Bangkok Bonanza.

Bangkok Railway Station
Can you spot Charlotte trying to start up a Flash Mob?

After a 13 hour overnight train ride from Thung Song, we arrived in Bangkok. I had remembered the last time I was here which was 15 years ago and the sights and smells were quite shocking on both accounts, but this time it seemed different. The Western influences had filtered through as had the plumbing and the electricity, and it almost seemed civilized. The people before were all out to try to rip you off for as much as they could and had no conscience in doing so but this time even the tuk-tuk drivers were helpful, courteous and fun. There are still the people on the street hassling to sell you a trinket, but not right in your face. The sheer magnitude to the quantity of people is still overwhelming. It really is shoulder to shoulder where ever you go. We decided to use the sky-rail a lot which is the equivalent to our monorail but bigger and by far better. Herding thousands of people from one side of the city to other, it is seamless, efficient and done with no fuss. Well done the Thai people, we could learn a thing or two from you. Why don’t we have one from Palm Beach over the Spit into the city????

The markets on the other hand were just as I remembered, loads of people, shouting and begging for you to buy a Rolex or maybe a Gucci top, queues of tourists just like us wandering through the mayhem. We ended up in a market (Chatuchak Market) that had the reputation of being the biggest in the world which I would have no problem believing, it was just so vast you could never do it in a day. 9000 stalls! Anything from little squirrels to every type of reptile you could imagine. It really was a bit much for all of us in the heat of the day with 500,000 other people so we got a lunch from a street vendor for about $2 each and were on our way.

Pat Pong Night Markets

We also took a long boat down the Chau Phraya River through the canals to see more of what Bangkok is really like for the locals. A mass of shanty type houses by the river’s edge made up of disregarded corrugated iron that was rusted out before they got it, washing themselves and their clothes in the dirty water. Day to day life is hard for them. Dogs seem to be at every other step, mangy looking things looking for their next meal, sorting through the rubbish.

The next day we went to the Grand Palace where we were amazed at the size of the Reclining Budda at Wat Pho. A monument in gold that stretched about 100 feet long (actually 46 metres). It was in its own temple surrounded by other magnificent temples that showed off the craftsmanship of the carvers and the skills of the stonemasons that chiselled fabulous big warriors at the doorways. We were told that the King still resides in the grounds, Lucky King!

Paul