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Published: October 4th 2008
Ko Shan Road
This road in Bangkok is the hub for backpackers. You can find any kind of T-Shirt, Pad Thai, or fake ID that you would like to buy.We arrived in Bangkok just as the evening was approaching. As our taxi made its way from the airport down the new expressway flyover and into the city, I marveled at how modern everything seemed to be. Skyscrapers dotted the skyline and new roads seemed to flood into the city. The place seemed very clean for such a large population; around 8 million.
After we had checked in, Thelma and I went out to explore the area around us. We were staying in an area called Silom. This area was a strange mix of office buildings and red light districts. We set out to try and find an acceptable street vendor for some food. I think that her hunger was probably getting the best of Thelma, because she walked right by a baby elephant on the street without noticing. Some guy walks this baby elephant down the street every night. Bystanders can buy food off of him to feed it.
After visiting a few street vendor stalls, we popped into a bar that was advertising a performance by a Thai Tom Jones. This I had to see. He came on stage looking very Thai and not anything like Tom
Dumbo goes Downtown
Where else but Bangkok can you just randomly pass a baby elephant on the street? Jones. However, he sounded remarkably like the Welshman. It was almost kinda scary. He went through all the hits and by the end it didn't seem that unusual at all.
The next day, we took a taxi boat up the main river that bisects Bangkok and got off at the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is where the king, who is 82, used to live. It is your typical palace ground with lots of gold, high vaulted ceilings, blah, blah, blah. Nowadays, it is only really used for ceremonial purposes and to generate tourist revenue. On the palace grounds, we visited the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. They needn't have built such a big temple for this Buddha. It is only 75 centimeters tall and is made out of one solid piece of jasper rather than its namesake.
A more impressive Buddha was waiting for us around the corner from the Royal Palace Grounds. Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. It houses Thailand's largest reclining Buddha, which is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. The building just barely fits around it. Getting all of Buddha to fit into
Royal Palace
Vaulted roof, lots of gold, immaculate gardens. Pretty standard really. one camera shot was a challenge to say the least.
That night, Thelma and I went out to find something to eat near our hotel. While we were walking down the street, we bumped into an older guy that we had met a few weeks ago while we were waiting to depart on our canoe trip in Ao Nang. What a small world! He was from Wales and when we met him, he had a few friends from back home that had come over to visit him, as he now lives in Bangkok. He had a Thai guy with him who I thought might be his son. After Thelma and I had exchanged pleasantries, he showed us to a nice bar / restaurant smack dab in the middle of the gay street in the red light district where it appeared he was a regular. I was beginning to have doubts that the Thai guy with him in Ao Nang was his son after all. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay with us, which was a shame because he was really funny. He left us in good hands with the bar staff, whom he seemed to know pretty well. He was right
Hey Macarena!
This golden Buddha demonstrates the first step in the ancient Macarena dance. about being in a great place for people watching. We sat and ate dinner while we watched lady boys, old queens, young Thai guys, and dirty old white men parade by the window. The bar staff were as camp as ever and proceeded to show how they were going to perform in the bar's upcoming fake Miss Universe pageant. Hilarious! It was the seedy side of Bangkok, but at a safe distance. It's an experience I would not have gotten if we hadn't of bumped into that guy and surely not if I didn't have Thelma with me.
The next day, we went to Chatuchak weekend market. It is the biggest market in Bangkok, and possibly Asia. You can pretty much buy anything there, but only if you can find it. I almost got lost a couple of times and was glad to find my way out of it at the end. Unfortunately, the time had come for Thelma to head back to London as she had to get back to work. It had been an action-packed two months and we covered a lot of ground. I saw a lot of things that I wouldn't have had the chance
Emerald Budha
This tiny Budha is a big attraction. to if she hadn't been with me. It was great to have someone to share the experience with and I wasn't really sure how quickly I would adapt to being back on my own again.
Thelma and I had been on a mad dash through Asia and I really needed to just stop in one place for a while to recharge, so I decided to crash in Bangkok for a week. I took in a Mui Thai Kickboxing match in one of the bigger stadiums. There were several match-ups and it all lasted for nearly four hours. Most of the matches were against teenage boys. A typical weight class would be about 115 pounds with the heavy weights at about 130 pounds. Some of them were just little boys.
I had gotten a taste of Mui Thai in Ko Phi Phi while we were in the Reggae Bar. They had a ring set up and some fights were staged for exhibitions, but I think there was more theater than fighting going on there. The Bangkok fights were the real deal. Before each fight, the fighters enter the ring and proceed to pray at the different corners and then
Having a Lie In
This reclining Buddha is huge! do their stretches and warm up routines. When the fight begins, a small band starts up. The music sounds like something you might expect from a snake charmer rather than a fight. The fights tend to get more intense towards the end with each fighter battling for points. There tends to be more kicking than boxing, but they do kick pretty hard. Their shins must be immune to pain, judging by the intensity of the blows.
While I was in Bangkok, a group of protesters overtook Government House and a television station. The television station was relinquished a few hours later, but as I write this, the protesters still have control of Government House. This would be the equivalent of protesters taking over the US Congress and White House or the UK Parliament.
The protest group refers to themselves as the Peoples Advocate for Democracy (PAD). It is made up of Thais from all walks of life, but predominately from more educated people. The PAD is fighting the corruption that seems to always be present in Thai politics. Their main grievance is with the former prime minister Thaskin Shinawatra. Sinawatra was deposed in a military coup in 2006
Respectful Ronald
Who says globalization is disrespectful to local culture? Mr. McDonald has gotten with the program. after corruption charges had been levied against him. He was one of Thailand's richest men when he was elected because he owned Thailand's largest mobile phone operator. While in power, the parliament conveniently passed a law which did not make it necessary to pay capital gains tax on any transactions in the telecommunications industry. This seemed to be quite a coincidence because, surprise surprise, Shinawatra sold his company to a Singapore firm shortly thereafter. He made a boat load of money and didn't pay a cent of tax on it. He then used that money to buy the Manchester City football club in the UK and only just recently sold it to the Abu Dabi Royal Family. He more than doubled his money, which could be a red flag for money laundering as I don't think Man City are worth that much😊
The military staged a coup in 2006 and took over while Shinawatra was away at a UN meeting in New York. He decided then that he would go to the UK instead of back to Thailand. Although coups are usually something to be alarmed about; in Thailand they are a fairly common occurrence. There seems to be
Thailand's Most Wanted
This poster was set up across from the UN building and pretty much sums up what the protesters want. one every 3 years or so and the people and markets treat them with a business as usual approach.
The military decided that Thailand was ready for elections and on December of last year, the people elected a new parliament. However, the same games of corruption were played during that election as well. As much as 80% of Thailand's population is relatively under-educated and poor. They will very happily vote for whoever pays them the most money. These people's votes can be bought for as little as $10 each. Politicians and judges probably cost a bit more, but this does not seem to be a problem for Thailand's wealthiest. While Thaskin was in England figuring out who should manage Man City, the new democratically elected government in Thailand was busy trying to rewrite the constitution in such a way so that Thaskin would not have committed any crimes. This led some to believe that perhaps Thaskin is still calling the shots from behind the scenes.
The PAD began their protest calling for a dismissal of the prime minister. The protest has been going on for over 100 days now and has even broken some sort of Guinness World
I Predict A Riot
The Riot Police stand ready to move in, but thankfully never do. Record. While I was in Bangkok, the PAD stormed Government House and have been there ever since. The leaders of the protest have been charged with treason and could be executed if caught. At one point, the prime minister declared Bangkok under martial law, which effectively turned the security of the city over to the military. They didn't try to disburse the protesters, thereby putting pressure on the government to find a political solution.
I went down to the protest site to see what was going on with my own eyes. It seemed to be very organized. Government House is surrounded by a network of canals, which make it easier to defend. There were lots of police around, but they were mainly hanging back not doing much. The PAD had built barricades of tires and razor wire to block entry into Government House. This is to stop not only the riot police, should they come, but also any hired thugs who might be sent from pro-government groups to incite a riot. Across from the U.N. building was a giant WANTED poster of Thaskin and his wife held up by a significant scaffolding job. On it was posted a document
Barricade
Here are the makeshit barricades that the PAD has created to keep the police out of Government House. which might have been some sort of protest permit from the police.
Thaskin's wife was convicted of corruption in August. Some people sold her some land at a heavily discounted price. The conviction happened while the Shinawatras were in Beijing watching the Olympics. Instead of returning to Thailand, they fled to Britain and are currently seeking political asylum. Thaskin still holds a diplomatic passport. Even though he and his wife have been convicted of corruption charges and should be residing in Thai prisons, the current government thinks it would be too disrespectful to revoke the diplomatic passport of a former prime minister. The British have yet to say what they will do with his asylum application, but it is not just in Thailand where money talks.
All of the protesters were wearing yellow shirts and yellow headbands in support of the king. In Thailand, few things are as sacred as the king. His is 82 years old, and has guided the country though over 30 coup attempts. The king is seen as uncorruptable since he already has everything he could ever want. His son seems to have a bit of a drug problem, and it is not clear
People Power
This picture doesn't really capture the size of the crowds that have occupied the Government House grounds. Some estimates have it peaked at one million people. who will succeed him. I've heard that Thaskin tried to position himself so that he would be next in line to be king, but I don't really know how true that is. When I would find a protester who could speak to me, the first thing they would say is that they "love the king." As is usually the case in Constitutional Monarchies, the king has very limited powers and he keeps an excessively low profile. He has yet to make a speech to the people about the protests even though it is threatening the very foundation of Thailand's democracy.
The protesters succeeded in deposing the prime minister last month, but only on a technicality. He was convicted of receiving a separate stream of revenue while he was prime minister because he made a few thousand dollars by appearing on a few cooking TV shows. It's kinda like putting Al Capone away for tax evasion. It doesn't reflect the seriousness of his real crimes, but it is effective. It's also a good way to save face, which is of utmost importance in Asia. The parliament ended up choosing the deputy prime minister to replace him. The deputy PM is
Can You Kick It?
Jean Claude Van Damme would be proud of all these kicks. Thaskin's brother-in-law! Good luck persuading him to extradite his brother-in-law or his sister so that they can go to jail. So the PAD will continue their protest until real change happens. Keep watching this space. October is the anniversary of previous revolutionary protests akin to Tienanmen Square in China. It could pass by, or it could spark a violent turning point.
Ultimately, I think the protests are a good thing. So many Asian countries are besieged by corruption which only takes money from the people and puts it into the hands of the well connected. It destabilizes any chance for a true democracy, especially with an under-educated population. Under Thaskin, Thailand achieved the best economic growth ever, which made it easier to overlook the fact that he was personally cheating the government out of millions in tax revenue. Hopefully, the protests will eventually move the government a few steps closer to less corruption, or at least to a more sophisticated version with tax breaks and earmarks.
After surveying the protesters at Government House, I decided to grab a tuk tuk to get me out of there. I had somehow managed to avoid the tuk tuks up to this
Bridge Over The River Kwai
Looks nothing like the bridge in the movie because that one was destroyed. point despite being constantly harassed by the drivers as I walked down the streets. It's hard to know for sure what a fair price ever is and they do give you the runaround sometimes. A tuk tuk is a noisy tricycle pieced together from a motorcycle. I negotiated my price down with a second driver after testing the waters with the first one. Before we set off he asked if we could stop at a shop on the way. I had already heard of these scams before where the driver would take you to shops for the hard sell on stuff you don't really want. He explained that I didn't have to buy anything and that he got free petrol vouchers if I stayed at least 20 minutes. I thought, why not, it's not like I had anyplace I needed to be and it is part of the Bangkok experience. He took me to a tailor and I sat down and talked with some guy about getting a custom suit or custom shirts done. The shop actually seemed pretty good, but since I haven't been to work since December, my need for suits has diminished to say the least.
Crazy Train
I wonder how many tourists fall off this bridge each year? After I left, my driver insisted on taking me to another place that was "on the way." It was another tailor, but he had pretty much sized me up as not a potential customer and I was out in five minutes. His stuff was shit anyway. Since I didn't stay long enough, the driver didn't get his voucher so he ended up taking me to some jewelry store. There are tones of gem scams in Thailand where you think you are purchasing precious gems, but really they are fake. I'm sure there are good deals to be had if you know your stuff, but if you don't, like me, you are almost guaranteed to get suckered. I bullshitted my way through 20 minutes and we were off again. The driver then took me around the corner and passed me onto his mate and his scooter to complete my journey through the clogged Bangkok traffic. An hour and a half after I left Government House, I had finally arrived at my destination.
A few hours away from Bangkok, near the Burma border, is a town called Kanchanaburi which can lay claim to being the home of the infamous bridge over
Kanchanaburi War Cemetary
This cemetary contains the remains of those who worked on the death railway and the construction of the bridge over the river kwai. It is filled with the bodies of mostly Australian POWs. the river Kwai. This was the bridge built by WWII POWs to prop up a railway for the Japanese to transport their troops and equipment to the Burma fighting front directly from the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand managed to avoid direct conflict during World War II. Since it had never been colonized by Western powers, the Japanese could hardly claim that it needed to be liberated. Thailand chose to go the neutral route and turned a blind eye as the Japanese imported prisoners of war, mostly Australian, British, and Dutch to build what would be called the death railway.
The railway sought to link Thailand and Burma through a route that British engineers had mapped years previously, but abandoned because the terrain and conditions would have been too harsh and financially infeasible. This did not stop the Japanese. They forced thousands of Asian laborers and POWs to dig their way through jungles and rock using the most rudimentary of equipment. The workers were clad in nothing but loin cloths and without even shoes. They worked day and night under constant abuse. Food rations were low and many died from disease, starvation, and from being overworked. The original bridge that
Tiger Shot #1
Here I am keeping a safe distance from my first ever close encounter with a tiger. was built was wooden, which was depicted in the famous movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai." It was soon destroyed and a steel one was imported from Indonesia. It had been bombed a few times during the war and rebuilt, and this is the one you can walk across today. The bridge itself could use a little upkeep. There are no railings and you really need to watch your step as the wooden boards get pretty thin in some places. There is only enough room for one person to walk down the middle, so when someone comes from the other direction, one of them must step aside for a bit. There is no way this would pass the Health and Safety check in the UK, which did make it feel a bit more real.
After Thelma left I was seriously considering cutting my trip short. We had covered so much ground in the two months that I was exhausted. I spent a week in Bangkok just to try and recharge and readjust to being back on my own, but the prospect of packing up and moving on to the next destination didn't excite me. I just couldn't imagine that
Tiger Shot #2
This guy was a bit more active than the first. anything I would see in Laos or Vietnam would be that much different to what I had already seen. Every temple, market, and rice paddy was starting to look the same. Combining that with the fact that my budget had officially been blown, I was experiencing a serious case of traveler's fatigue. And then I went to the Tiger Temple...
I had first heard of the Tiger Temple from a 60 Minutes interview on American TV years ago. I had made a mental note that I should check it out if I ever made it to Thailand. The hostel I was staying in ran a tour to it along with the nearby river Kwai bridge. The Tiger Temple is an animal sanctuary run by Buddhist monks. They take in tiger cubs who have been orphaned in the wild by poachers and raise them. The tigers end up being sort of domesticated and unusually calm around humans. Tourists come by the van-load and wander through the temple grounds searching for tigers to have their pictures taken with.
I found the area where full grown tigers were just laying out in the sun sleeping and got my picture taken with
Tiger Shot #3
I was getting pretty comfortable with the tigers and tried to lay down with them, but the staff stopped me before my face got too close. them. At first I thought they might have been drugged. They all appeared to be breathing heavily with their eyes shut, just like Sigorney Weaver in "Ghost Busters" after Bill Murray had sedated her. Unlike Sigorney, these tigers did not levitate though. I was assured by the staff that they were in fact just sleeping as tigers are nocturnal animals. I would have time to verify this for myself.
After speaking with Robin, a fellow American who volunteers there, I discovered that they were in need of volunteers for September. It seemed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity at the perfect moment, so I agreed to volunteer my time. September was going to prove to be an incredible month as I helped to raise tiger cubs......
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Can't wait to see how your tiger-raising experience goes! Re: FAKE Tom Jones - "He went through all the hits and by the end it didn't seem that unusual at all." - CLASSIC.