Travel with Manfred

Travelogues from around the world

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Copyright © 1995 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

June 19, 1995

Bangkok: City of Angels

In the Heat of the Day

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Thailand, Bangkok, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

When given the choice to spend the weekend in Austria or Bangkok it didn't take long for me to decide to go to Thailand. Half a day after making the decision I was sitting in the plane to Frankfurt from where a 10 hour flight brought me into Kung Thep, the City of Angels, as the Thai call Bangkok. Another Los Angeles. It was a convenient vacation. Knowing that I was only going to stay two days my luggage was extra light: an extra shirt, a cap, a tooth brush, and a thin travel guide.

The bus ride from the airport in the north east of the city to downtown gave me a good impression of the size of the city. The ride was 2.5 hours on a three to four lane boulevard working its way through a concrete jungle. We weren't alone. With us, thousands of others struggled bumper to bumper. The means of transportation ranged from cycles, scooters, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, cars, pick-ups, to trucks and buses. The cops looked on as most of the motorcycles advanced on the sidewalks or zig-zagged through the cars that came to grinding halts. The air was as expected; worse than Hong Kong. Bangkok's twin city Los Angeles in the US is a fresh air resort in comparison. Especially the tuk-tuks put out high emissions. I heard that 40 percent of all cops suffer from chronic lung illnesses. No surprise. Their cloth wrapped around mouth and nose doesn't look very effective either. Cars are from all over the world: Mercedes seems to be a popular brand. But most cars are Japanese. The gas seems to be cheaper than in the US if I converted the figures from the pump correctly. This would be the first time that I find a country with gas cheaper than in the US.

Downtown is a square maybe 3 miles long. I stayed in the northern end of downtown in a "Lonely Planet" traveller "ghetto". Khaosan Road is full with backpackers and Thais catering to them. Everything the heart can desire is available here: dorms, cheap rooms, food stalls, dyed tees in psychedelic colors, cheap airline tickets, bars, and a 7-Eleven. The "upscale" rooms here go for US$6. The dorm at CH Guest House is less than $2. Business travelers have to put out a little less than $100 for the true upscale rooms. The area was quite busy. In the in-season this must be bursting.

The temperatures were 90 degrees, but don't let that fool you. The rain season isn't quite here yet (it is in August) but the humidity is way up already. It is hot. When I bought an ice cream and took the top lid off, the ice cream started condensing in front of my eyes. Clouds came off it. It looked like the ice cream is on fire. Expect to always have sweat spots under your arms. At night it doesn't cool off much. I can stand heat pretty well, so I felt comfortable. Better warm than cold. Most of the day my shirt was wet. At least you know you are on vacation in the tropics. The spicy food makes me brake out in a sweat too. To compensate for the fluid loss I drank lots of water and sweet milk shakes. It was funny, in some grocery stores a bottle of water costs nearly as much as the place for the night. The nights are like in the movies set in Alabama. Most people sleep in their underwear on top of the sheet under the fan. The city is busy throughout the day. In the evening additional street vendors come out and set up their "shops" or food places along the crowded roads. Most tourist attractions like museums and sights close early (5pm), so the evening hours offer good opportunities to see the places that are frequented by common Thai. The parks remain favorite hangouts for locals. Some just take naps at the benches, others jog around the Sanam Luang park in downtown. I didn't have to jog to transpire. I used the time to stroll around the markets. I got the impressions that the vast majority of foreigners gather in a few spots only. Some markets seem to be completely free of tourists. I particularly liked the food market north west of the Memorial Bridge south of Chakkraphet Road. From veggies, fruits, to spices, everything in all colors of the kaleidoscope was available. Other markets focus on religious items or little historic relics. For some hours I was just randomly strolling around to get a feel for the city. I must have ended up in far off places because on two occasions people approached me because they were concerned I was lost. I guess they haven't seen too many whites in those neighborhoods.

But besides those unknown places I naturally also had to check out the famous hot-spots. In my two nights I was actually able to briefly touch base with Soi Cowboy, Nana Tai, Siam, and Pat Pong. All areas are a mix of US and new commercialistic Thai culture. I am not even sure if Soi Cowboy is the true name of the road or just a nick name. Most likely it is named after all the bars that carry primarily American names. It's a short road but filled wall-to-wall with go-go bars and similar places. Neon signs are splashing their bright colors all over the wet reflecting pavement of the road. Music from the different bars is combating each other and girls are verbally trying to pull you inside. Needless to say that the visual senses were strongly stimulated as well.

Siam isn't much different, but besides a handful of girlie bars it also has other restaurants and regular bars to offer. Iit is influenced by the globe-spanning international chains that assimilate the different cultures and bring us the global village. McDonald's and Hard Rock Cafe are just a few of the names that you can find here. Most of the more upscale people comes here for evening entertainment. The few parking lots are jammed with Mercedes and Hondas.

Pat Pong is the most famous "naughty" area in Bangkok. It was made famous, or should I say infamous, by GIs that spent their R&R during the Vietnam war here. It is no longer as ill-reputed as it used to be. It shouldn't be either. Burger King is just around the corner and all major airlines (and also Lauda Air) have their Bangkok office in a glitzy glass and steel tower on the same block. The area is big business now. Thousands of tourists from all walks of live come here. So, don't be surprised if you find a conservative looking British couple in their fifties here. Besides good food from street vendors, bazaars have popped up where one can buy anything from fashion clothing and souvenirs to nude pictures. But laws are a little bit more liberal here than in most places. Child prostitution is readily available and in the ground floor bars girls make an above-average living. In upstair places less common shows are offered. Scouts will try to motivate you to try out the places. You shouldn't trust their promises, especially for upstair places. Overall, most people can find what they are looking for, a simple bar, a music club, a dance place, a restaurant, or X-rated services. Just make sure this is not the only impression you take away from Bangkok.

The majority areas of the city stay active till 10 pm and then life starts to slow down. The buses remain jammed but the traffic thins out. I felt pretty safe wherever I went independent of the time of the day. At late night getting a late dinner becomes difficult. Street vendors have disappeared and restaurants are closed. However, quick snacks are available in 7-Elevens and the guest house kitchens in Khaosan are open 24 hours.

People don't seem to be in a rush and are always striking up a conversation with you. Some just do it to sell you products but others of genuine interest and friendliness. I was very impressed by the high level of education. Thailand actually has a high rate of illiteracy. But that must be out in the country side. People here, without exception, all know where Austria is. As soon as the word Austria rolled over my lips, they responded by saying "ahh, Vienna". To make things even more impressive a few even replied with "Guten Tag" or some other German greeting that they picked up somewhere. One guy even spoke semi-fluent German which he learned at the university. The hawkers undoubtedly know the capitals of all countries that is home to travellers. But I didn't expect that from the average guy on the road. Communication in general is no problem. English is fortunately sufficient to get around and to chat to people. Only in a few places English is not an option. In those situations my hands and facial expressions would be clear enough and things worked just nicely. People are courteous to foreigners. They offered me a seat in a crowded bus or simply smiled.

People are very friendly, always willing to help or to chat with you. It normally starts with the same words "where you from?" From there the chat takes its course and can end up anywhere you want. I learned about the Thai educational system. People showed me around, explained the main sights and a guy took me to a place with Thai dancing. A girl invited me to her birthday party and someone else taught me the most important Thai phrases. Others explained to me where to get the best bargains in town. Considering I was there only for two days, I talked to a lot of folks. I missed a big party though. On the day I arrived the King, I assume it must be Rama the n-th, celebrated his 50th birthday. To his honor there was a big party with music and free food for everyone in the park across the National Museum. That would have been quite a unique gathering.

Cultures are certainly different and Thais are quite curious. Sometimes they took things from me, just to inspect them and to return them again thereafter. Like most Asian cultures, they also ask questions that seem inappropriate, not to say puzzling, to the Western culture. These personal questions nearly made me giggle and sometimes I wasn't sure if they are serious or not. Anyway it was always fun.

While I was there the national election campaigns were on-going. A guy who was putting up signs promoting a political party informed that more than 50 parties are competing. Days before the elections, banks reported shortages of the 100 Baht note (about US$4). Everyone knew the reason. Party officials were buying votes in a large scale. Finally after the dust settled a new government was formed by an eight-party coalition.

Despite the friendliness, one needs to accept the fact that hawkers as well as business men in respectable stores will lie whenever it is to their financial advantage. That isn't too bad, one just needs to accept this fact. The economic factors should suffice as a tolerable justification. Cab drivers will tell you that the museum is closed or that it is 10 miles away but that they can drive you to some other sight that is open. Needless to say that the museum is open and usually the entrance is just around the corner. Purchases may have unexpected fees and shipping costs that get charged to your credit card even though you have been promised repeatedly that such extra expenses do not exist.

I haven't said anything about the glorious monuments, the gilded wats (pagodas), intriguing Buddhist temples, muddy brown klongs (waterways), and the many other sights. But you can read all about the great sights of the Thai kingdom in your travel guide. Or, just go there.