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Published: July 22nd 2009
Reaching the end of my time here in Bangkok, I've decided to do a bit of a reflection entry. Living here the past couple months has proved to be different than expected, not any fault of the city itself, but more due to the contrast between what people tell you and what I've actually experienced.
A quick disclaimer: I stay on the other side of the river in Bangkok. Like the wrong side of the tracks, but with a softer vibe, Bangkok-yai is the ugly sister to the hip young vibrant feel of Bangkok central. It’s a quieter place, without many hotels, bright lights, or go-go bars. Perhaps this has shaped my experience, but even when visiting areas that are supposedly everything from dangerous to 'wild and crazy' it's been nothing like some report.
So then, my assessment - Bangkok is decidedly easy. Perhaps sitting in a taxi at rush hour runs counter to this assessment, or the lack of communication that is ever-present, but easy in the sense that everything is straightforward and open. The chain of command for almost every activity is easily identifiable, from the food that I eat (with raw foods delivered daily from motor-carts)
to the places I visit (ignore those that offer 'great' suits and discount 'gems', go towards the biggest and most colorful object around). Patterns emerge the longer you stay here, and the stories you here are collected highlights against a backdrop of relatively simple living. I've seen oddities (or at least oddities from an American standard) - I've encountered dinners consisting of bugs, seaweed flavored chips, crooked taxi-drivers (perhaps not that odd from an American standard), prostitutes and bright lights against a backdrop of tradition and religion, and even an Irish fellow dressed as superman (oddly enough). These are all the exceptions to Bangkok, however. Most people wake up, work 12 hours, relax with family, and go to bed. People eat when carts travel through the neighborhood, and practice the family trade. Tourism has changed and influenced the culture, business, and mood, but isn't as pervasive as guidebooks would have you think. These books may be good at catching the surface highlights, but that really isn't Bangkok. Because the city is much easier than that.
Other notes, odds, and ends:
Visited the Grand palace. The grand palace is, as a taxi driver explained to me, what defines this
city. “If you come to Bangkok, and do not see palace, you do not see Bangkok.” Ballsy statement, but I liked his swagger. After visiting, I've decided the place is quite grand. However, not much else to say.
Visited Jim Thompson's house. He used to live there. However, not much else to say.
Visited silk weavers. They certainly weave silk. However, not much else to say. Other than I never want to be a silk weaver.
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