have inhabited of late, this city is clinically spotless.

We wandered through the shopping malls more for the experience, the aircon and the occasional recognisable brand more than to shop. I did however have one particular shopping requirement which I was keen to satisfy- the purchase of a new book. The first bookshop that we tried had walls of English Language books and I found myself in chick lit heaven. Gregg nearly petrified whilst he waited for me to finally make my decision. Purchasing a book is not something that would, in the normal scheme of things, be noteworthy I grant you but this was the first time since Hong Kong that we had found an English Language bookshop. Having survived for that time on book exchanges, random books picked up in hostels and the odd one with five (critical, I am sure) or so missing pages this was an air-conditioned Aladdin’s Cave to me and not, therefore, an experience to be rushed. It was also, self evidently, of significant note.

The shopping malls that huddle around the Sky Train each have walkways linking to it, presumably they being the reason for its existence in this part of town. It is precisely like a tube on stilts that glides through the city giving the rider a near birds-eye view of what lays below with two additional differences; 1) they are quiet 2) the windows are slathered with advertising such that it is impossible to tell how packed (or indeed empty) each carriage may be until the doors glide open.

Public transport is phenomenally well organised here. Sky Train links to Metro and the River and a meander along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya was precisely what we had our eyes on. As the Sky Train steps gave way to the entrance to the pier, the effect of the heavy rains that have been bearing down on Thailand became clear to see. Rather than walking on pavement, we found ourselves atop a hastily constructed gangway which caused me to suggest to Gregg that there was a possibility that the river boats may not actually be running.

According to the paper that I picked up in the hotel over dinner last night, yesterday was expected to be the date of peak flow following the most recent rains and, from the look of the river, the forecasters hadn‘t been wrong about that. The river boats were running even though the flow of the river would probably have pipped Yussein Bolt to the post. It looked like a brown mass of turbulent eddies which had brought with it swag from upstream which it surely must have ripped away from the banks with some considerable force. I forgot to mention - our destination was up-stream.

If I didn’t look green by the time we alighted, I certainly felt it.

Our destination was the pier that would take us towards Khao San Road - backpacker Ville - and it took us past numerous temples together with the extremely impressive looking Royal Palace. How the skipper managed to stop the boat at any of the piers, goodness only knows, but he did.

We made our way towards Khao San Road more out of curiosity than anything else. Everyone we know who has been to Bangkok says that it is something to be seen and so we concluded that it had to be done. The difference between this part of town and China Town, is that the shopkeepers and restaurant owners who populate the area are clearly aiming for the tourist buck and not a lot else. We found a place for lunch and over Thai curries pontificated over what makes an area like Khao San a success and the reasons why people keep going there. If you want to hear our conclusion, I will bore you with it some day.

Khao San is other back packer areas gone mad along a short road in the middle of Bangkok. Hostels Bars and ’souvenir’ shops line the streets, the pavements are packed with shop overflow. The road (which is closed to traffic - I think) houses pavement overflow and a myriad of Hawkers.

Khao San Road is also home to numerous 7 Eleven stores and at least one Boots. You might think that that these stores would seem out of context in a South-East Asian Country but, in Bangkok it is just the norm.

Having been on our feet for the best part of the day, we decided to head back to the hotel but agreed that we would come back to Khao San another day.

28 October 2010

This morning, my body let me down yet again and I therefore spent the first two thirds of the day in bed. Gregg therefore did some soloing during the afternoon whilst I did some annoyance at my body. I will not go in to details, save to say that the symptoms had subsided sufficiently by early evening that conversation drifted towards making a trip to the Cinema. The Guidebook told us that Cinema Bangkok style is a 5* experience and we were both intrigued. During his afternoon jaunt, Gregg had been back to the shopping centres and reported that there were numerous cinemas in that area. The program is published online so we set out for a late viewing of Eat, Pray, Love.

If you know your movies, you will know that this is ostensibly a chick-flick, based on the memoirs of a writer who went travelling for a year after her marriage broke down. The first part of the story line made it seem (to me, at least) to be something that really should be seen whilst doing the same (don’t panic, the marriage is in tact!) and it was the only thing on in English at a suitable time.

We weren’t in the super-deluxe cinema (you need to be a member of Siam Paragon Cineplex for that) but we did have a seat made for two in the Royal Grand Theatre which is used for Film Premiers. When I say seat made for two what I mean is a mini sofa, with two arms and wings that you could lean against and pretend that this enormous venue was in fact your living room.

The Royal Family are still held in the greatest of regard in Thailand and therefore before the film everyone must stand for the playing of the national anthem and accompanying film. The couple next to us didn’t seem to get that they should be standing up but we played out part and then settled down for the chick-flick. I thought it was heart warming (I’m not going to spoil the plot line) and it has given rise to my current catchphrase - “You see, life really can be like it is in the movies.” Poor Gregg!

ps - we know we have been quiet for a while. It's to do with difficulties/limitations on internet access. For that reason, there are no pictures in this post. We will add them as soon as we can - sorry parents for the inconvenience!

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Photos

Illicit washing
that's what a posh bathroom is for...

Tuk Tuk time
Thai style

Art outside a shopping centre
Just around the corner there was an oversized wonky bench too

Swollen River
...and me thinking we were a bit to close to it for comfort

Thai Curry
The first of many