Back to bangkok
Trip Start
Feb 20, 2006
1
18
19
Trip End
Mar 24, 2006
Bangkok,
Thailand
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
In twelve hours we are in the air. The temperature in Bangkok is 35C. Today while meandering about the city for the last time I noticed I wasn't sweating, or even feeling overly hot. I'm even kind of brown. I have finally acclimatized only to head back to the frigid north.
Its 6:00pm, the whole city has just paused for a minute while the national anthem is blared over loudspeakers. We are on Khoa San Road escaping the heat and passing street hawkers as they forcefully sell their wares. Roses, trinkets, croaking frogs, maps, zippos and other portable goods all brought to your table side, want it or not. Food and drinks are never brought to the table simultaneously. It's as if the servers are proud to have made each item and want to present it accordingly.
We are less than a block from where the continuing anti-government demonstrations have been held. The Democracy monument is clean and orderly today. No sign of the latest show of mass discontent. I'm told, taxi drivers refuse fares to this area whenever the marchers appear. They are in favour of the prime-minister and will toss you out if you discuss politics.
We took the overnight train from Suran Thani, after a 4 hours bus trip from Krabi. The centre of Thailand and this city are far from tourist central. Written English is hard to find. The landscape passed by the bus peacefully until the next tooth jarring pothole. We drove by lotus and fresh water pearl ponds and beautiful teak homes. The crowds of people disappear here and markets sell what people need. Plenty of fruit and veggies, meat in all its glorious cuts, fish - dried or fresh, nuts, chicken in every form hang from hooks, spices, clothing, tools, housing supplies and hats; the variety is endless. It's amazing the stuff you can find residing under a beat up tin roof. Life is lived for the most part on the street. There are people who do your laundry, cook and mind the children. Everyone works but the pay scale is foreign. It's based on percentage, makes sense since this truly is a free market society. The porters on the train work 28 days straight with two off for good behaviour. Their wages are based on the meals and drinks they sell. We met one fella who had a girlfriend on either side of the tracks. Smart guy...as the railway certainly doesn't put them up in hotels for the day, so he spent every other day, portside with la girl du jour. Last night the porters hinted at wanting some whiskey, not do subtly, so we obliged. I don't think it happens very often and it was hilarious. This morning they were all a little more sheepish yet still not afraid to ask for a tip or hurry us all off the train.
Everyplace we've been has its own unique character. The tuk-tuks changed from covered motorbikes to side-saddle to tiny mini-vans, the drivers remained the same.
Ok. I'm cool now, so it's off to more last minute adventures
