A One Day Ramble in Bangkok

Bangkok is a city of contrasts: ancient and modern, traditional and new, serene and frantic, grand and modest, complex and simple. Most first-time visitors to Bangkok, or Krungtep (Kroong tep), as it is called by Thais (its current name), see the more dynamic sights: glittering temples alongside the mighty Chao Praya River, huge gleaming shopping malls, floating markets, Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, the Grand Palace, and the robust night life of Patpong, Soi Cowboy and Sukhumvit Road.

But for those who stay a while, often years, more layers of Bangkok can be peeled away through short excursions in any part of the city. This way, Bangkok becomes more identifiable, more familiar and thus less intimidating.

This is not to say that one can just let down all defenses and stray anywhere in this megalopolis that is ten times the size of New York City in area. Like any large world city, dangers lurk in certain places, and even the seasoned resident is wise to remain vigilant.

However, the quiet side of Bangkok, which reflects the more traditional way of life, as well as the life of those struggling to better their lives of living hand to mouth can be observed by traveling in the less well-known but relatively safe areas of the city. It is there that "cheewit Thai" (Thai life) can be experienced.

I recently took a one day tour of Bangkok, using six modes of travel (walking, motorcycle taxi, metered taxi, subway, train and canal boat taxi). Here, in chronological order, are the sights along the way.

All photos © by the author. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Construction workers make 200-300 baht (~$6.50-$9.50) per ten hour day. Here workers take a break along the railway by Laksi station in northern Bangkok.

Many temporary homes (that frequently become more or less permanent) are found in several locations. This is a setting along the northern rail line near Bang Sue station.

Hua Lumpong is the city's central station and a hub of travel connections for Thais and foreign visitors alike. Here three recent graduates of the prestigious police academy proudly pose.

Chinatown is a short walk from Hua Lumpong station. On Yaowarat Road, one can observe continuous activity at Chinese Buddhist and Taoist temples.

The state lottery, held twice a month, is a very large part of Thai life. Vendors can be seen literally everywhere, some walking, some on bicycles, some set up like this man on city sidewalks. This is on Yaowarat Road. Last week's winner took home 30 million baht (about US$940,000). Such jackpots keep the hopeful buying tickets, many first conferring with fortune tellers or getting lucky numbers from temples.

A popular activity in many parts of the world: fish that clean dead skin from a person's feet. This sidewalk shop is on a side street in Chinatown.

If one wants to experience even more traditional life, it is necessary to explore the tiny alleys that twist between side streets, particularly in Chinatown. Here a man prepares gai tod, crispy deep fried chicken.

A common sight everywhere in Thailand away from the modern uptown streets: soups cooked over open charcoal fires

On a tiny side street, these men peel hundreds of mangoes each day.

Commerce is continuous, even away from the main roads, products moved by hand cart as shown here, or often carried on shoulder poles or simply on shoulders or backs.

In a small Chinese temple (only three other persons stopped by while I was there), the altar displays a wooden bell (right) and monk prayer books, two in Thai, the other in Chinese.

Durian, the most wonderful (or disgusting, depending on one's sense of smell) fruit in Thailand. Hotels often post signs proclaiming that this pungent fruit may not be taken into rooms.

A young caped crusader casts a serious look in front of an herbal drink shop. I tried one of the brews that is proclaimed to have healthy healing effects. Unfortunately, they also added a lot of sugar, which pretty much negates any health benefits.

A friend, Greg Goodmacher, a professor and free lance writer from Japan, collects information about teas for an upcoming article about Thailand tea and coffee shops. The most expensive tea at this shop is jasmine flower, which costs 8,000 baht per kilo ($113 per pound)!

An array of teas on display.

More herbal drinks brewed at another shop. I tried this one too.
Still too sweet.

Some of the herbs used to make drinks.
The far one looked like a type of cedar.

An ice crushing machine in a back alley of Chinatown. About half of the very large ice blocks (under the tarps behind the young man) had been hoisted up one by one and put through the chopper, then bagged and delivered to nearby shops.

On the walk back to Hua Lumpong station, I saw this man sleeping in a doorway. It is not an unusual sight, but it is fairly uncommon to see, even though Bangkok is quite large.

After a ride on the subway, I stopped to take a boat taxi on the San Saeb canal. There are many sights of Thai life to see along the way. Here, standing room only requires passengers to hang onto ropes slung across the boat's ceiling.

Small cable ferries take passengers across the canal for three baht
(10 cents)

Although canal boats do not have the problem of traffic jams, delays can happen. As my luck would have it, the engine overheated and we sat for several minutes while the conductors poured canal water on it until cool enough to start again.

At a wat (temple) near the boat terminus, statues of revered monks are adorned with gold leaf by the faithful.

If you want to see the less hectic and more traditional side of Thailand in its capital city, get off the main roads. You will learn a lot.

Bangkok vignettes

Sidewalk amulet sales are a common sight everywhere in Thailand. People take their amulets very seriously. Some sell for hundreds, and occasionally thousands of dollars. 

I love Bangkok's street life. Thai culture is displayed in the events that are continuously being played out on every street in the city. People jam the sidewalks to buy, well, just about anything. I am always astonished at the sheer volume of fresh produce, meats, clothing, sweets, eggs, trinkets, amulets, ice cream, hot dishes and cooked food available all day every day. I often wonder how anyone can sell enough to sustain their families. But judging by the masses of people that buy, apparently they do.

As one wanders through the streams of people, stepping around sleeping dogs, being jostled by strangers on the crowded sidewalks, and exchanging smiles and greetings with vendors, there is a kaleidoscope of images that meld into a wonderful microcosm that says "This is Thailand".

This post is a collage of my most recent photos on the streets of eastern Bangkok.

Photos by the author. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Early morning alms. Monks make their rounds, chanting blessings after receiving food from the pious.

A man sells cooked corn and other vegetables from his baskets that he carries slung from a pole across his shoulder from place to place.

Students at a barber school give free haircuts on the street as their instructors observe and assess the techniques.

 A man plays a kaen, a complicated reed instrument, on the sidewalk 
for spare change.

A common open air kitchen where rice and noodle dishes are cooked and served at sit down tables or in takeaway containers.

A young girl naps on a rice bag between rounds of begging.

These street-side vendors show why Thailand is known as
"The Land of Smiles".

A vendor softens grilled dried squid by passing it several times through a ridged hand-cranked wringer.

A tailor in a covered market.
His old machine is operated by a foot pedal.

 Kanom krok, a traditional Thai sweet. A soft cake made from rice flour and dried vegetable pieces, it is topped with a sweet coconut layer, covered and baked over steaming water. Aroy mahk! Delicious!

As in most cities of the world, some people must find places to sleep off a night of heavy drinking, as they have nowhere else to go. This man was on a pedestrian overpass at 8:00 in the morning.

 A man begs in a busy intersection near a large market.

 Scene at a small Chinese Buddhist temple. Many Bangkok Thais have Chinese heritage and such temples are commonplace, frequented by all Thais, whether Chinese or not.

 Vendors peel and section jackfruit on a sidewalk next to a bank.

 Flower vendors sell masses of blooms every day, as people buy them for placing on altars in their homes or at the office or to take to a wat  (temple). The two people on the left are stringing together garlands of jasmine and marigolds that they will sell for 20 baht (60 cents).

 It is common to see flowers and multi-colored fabrics encircling very large trees. Often it is a bodhi tree, the tree where it is said the Buddha was meditating when he reached enlightenment (this one is not). These locations act as places for prayer, or to mark the scene of a fatal accident, or near businesses as good luck.

Time out for homework at a busy market.

Thai-Chinese Cuisine

The very large proportion of Chinese Thais here influences many aspects of Thai culture: Medicine, finance, festivals, and, of course, food. While traditional Chinese food is quite different than Thai food, there is some overlap, but for the most part, it is easy to distinguish the two. Yesterday, as I walked through a part of the city where I lived twenty years ago, I came across a tiny corner open-air restaurant that I used to pass each day on my way to and from work. Unobtrusive, yet located in one of the most upscale tourist areas in Bangkok, in the shadow of gleaming five star hotels and beneath the sleek elevated skyway, it seemed to be unchanged by time. Rickety chairs nestled under plain wooden tables, handmade shelves piled with various utensils and food tins, lighting provided mainly by the daylight, and an ancient, shuffling owner, scowling and mumbling as we ordered from the menu that I know had been unchanged through the intervening decades (On its frayed and faded pages it still lists a beer that no longer exists in Thailand).

While the ambience may give a certain rustic charm to the dining experience, it is the menu itself that is the draw for me (Proclaiming Chinese, Thai, and European food). If one claims to be adventurous, and will "try anything" (You know the type), sit them down at this humble establishment and watch as they read through the "specials." For your gourmet enjoyment, have them try the "cow's stomach soup" or perhaps the "fried deer gut with red sauce." For those who prefer pork, there is the "fried pig bowel," or the "pig's ear salad." I am not making this up (And you thought it was only on "The Addams Family!"). If one is still undecided, I suggest trying the "Fried Eight Things."

So, the next time you are in Bangkok, drop in to the Yonglee Restaurant at the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 15. And if you happen to give it a try, please let me know the identity of the "Eight Things." (I was tempted, but, no, I didn't.)