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Published: March 8th 2014
Tuesday This was a dental trip and I travelled cheap via Air Asia from Gold Coast via Kuala Lumpur. The food was a little dry, the red quilts leave your clothes red (don't worry, it washes out) but all flights were on time. I arrived late in the evening, picked up a free sim card and got on a local bus, transferred to the skytrain after a minor detour to the subway entrance, then walked down through the narrow streets to my accommodation. I also had a few detours here as I took some wrong turns. It was quite a distance and by now after 10. I'd chosen Baan Sathorn because it was cheap and the reviews were excellent. It was a good choice and I returned here after my excursion out to the Death Railway.
Wednesday I slept in till 7 (good having an air con room). I discovered there wasn't much point getting up early because the sun doesn't and neither does anyone else. People are up till late at night. Picked up a sweet pancake type thingy for breaky. It's a sweet batter cooked in a dimpled pan. Plain, corn or shallot flavouring, then one
is flipped onto another to form a ball.
I couldn't quite get the data working on my sim. I could make and receive calls and TXT messages, connect to internet with free wifi but when I couldn't connect to free wifi (you often needed a login and password), I couldn't connect using my data, though google maps would work. Weird.
Headed out to the dentist mid morning and from the sky train I saw parks filled with hundreds of small dome tents set out neatly with little space between. The street the dentist was in was also filled with tents under a high arched roof. The street was blocked off to traffic for several blocks and near the station a stage and large screens were set up that people were watching (all political...... and the tents house the protesters). So I had to walk right through it all to get to the dentist but it was all quiet.
It's hot and muggy and after lunch in a large air con shopping centre I decided to take a run up the river. You can see the temples, churches, palaces, hotels etc. The river runs quite strong and is
The King of Thailand
the Thais love their kingbusy with ferries, hotel shuttles, long boats with the huge long outboard and barge trains of construction material being pulled down river. Even saw people swimming.
There was a large market (Wang Lang) in the narrow allies at the last stop, that I wandered through but by then I was starting to wilt. Everything was being sold. One stall sells hot food like soup in plastic bags. Next sells earrings. Next is fruit and juices and next to that is lottery tickets. I was hungry but didn't feel like eating.
The journey downstream was more exciting and the ferry now is packed. We were racing down and coming into the stops fast. A guy at the back directs with a shrill whistle and the boat often slammed into the jetty with a sharp jolt, a quick exchange of passengers before blasting off again.
Back in the sky train my phone rings and I think it must be Aor, my Thai friend, whom I'm trying the contact. When I answer a woman goes on and on in Thai. When she stops for breath I throw in a tentative 'hello' and off she goes again. So I hang up.
By the time I got back it was after 5 and I was dripping sweat. In the mirror I looked as bad as I felt. A cold shower did wonders and I headed out to find something to eat. Like other places here, there are narrow lanes fronted by a varied assortment of buildings and businesses. All is grimy and the smell assaults your nostrils. I often nearly step into the path of cars and bikes but they're not travelling fast. There are street vendors and tiny, rickety eateries. I picked up some grilled chicken sausages including chilli sauce in a plastic bag. And across the road I found some really small cucumbers and tomatoes. But now it's cooled and there is a pleasant breeze as I eat my simple dinner and swat mossies.
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