I used to get here once or twice a year in the early 2000’s when I had a SouthEast Asian team for Cytec. I had another visit with AO Smith in 2010. It was my favorite city of all my weird global travels. I’ve been after JuJu to return with me ever since we retired – and here we are!
Why?
1.) The people. The Buddhist sensibility and history lends itself to joy, openness, service, smiles and a Karmic acceptance of everybody, and everything. The emphasis is on being content and happy in the place that they are right now. It’s a pretty infectious version of the Golden Rule.
2.) The History – Millennia of architecture and history to explore as shifts in culture and waves of trade, and religion have passed through. Thailand was never colonized, and has had the same Royal family since 1718.
3.) The Food – Absolutely our favorite cuisine.
4.) The Climate – Bangkok is halfway between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. It’s near perfect with beaches, jungle and urban living beautifully interspersed.
Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, is another mix of Buddhist, and Hindu faiths with overlapping temples, traditions and rites. But it also includes significant nods to Animism (nature spirits, ancestors worship, and demonic hierarchies) which dominated the region until 400 AD.
Many of these spirits were female and the overall practice, coined Theravada Buddhism, reflects that feminism in many ways.
The Thai political system has been democratic monarchism since 1932, with an elected parliament where the dominant party chooses the prime minister.
The King still wields some power particularly as the head of the military. This has occasionally resulted in a coup (12 times since 1932!) when he’s been displeased with an election outcome. The most recent, in 2014, ended the “unfinished coup”. This coup started in 2006 when the King dissolved the parliament, accusing them (accurately by all accounts) of endemic corruption. The Royal family is deeply loved by the population.
The first round of parliamentary elections took place a week ago (24 hours with no alcohol sales…) Crossing our fingers, no coup until after Wednesday!
Bangkok is larger than NYC with 10 million people in the city and surrounds. It’s crossed with winding canals and has been called the Venice of Asia. The skyline is made up of incredible modern skyscrapers but the street still buzzes with activity, loud music, and 3rd world scents and colors.
We’re here for a short visit before we fly home on Wednesday so we’re going to go at it – hard.
Bangkok arrival – 2/2.
Our first night, we were greeted with the omnipresent and loving Bangkok Wai as we checked into the beautiful (and historic) Peninsula Hotel. It’s a smaller room but still as spacious as a big Marriott suite.
Views…just ok.
15 minutes after our arrival at the Peninsula Hotel we were loaded into a tuk-tuk for a night tour of the city. Our driver had a big American flag on the back that we begged him to take down – nope. It was Hanoi-level crazy but with more highway driving, higher speeds and just a white knuckle experience.
First stop, Chinatown, a wild mix and bigger version of the night markets and street food we’ve become used to, with a little Time Square thrown in. It was crowded, energetic, and multicultural to an extreme.
Our Chinatown visit was a walking feast (what JuJu has always wanted, and calls “State Fair Tapas”). We had prawns, sautéed mushrooms, fried fish cakes, skewered sausage and chicken livers, a bug or two, and a whole grilled squid – all with a Thai spice palate distinctive from anything else in SEA.
From ChinaTown we tuk-tuk’d to the Flower Market. The flowers come in bulk from the country every evening for use at the civic buildings, temples and homes. Bangkok is literally buried in flowers – changed out on a daily basis.
From there another ride, this time to famous Yaowarat road. This is not the Patpong area famous for sex shows and “ping pong”. It’s the legendary club street of Bangkok with a police station at one end, and a library and temple at the other.
Bangkok doesn’t sleep – at all. We were there at 11pm on a Monday and it was already wilder than Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.
It was cacophonous sound, music and lights on every corner. There was beer, and cocktails at every street stand, pot shops (legal), massages on the street, less appropriate ones inside, go-go dancers in the doorways advertising even weirder action inside, and Thai Kathoey (lady-boys) gyrating everywhere.
We left for home – choosing not to look back and avoiding getting turned into a pillar of salt.
Mac and Juju explore Southeast Asia 