Bumming Around Bangkok

Elephant in the road
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I knew what I was getting into when I decided to stay near Khao San Road in Bangkok, but I wasn't nearly as prepared as I should have been. I had already spent a few shopping trip days here when we first came to the city a few weeks ago. We were mutually annoyed by the dirtiness, hawking, and drunken people. But, there are so many wonderful things to buy and foods to eat that we were able to deal. It's much easier to handle the place when you are on your way to a tropical island rather than when you have just come from one. We found a lovely guesthouse called Sawasdee House, which has some of the coolest decor I have ever seen and a comfy room that belies all the hotel horror stories that circulate around here. Unfortunately, this is a place that likes to play very loud and bad techno music (or, as I like to say, "robot music") until well past 1 am, so sleep can be challenging.

Temple facade detail
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We tried to get away from it by going to what seemed to be a quiet cafe, but the sound assaulted us from all sides as store owners compete for business by turning up the volume. A fellow traveller said to us a few days ago that "Jack Johnson, James Blunt, and Bob Marley have ruined Southeast Asia," and I have to agree. I would venture to add all techno and American pop to the list as well. My god, if I hear "No Woman No Cry" one more time, I might decide to catch a flight to Siberia. It is rather disturbing to my artist's soul that many proprietors of restaurants, bars, and cafes have no concept of how to create atmosphere. I can't even count how many times a perfectly good meal has been ruined by bad music. Some people just don't care for aesthetics. Who ever said that music has to be played everywhere? It ruins the soundtrack of the streets where tuk tuks rumble past and locals hawk their wares in English and Thai. What's wrong with the wind whistling through the trees or birds cawing?

reclining Buddha
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Of course, it's wonderful to hear the Wat (temple) bells, see their astounding and unique architecture, as well as take a boat on the river. The sights and smells of Bangkok make it a truly facinating place to be, with some of the best food in the world, as well as affordable massages, and great people watching! I have to say that my favorite Bangkok memories have to do with monks and elephants rather than cheap drinks.

On our first trip to Thailand, the most astounding thing happened...we were walking down the street, minding our own  business, when an ELEPHANT comes lumbering down the narrow sidewalk, his owner tugging him along as if he were just a dog out on a walk. I mean, a real live ELEPHANT that I honestly almost ran into because it was a small street in a non-touristy part of the city and it was just a normal, crowded sidewalk. What lent an almost dream-like quality to the experience was that the Thais on the street were totally non-plussed and here I am gesticulating to Zach, my mouth full of wontons and unable to get the word ELEPHANT out and then Zach sees it and jumps and goes 'Oh God!' while we both splutterred various words that I cannot put in print, such was our shock! And I thought....only in Thailand.

On our second trip, I encountered my other favorite memory of the bustling city. We had just got into the city from an overnight train and Bangkok was already hot and sticky (no cool tropical breezes here). It was 6am and the city was, for once, quiet and sedated, bathed in a gray morning light. All of a sudden, as we were speeding away from the station in our taxi, I realized that the monks were out to gather their alms. The taxi driver sang softly to the Thai music playing on the radio and I watched as the men walked down the sidewalks in their clean, bright orange robes, shaved heads, and carrying their big metal bowls. Some were already laden down with bags given to them by the faithful shopkeepers. The most astounding thing was that they roamed the notoriously dirty city barefoot (although their female counterparts, dressed all in white, wore dainty slippers). It was really beautiful seeing the acting out of an age-old tradition in modern times. It wasn't touristy (for all those people were still asleep and would be for hours more in order to sleep off the previous night's excesses). The alms were given by the Thais so respectfully- I loved how they bowed with their hands held together in a prayer position and smiled at their honored monks. Even when it started to rain, the monks continued the daily exercise with the addition of an umbrella. I was just so thankful to see it because it was the first time in Thailand that I really felt like I was travelling (the only exception being our ramble throughout fascinating and thriving Chinatown, past shops selling anything from caskets to used door handles, the wares spilling over into the streets). This was just a snippet of real, daily life in Thailand- so foreign, fascinating, and beautiful. And to see some of these men walking down a Khao San Road that was, for once, quiet and closed up and devoid of its debauchery was really a sight for my sore and tired traveler's eyes. They were taking back their streets and I was privileged to witness it because they didn't charge an admission price or do it in any way for my benefit.