Bangkok is busy. We liked it and toured around as much as time would permit. We felt relatively safe and free to discover new places. I had my bodyguard (Evgueni) and we kept our wits about us.
Transportation: There is a lot of crazy traffic. There are many motorcycles with families piled atop, busses, cars, tuk-tuks, bicycles with passengers, longboats etc. all full to the brim. Somehow, it seems to move well.
The Longboat: I liked this mode of transportation. There is a sophisticated and efficient public transit system along the canals (khlongs). It even includes an express line! You wait at the Longboat stop like waiting for a bus – with a reliable schedule you can figure out. The boat comes-up and quickly, almost passes you at your stop. There is a sharp double whistle from the stern operator so that the driver all the way at the front (about 15 meters forward) knows when to cut the engine. They rope in the bucking boat and passengers pile on the stern. We - well, I – had to be especially careful which side I waked forward along since one of the sides is reserved for Monks who are not permitted to touch women. And of course, it’s usually quite crowded. So I pressed through the other side. You wouldn’t believe how many women tourists I saw squeezing past the reserved Monk area oblivious to the ever-accommodating Monks. Oh and you think this is the only obstacle? No, tall people stick to the back since the ceiling drops as you get closer to the front. OUCH!!
The mode of fare collection is subtle and well done. It is based on the memory system. That is, the memory of one fine (usually woman). She comes around shaking a little tin that looks like my metal hello kitty pencil case from high school only worn-out and round. She takes one look at any person and knows if they’ve paid or not. So you pay, she gives you a ripped ticket and off she goes. She remembers your face for the entire ride. It’s amazing!!
So… just a warning: sometimes the river is wavy and the Longboat splashes. Evgueni and I took to covering our mouths because somehow, that’s where the splash usually landed. This was more the case in the smaller water taxi longboats we took through the residential canals. I digress… These were much shorter (although still long) and about 2 people wide instead of 12. They had motors with the propeller at the very end of a very long metal rod. I suppose this was due to shallow waters and tight turning radii in the canals. I still wonder how the drivers didn’t get caught on each other’s motors.
So down these residential canals we learned more about how the average local lives. These homes are made of all sorts of materials but mostly of wood slats. They are quite open to the canals so we could see directly into homes. Usually the bathroom and kitchen looked over the canal, but purely for practical plumbing reasons and not so much for aesthetics. We could see pipes from sinks stop just over the canal with “water” pouring right out. Hummm. See why we covered our mouths? We also found it amusing that the electrical poles stood right in the middle of the canal providing electricity to these homes. Shocking!!
The Heat: It’s stinking hot. It’s humid and we got sticky, sweaty and dirty. It’s really easy to dehydrate in a matter of hours so we drank tons of water / electrolytes all the time. Funnily, my body became a reservoir. I got swollen while retaining water from the day then I’d release it all after I’d been in air conditioning for a few hours... maybe that’s too much info, but I’m happy to announce that my body is an intelligent machine!
The Foot Fetish: Feet are BAD BAD BAD! Do not step / stomp on coins if they are rolling away because ultimately, you are stepping on the King whose face is on the coin. You would be surprised what comes instinctively when it’s forbidden!! Also, do not point your feet at the Buddha or at people. This includes resting your feet on a stool with your soles pointed at someone especially if it is higher than their head etc. Oh and not about feet: don’t pat anyone on the head. Easier said than done. I almost touched a little kid on his head in a crowded Longboat as a kind “move over” gesture. Whoops!
Poverty: It is abundant. Many people live in shacks by canals. The more affluent can afford small apartments. Many people commute by public transit long distances to earn small incomes to feed and clothe their family. Some own a motorcycle for their family. Many people are constantly finding creative new ways to earn money.
Clothing: Well, as you guessed, there is not a lot of money so things are worn until they disintegrate. We were on a Longboat when I saw a mother with her 2 daughters. A chubby 9ish year old and her younger sister of about 5. The older daughter had a large shirt that said, “Flip a coin! Heads: I give you head, Tails: you give me tail”. I was horrified. I wanted to tell the mother that this shirt was TERRIBLE! But what can be done? It’s probably the only thing they could afford or something they got from a charity. I felt impotent to the situation and said nothing. I’m still not sure if inaction was the right thing to do.
A Tip: Take off your shoes and cover your shoulders and legs (to your knees) when visiting temples.
A Tourist Scam: Don’t take the free ride. Tuk-tuk drivers offer tourists a free or discounted tour and take you all around the city to markets, tourist attractions, restaurants etc. where they get garnished shares of whatever you spend there. They wait for you at each destination to whisk you to the next. We found this scam pretty easy to avoid, without even knowing about it until after. A great marketing strategy if you ask me!
A Tourist Spot: There is an area where all the back-packers hang out. Some of it is cool and interesting but unfortunately, not all of it. I felt out of place. Although I’m a tourist (blech!!) and am about the age of these people, I don’t fit in. I felt like I was more genuine than any of these tourists in my average clean clothes and combed hair. These people are not poor, but dress like it in their first-hand clothes that look second-hand. They eat in poshy-run-down-but-elite coffee houses. They buy junky, touristy stuff and act like they own the place. In my opinion it was an overrated tourist spot and the tourists seemed to contradict their own ‘message’ of ‘roughing-it. What I did like was the place that bought and sold used trekking shoes to these folks. So in this regard, they were indeed genuine. Haha! Very interesting!
A Tourist Spot: The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha – Just amazing!!! Truly beautiful! It was very colourful and bright. A must see!
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