Bangkok--Sensory Overload

---

For the first time in over four months of traveling, we have reached sensory overload-much like reaching critical mass but much more overwhelming. We have read countless journals and guidebooks about what to expect in Bangkok, but no amount of research can actually prepare you for the actual experience.

We arrive in Bangkok on Friday, 3 October, after an extremely long flight from Athens. Our flight routed us through Bahrain with a 1 ½ hour layover before connecting with our flight to Bangkok. Upon arrival in Bahrain, we found out that our flight on Gulf Air was delayed by two hours. After checking in at our gate, we found out that the flight would be delayed by another two hours. When we asked the gate attendant about the delay he said they were doing daily maintenance. Everyone on the flight was getting a little anxious and agitated with the airline for the delay. Although the price was certainly a bargain, we will not be flying with Gulf Air ever in the future.

OK, so let’s fast forward to our arrival. After running the gauntlet of having to clear through passport control and customs, we break free to the airport in search for a taxi to the Khao San Road area of town. I’ll blame the lack of good rest and disorientation, but we got taken to the cleaners on our taxi ride from the airport. Where we made the mistake was booking the taxi from the “official taxi stand” on the same floor as the arrivals. We later learned that we could have saved a bundle by going to the “metered taxi stand”. Well, I’ll chock that one up to a lesson learned and we had to pay a little tuition for the lesson.

The taxi ride from the airport takes about an hour. I did not realize that Bangkok was such a huge city. After circling the block once, our driver finally found our guesthouse. As we got closer to the Guesthouse, the number of motor scooters, tuk tuks and taxis multiplied exponentially. We would be staying at the Green House Guesthouse located one block from Khao San Road. We paid about $16.00USD for the room and it was really primitive, but had air conditioning and an ensuite toilet and shower.

We had plenty of travel journals and guidebooks about all of the rip off scams in Bangkok and we were determine to remain on our toes, particularly after getting hosed on the taxi from the airport. After dropping the bags in the room, we walked around the corner to Khao San Road.

Let me fill you in on Khao San Road. This is the central backpacker’s Mecca for Thailand and Bangkok. The extremely heavy concentration of backpackers has brought the entire spectrum of people willing to separate them from their money. This includes dirt cheap accommodations, bars, street vendors, tuk-tuks, and a whole variety of really shady characters. Food vendors are all over the place. They sell things such as Pad-Thai noodles, fresh coconuts, fresh fruits, corn in a cup, corn on the cob, chicken on a stick, beef on a stick, curried meats, fruit juices and last but not least, Fried Insects. Some of the street vendors included multiple stalls selling fake IDs of just about anything you wanted. We actually saw some official FBI ID cards and even some DoD Contractor CAC Cards—Unbelievable. Other booths offered henna tattoos, clothes, shoes, patches, backpacks, bootleg CDs and DVDs, beads, and trinkets, but the most popular booths were the dreadlock weaving booths. Many of these booths had music cranked and lights to boot. As you walk the street, you can help to notice the variety of smells. Some smells from the food booths are quite pleasant, but when you walk past one of the sewer drains, it is enough to turn your stomach. The whole scene is rather tame during the day, but once darkness sets in, it becomes like a three ring circus and all of the wanna be hippies are the main side show attraction. Bright neon lights lure backpackers and other tourists to the permanent establishments such as the cheap rooms, bars and massage parlors. As you walk the street, you reach sensory overload from the lights, sights, music, and the smells. It’s not an experience I would choose to experience every day, but we did have to experience it a few times while we were in Bangkok.


After spending a fortune on our European tour, we were delighted to find that our dollar would go much further here and we could back on track with our overall budget for the trip. $16USD for our first room, but we could have gotten a more primitive room for under $10USD. Meals are dirt cheap—Breakfast in the Guesthouse with a coupon is about $1.50USD. We were getting a plate full of Pad-Thai noodles for about $1.00USD. Pad-Thai became one of our staples during our visit. We both got hooked on them for the value, nutrition and the taste. We have seen multiple variations on the spelling for pad-Thai noodles. We did have to add bottled water into our budget because guidebooks don’t even recommend brushing your teeth with the tap water. None the less, you can pick up bottled water relatively cheap. Transportation is also pretty cheap but you have to be on your toes so you literally won’t get taken for a ride.

Taxis and Tuk Tuks are a huge source of scams. Now let me say that not all of these guys are out to screw tourist and backpackers but many of them do. These guys are experts at preying on uneducated tourists and backpackers.
Let me start with the tuk tuk drivers. These guys either work independently or have a “pimp” working people on the streets for them. The pimp is often dressed nicely and sometimes in an official looking type uniform. They start the game by asking “Where are you going?” Any acknowledgement or reply and they begin to set their hook. These guys are everywhere and it becomes relentless the longer you walk the streets. By talking to other travelers, you can get an idea of how much a fair tuk tuk ride will cost. Once you ask them how much a ride will cost, they already have your number and begin working on your weakness of being uninformed. These guys hang out on all of the routes to the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple and other popular tourist areas. Some of the pimps will ask you if you are going to the Grand Palace. Once you acknowledge, they will kindly inform you that it is closed today and that you can visit one of the other temples—their favorite is the Lucky Temple which doesn’t exist. They may tell you that they are from the Tourist Authority of Thailand (T.A.T). They will tell you that you can take a tuk tuk to these destinations. Sometimes, they will even have someone dressed like a police officer confirm to their story. Once you get into the tuk tuk, you will go for a ride, but one you may regret. Tuk tuk drivers get commissions for bringing people to unofficial TAT offices and to shops with outrageous prices. They will tell you they need gas vouchers to buy gas and that you need to go in the shop so they can get their vouchers. Unofficial TAT offices are everywhere and many of them sell overinflated tours with no guarantee. You would not believe how many times we were approached by tuk tuk drivers and their pimps. When we walked to the Grand Palace, we even had one guy follow us until he finally gave up. I think he knew I would kick him in the neck if he got any closer. Perhaps the boldest attempt by one of the tuk tuk pimps was right at one of the gates to the Grand Palace. There were two real guards standing post at the gate and a third guy in a black polo shirt with an official looking emblem approached us because Lynne was wearing a sleeveless shirt. She had packed a suitable shirt in the day pack, but this guy came up with a picture card and said that her shirt was not acceptable and that she could borrow one inside for free. Gee, I thought this guy was nice for pointing this out to us, and then he sprung it on us. He said the Palace and Temple were closed until 2:00PM due to a ceremony inside. Bing, Bing, Bing. That’s when the warning bells went off and we said our farewells without a group hug. We walked another 100 meters to the main entrance and walked right in to the ticket office. When we finished our tour, we stood across the streets and watched lots of people getting roped into getting into tuk tuks.


A typical tuk tuk ride from Khao San to the train station is about 40 Bhat ($1.20USD). We had to go to the train station to get tickets to travel to Chiang Mai in the north. I approached the first tuk tuk driver and said I would give him 30 Bhat to the train station with no stops. He firmly said no—he knew I knew the game. I approached three more and got the same response. We kept walking when another driver pulled up and said train station—“10 Bhat”. I said train station—NO STOPS. He said he would take us to the TAT office at Train Station. I knew the game, but Lynne said “let’s do it”. OK, buckle up scooter we are going for a ride. He drove us around and I was sure he was going to take us to a shop for a gas coupon. 10 Bhat was not a fair price for them and he had to make up the difference with a kickback. He finally pulled up to a TAT storefront on the street next to the train station. We told us to go inside for our tickets. We got out of the tuk tuk, paid him the 10Bhat we agreed upon, walked into the shop and told them we might be back. During this time, he parked the tuk tuk and was going to the TAT shop to collect his commission. He was a little shocked when he saw us walking away from the TAT shop. I’m sure he was pissed that he didn’t get over on us, but we played his game and beat him at it. I’m sure that if he saw us on the streets, he would probably run us over. When we finished our business at the train station, we decided to take the local bus back to the guesthouse. The bus ride was rather interesting, but we didn’t have to play any games.

Now don’t get me wrong here. If you come to Bangkok, you have to experience the excitement of riding in a tuk tuk at least once, just be educated before you get in and settle on a fair before you get in. Once inside the tuk tuk, you will experience a thrill ride that will rival any amusement park ride. As a bonus you get the added benefit of the danger factor—these guys are insane and want to prove it to you. You also get the added thrill of breathing noxious fumes as you get stuck in traffic and breath the exhaust of all the other vehicles on the road. If it starts raining you even get the bonus of getting a free shower. Sure they have a cover on the top, but this is more for shade than rain. Hey you only live once and you have to live a little. Besides, you’re on vacation right.

Many taxis have meters, but the drivers will ask you where you are going and tell you how much. When you ask about the meter, they will tell you it is broken. When we had to take a taxi to the train station, we played the game with 5 taxi drivers before we finally found one that was honest. One guy said he could take us to the train station for 200 Bhat. We blew him off. When we did arrive at the train station with our driver, his meter read 67 Bhat. Many people fall prey to taxi drivers who want to rip them off because they don’t know any better. After our experience from the airport, we know better.

Bangkok does offer some really spectacular sights. The temples and shrines are the most elaborate we have seen anywhere. Photos do no justice in showing the true beauty and the awe of standing there and seeing them first hand. I’m sure you will enjoy some of the photos, but they are only snapshots of the entire experience. Not all Thai people are crooked and ready to pounce on unsuspecting tourist. Many of the Thai folks are hard working proud people who genuinely care about other people.

Monday is a special day for people in Bangkok and Thailand. Every Monday, many citizens where yellow shirts to show their solidarity and respect for the King. Although there is turmoil surrounding the current Prime Minister, the Thai people love their King and Queen because they care about the people and are personally involved with many community programs. Alcohol sales are restricted on Mondays and street vendors are prohibited on Khao San Road. We watched the police make their rounds on Khao San and confiscate merchandise from offenders. It was funny watching people scurry to hide their stuff as the police made their rounds. As soon as they were gone, they pulled it right back out until their next rounds.

All in all, we have had a great experience in Bangkok. Although we only have seen a brief glimpse of the city, we have still enjoyed our time here. We have seen many sights in a brief time and sampled many modes of transportation.

As you may have read from my other post, Thailand is in the midst of some social unrest. The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are protesting and have taken over some government facilities. On Tuesday, 7 October, there were a mass demonstrations where they blockaded access to the Parliament Building. These people feel the current Prime Minister is corrupt and want to oust him from power. Although most of these people are peaceful, a few of them are taunting police and a few incidents of violence have broken out. Police will not engage with force, but are attempting to keep things from escalating out of control.

Today, we are heading north to Chiang Mai for some jungle trekking. Many guide books will tell travelers to go to Chiang Mai and book tours once you arrive. We opted to book a package which included transportation (VIP Bus), overnight accommodations, and a three day trekking tour. The package was reasonable and the tour company only made a minimal fee for booking the package. We shall see if we have made the right choice once we arrive in Chiang Mai.

---