Rediscovering Bangkok

I’ve spent my last several days here in Bangkok keeping to myself and researching my future travels instead of walking around and exploring the city. Half the reasoning is that I have a lot of things I need to make happen if I’m going to get where I want to go (look for that post about future travels soon) and the other half is that I’ve been to Bangkok so many times it feels like I’m home. I’d feel guilty about not exploring any other place but here, I’ve seen it all. Or, that I had.

Bored by the words I was either reading or writing, and inspired by a book I bought on photography, I went out exploring neighborhoods within walking distance of where I always stay in Bangkok. Not 10 minutes from the backpacker trodden street of Khaosan Road, I was surprised to find the vibrant alleys of Thai neighborhoods. In these skinny lanes, locals old and young alike were hanging out in the streets. Monks walked from the wats, food carts sold Thai food unappealing to falangs, and in this particular spot, rough looking stray cats lazily hung about.

Walking further towards the river I found guesthouses hidden on the river with nightly rates only a fraction of the cost of the noisy, unkempt rooms of Khaosan. Despite the cheap accommodation I found no falangs. The Chao Phraya River was calm and so was the riverside; it was the peaceful side of living in Bangkok that’s lost when people reduce the cities to traffic jams, Buddhas and ladyboys.

Continuing past the neighborhood I followed a street of eccentric shops selling unique t-shirts, antique coins and stamps, license plates, old graduation rings, and Buddhist amulets. Kitschy bars and coffee shops sat empty along the street as well, obviously unknown to the travelers who would prefer their style to the plastic tables and chairs of the cheap tourist drinking holes.
The street passed over canals every kilometer or so and just when I thought I had seen every type of improvised transportation in Thailand, there were these men sitting on a raft with a strange prop rigged up. What the boat lacked in speed, it made up for in style.

Along another canal a street was lined with large green nurseries that contrasted the otherwise gray hue of Bangkok so brightly that I had to walk alongside them. Even though it was obvious I wasn’t there to buy, shop owners were extremely friendly and proudly showed off their orchids, cacti, and lawn ornaments that only a grandma would buy.

As I once again neared the Chao Phraya “blah bloi” shops began to appear alongside the flower shops. These shops sold eels, fish, turtles, and toads, not for eating but for releasing back into the water in order to make merit. Just another contradiction in practice in Thailand, these animals were caught only so that someone else could do the “good deed” of setting them free again. What this does for the merit of the shop owners selling them, only Buddha knows.

The street ended at the river and a boat stop, market, restaurant and “Love You Bar” shared the waterfront. At this pier is where the captive fish, etc. were meant to be released and it was obvious that people did. The water was teeming with large fish. For those who didn’t buy fish to release, the opportunity to make merit was not entirely lost. A dozen people set up stands selling stale bread, chips, and fish food to through into the water. This is a Thai favorite and I’ve done it countless times, but never have I seen the water so concentrated with fish. This picture was taken when no one was feeding them. When a slice of bread was thrown in, a frenzy ensued and the fish were so frantic they piled upon each other until the fish on top, out of the water, violently flipped their tails to get back underwater, splashing anyone near.

As the sun was falling I headed back for the crowds and neon lights of Khaosan Road. For the most part, nothing’s changed since I was first there over 2 years ago. Springbreakers, hippies, hipsters, yupsters, trustafarians, families, hookers, ladyboys, locals, cops, and crooks all still walk up and down the street looking for something. The same bars advertise the same stiff drinks and counterfeiters offer the same fake diplomas, certificates, and licenses. The same carts sell the same pad thai, fresh fruit, fried insects, and banana pancakes. And, of course, the same t-shirt stalls still sell the same SAME SAME t-shirts.

Still, some things have changed. A couple new clubs have sprung up and a large section of stores was gutted to make room for a serious hotel currently being built. Cops are now a permanent fixture at both ends of the street presumably for safety but they do little more than watch TV and shoo away illegal food carts. With the exception of Jack Johnson, music pirates sell newer music and now they offer to upload it directly to your iPod instead of selling the actual CDs.

Passed Khaosan, out alongside the heavy traffic of Rama IV, I walked towards the Democracy Monument. Having forgotten about the political turmoil that started with the coup just days before my trip out here, I was surprised to see the landmark covered in people. The very democracy the monument stood for was challenged during last September’s coup and even more recently when the new interim government declared the Thai Rak Thai political party “illegal.”

This might have caused a larger uprising in other countries but no matter what anyone says, as long as the King lives, Thailand is very much a monarchy. The King doesn’t make the political decisions, but if he renounced the coup and told the people to take to the streets, everyone would. The stability of the nation is dependent on him and his opinion trickles down to become the opinion of the people. Even the protesters who were out for political reasons all had the phrase “We Love The King” written above all else on their pickets. The signs were mostly lying on the ground however, and the people at the monument lent their presence itself as a reminder of the country’s turmoil.



I was recently given the advice that if while out traveling I had some “time to kill” I should do something different instead of laying low in a place I knew well already. Bangkok is certainly a city I know well, but the advice still holds true. In a matter of several hours stretching from a late afternoon to an early evening in a place I’ve spent nearly 2 years, I was still witness to new hidden corners of the city where a Bangkok I didn’t no existed, thrives.