Beautiful bustling bangkok

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  Bangkok, Thailand
Friday, November 16, 2007

The unexpected always happens in Thailand. Like visiting my local temple to be greeted by four 11yr old boys keen to practise their english but even more eager to show off their break dancing moves (it was a top quality padded carpet - presumably to ease the monks hours of meditation ... or break-dancing?). At the same site there's a new temple under construction. As I peeped around the corner for a cautious snap, the carpenters were more than welcoming, gesturing for me to take a look around. Beautiful teak carpentry, no nails (that doesn't mean glue either) and presumably no Health and Safety; I was left to wander, stroking woodwork, handling tools and hugging the huge trunks that form the double height pillars.
Leaving wonderful lovely Bangkok means leaving behind the public transport signage "Please give up this seat for monks" / "Space for monks", the sheep dog whistle of ferry conductors and clack-clack of ticket collectors tins, the over-whelming variety of mobile roadside retail opportunities (sticker stalls, pancakes, juices and the inevitable squid-on-a-stick; which is actually jellyfish-on-a-stick) for the regional variations of Thai culture

breakdancing boys getting ready

.
But first the delight of being transported by rail. This time my compartment on the overnight sleeper to Chaing Mai also contained a group of Chinese-Thais, keen to share their whiskey, crispy chicken wings and exotic fruits. None of these things really appealed to me - I was tired and hung-over from a night on the tiles with Ian & rachel (as well as the gin and the dancing, I'd spent a short while on the bathroom tiles of their suite at the Konrad; high quality tiling too!). As Jim, a telecoms worker from Canada who I'd met in Bangkok, pointed out, "I love travelling because it forces me to do things I wouldn't usually dare to; it increases the size of my comfort zone". The weird fruits and chicken were fine; I persisted in refusing the whiskey.
There wasn't much comfort to be had at the hostel I stayed in the first night, it was full of toe-stubbingly solid furniture, probably enough to furnish a substantial family dwelling. The next evening I took to the streets to find a cheaper, more atmospheric guest house. I'd forgotton that Chaing Mai, like NYC, is more easily navigated with a compass than map. But with nothing better to do I happily wandered in circles for a couple of hours. Found my favourite restaurant for sticky rice and a Chaing Mai speciality - frog with chilli & ginger. It's a bit fiddly and somewhere between fish and chicken (amphibian feasting). The 3 or 4 kgs of dirty laundry I was carrying weighed heavy after a while, but frog food is fine fuel and I found my current des-res, Jinda House.
Centrally located within the old city, my clean, fresh room with hot shower, tv and basic furniture is a very reasonable 60 pounds for the month I'll be here. The downside is the location; bars full of kareoke / cover bands with a repertoire that starts with La Bamba, runs through all the old 'classics' (wonderwall, creep, come as you are, buffalo solidier) and closes with 'i did it my way'

chaing mai square for loi kratong

. By the end of the month I may well have to indulge in the local whiskey and go and 'do it my way'.
For now, I'm focussing on the massage. Lovely school, staff and students, however, the 6 lane highway running alongside it takes the edge off the feeling of a serene sanctuary. The location does have the bonus of being close to markets, supermarkets and a range of coffee outlets for a lunchtime boost.
Today (Sunday) is the last day of Loi Krathong, a buddist festival that carries worries away via candle-lit banana leaf boats, and puts dreams and wishes into the ether via candle-powered lanterns. Chaing Mai has a nationally renowned spirit for festivals (I was here for Song Kran a couple of years ago and can vouch for the citizens enthusiasm - 3 days of relentless, city-wide water fights). Of course there's also an excessive quantity of fireworks and firecrackers. The most popular are designed to be held; a 1m thin tube that intermittently throws balls of sparks upwards - or in the case of one man i saw, fires some upwards and dribbled the rest around his feet. Last night was the crescendo of festivities. I only saw one ambulance, but think that's because the injured probably can't make themselves heard, or get trampled underfoot. It was a great party, with the Thais being as generous as ever in sharing their culture and religion.

lunchtime coffee with the massage course inmates

Festivities to one side, I witnessed an unfeasibly dangerous feat of the fire department from a grid-locked bus in Bangkok. A faulty gas cylinder was being made safe by several firemen grasping the hose whilst inching towards the hissing tank. As they got within a couple of feet, one of their colleagues holding a large flaming torch, set the leaking gas alight. Once the team had damped down the flame the gas was shut off.
I'm assuming it wasn't a practise run - the crowded streets of Bangkok wouldn't be an ideal training ground, although everything else happens there, all the time. Considering the number of roadside vendors and gas I'm reassured there's a rehersed protocol ... of course the firemen had some of the tightest-fitting uniforms I've seen. Beautiful, bustling Bangkok indeed.

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no nails, just teak

squid-on-a-stick stall

thai love photo #1

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