Bangkok – Day 2, blisters and a twisted ankle

Aaargh!!!

It didn’t take long. I’ve ended today’s adventures with a twisted left ankle (which I initially thought was a lot worse) and, at last count, five blisters on my left foot and one on my right. News about that later.

Seasoned travelers will probably be disappointed, but I have to say I do NOT like Bangkok. I am quite disappointed that I booked another couple of nights after I get back from Chiang Mai. Don’t get me wrong, there are endless things to see and do, however I am incredibly uncomfortable here. I struggle with the money, the lack of English (I can’t grasp Thai at all), the streets, the weather, the pollution and even the people. I can’t wait to get out of this city, and tonight I have come home early and am staying in my hotel with Burger King. Yep, I haven’t even had a go at the street food, and I don’t think I will until I am with a guide who understands what things are.

Some images of Bangkok street-life follow. Below is a very typical lane or alley. Crowded, smelly and old. Every building is dirty, run-down or derelict. I don’t know what is in the water on the ground, but it is everywhere and I’ve already dropped credit cards and put my backpack down into a puddle of the disgusting stuff.

So many people work on the street. This happy lady with most of her teeth missing didn’t seem to have a corresponding business. I couldn’t see how you engaged her, but perhaps she was just doing her own mending? Nice machine. I think my grandma had one just like it.

Construction workers building the new Skytrain work right on the edge of their massive concrete structures, with no safety railing, ropes or other form of protection. This air conditioner mechanic (who will never be out of work given the number of air conditioning units I saw in one tiny block) also lives on the edge. It kind of looks like fun, though…

I booked a four-hour tour to see some temples and take a ride on a riverboat. Instead I ended up in a taxi on my own with a driver who spoke no English. As a result I decided to just see Wat Arun (once Thailand’s seat of power and probably the best known temple in Thailand) and call it a day. It actually took a couple of hours to get there anyway as the traffic was appalling. On the way we drove through the protest to throw out the current Thai president. I couldn’t get a shot as the taxi driver didn’t understand I wanted him to stop. I couldn’t be bothered trying to make him understand – I thought pointing a camera at a rather large protest about something this important would be self-explanatory.

I think this monk was rostered on to ensure farangs (foreigners) don’t fall. I’m not sure if achieving enlightment introduces the ability to levitate large Americans. Fortunately there were none around. This guy was very patient, silently acceding to the demands of Japanese men wanting photos of their wives draped all over him. I chose to shoot quietly from half a kilometre away.

Carefully edging my way down from the top of the tallest tower I made it to the very last step when CRACK! Down I went as I had only momentarily looked up to watch a group of Japanese tourists. I do this a lot, but this one hurt more than I can remember and I had also damaged a spot halfway up my foot. In a tribute to genuine Thai helpfulness (a trait I have previously attributed to the possibility of making money), a group of four teenage girls immediately came to my aid. When I waved them off with a smile, they continued to look concerned for me, but continued on their way ahead of me. I rounded a corner only to run into their leader, who had come back to me with a glass jar of something green to rub on it. I don’t know what it was but I assured her I was OK and gave her a nodded “khawp khun” (thank you) and another smile. The group wisely chose not to follow me home, and reluctantly moved on. Reckon that would happen in Melbourne?

Hopefully this next image shows just how intensely “gold” this gold finish on the roof of one of the temples is. On a pretty dull day, where most colours were muted, this stood out dramatically.

Everyone’s a model. These two were at it for a good 10 minutes with their little point and shoot, and “Fashion TV” moves. I hope they took a timeout for long enough to understand what the actual structure stood for.

I also got the feeling they hardly ever left their air-conditioned coach, and that is probably a good thing given what I’ve experienced in such a short time so far. A blind and rabid dog staggering along the street only inches away from a river of traffic, beggars with signs asking for a specific donation, people living inside demolished apartment blocks, shanty towns where the dogs seem to outnumber the people (tough in Bangkok, I tell you!).

OK – on to tomorrow. Getting up at 6am to be picked up for an organised tour of the floating market and some tiger thingy. Back at 6pm for a Chiang Mai tour group meeting followed by a suit fitting. I’m yet to decide if I got a good or bad deal, but I know I got a LOT of clothes.