With shopping and outside tours complete, it's time to see a bit of the real Bangkok before I fly out. Khaosan Rd and Patpong are hardly typical of this big riverfront city.
My Thai research on the Internet from NZ turned up Stickman's tour, which sounded pretty good. It follows a clockwise loop from the overhead railway and up the river.
A tuk tuk driver wants an outrageous 300 baht to get me to the start. I offer 50, he drops to 150, but won't settle for 100.
Being the coolth of early morning I decided to walk - a much better view of some of Bangkok's architectural highlights.
First stop is the Golden Mount and Wat Sraket (photo taken from there), then on to the elevated railway which takes me down to southern-most Saphan Taksin station on the Chao Phraya river.
On to a ferry, and you really get a feel for Bangkok as a prosperous city as you look at all the hotels and high rises - most of which are to the right of the photo.
Wat Arun comes in to view, and it's worth a look. Off the ferry and across to the western side of the river.
The steep climb is reminiscent of Angkor Wat - not dissimilar to climbing a ladder to get to the top floor.
Ornamentation too is not dissimilar to Angkor, but Thais use coarse mosaics here rather than intricate carvings.
The King's image is everywhere in Thailand. 80 years old now, he is revered nationwide, and you have to be careful not to give offence. Licking a stamp with his image is a definite no-no.
I rather like some of the road monuments. I know North Shore City is looking for a design to welcome travellers crossing the Harbour Bridge. How about something like this?
Finally the loop is complete and I'm back in bustling Khaosan Rd. I've done my bargain hunting now, so it's time to catch a taxi to the airport for my flight to Phuket.
But first it's time to reflect yet again. Could I live in Bangkok? Perhaps - if you paid me enough. I wouldn't choose to live here unless work demanded it. It's too big, too noisy, too smelly (Asians should get their sewerage infrastructure sorted), too hot, muggy and polluted (too many ill-disciplined cars), and pedestrians and cyclists take their life in their hands whenever they compete with vehicles. As in other Asian cities, pedestrian crossings mean nothing. It can take a long time to cross the road, and stepping expectantly on to a pedestrian crossing just gives drivers an excuse to run over your foot.
Asians have a "throw away" culture, which doesn't sit comfortably with me. Rubbish is just thrown on the ground to accumulate and smell in the heat - bins are few and far between. As most rubbish is now plastic, particularly food containers, it just hangs around everywhere, eventually making its way to the river where it combines with river weed to make dense mats. Hoicking and spitting, and smoking in bars and restaurants is also common. Just not a pleasant experience.
On the plus side, Bangkok is a big, modern city with all the shopping and facilities you could ask for. The sleaze isn't as prominent as I thought it might be - I was only propositioned by a couple of tuk tuk drivers for girls or shows. So if you had an apartment in the right part of town, and travelled by car to your air-conditioned office - no problem. But for someone who likes to walk and cycle, the experiences can be unpleasant.
The flight to Phuket is unremarkable, despite my choice of airline. A smooth landing. I'd attempted to book the Youth Hostel, but no joy, so where to find accommodation? I call in at a local agent and ask for rooms at Patong Beach for around 500 baht a night. He laughs - this is the peak season, and I'd be lucky to find a room at all, and not at that price.
Half an hour later I'm heading for a Patong Beach guesthouse at 1,400 baht a night - three nights. Ok I've blown my budget - I'll just consider it a Christmas treat. By NZ standards, it's still cheap.
And the guesthouse isn't too bad - a few minutes walk to the beach past all the big hotels and condos. I settle in and set off to explore in the early evening. The water's warm - I'll go for a swim in the morning.
A live band is playing at a bar adjacent to Starbucks. Starbucks! - I wouldn't be seen dead in one in NZ, but I order myself a Latte Grande and settle down to listen to the surprisingly good music - classics like Proud Mary are belted out across the square. A few people are dancing by the stage, and I wonder why I'm here alone. Phuket is a party town for couples.
The full moon lights up a few wisps of Andaman cloud, and the flash-bang of fireworks on the beach provides a staccato interuption to the Western music. Ok - it's not an authentic Thai experience - I'm not trekking in to hill tribe homestays - but chilling out here is a pleasant way to complete Christmas day.
No comments:
Post a Comment