Bangkok is bananas!

I am struggling to find the words to explain Bangkok. It is a city that is totally awesome and at the same time it is complete madness.
Bangkok is home to almost 40% of the entire population of Canada (14 million with surrounding area). It also has more than 16 million tourists that visit each year. That alone is mind boggling especially since the area of the city is approximately half the size of Metro Vancouver.

Bangkok Subway

School kids in Bangkok

Street food- Bangkok

It is a Mecca that is bustling. There is beautiful cutting edge architecture and technology (digital signage everywhere) and so much western influence, yet amongst all the sky scrapers and new infrastructure there is still an old school way of living. Tiny tin shanties speckle areas under bridges, by the road side, along the river bank and in ditches. Older buildings are mixed in with newer ones and have laundry and personal items strung all over the outside of them. Jared noted that strata’s here must be much more lax then at home. We aren’t even allowed to hang a towel over the railing on a hot summer day to dry. There are tiny little carts everywhere selling things only locals would buy, cheap bus and lottery tickets, face masks, sticky rice. It is clear that as much as Bangkok is a Thai city it also seems to be a Chinese city. The history is rich with Chinese culture.

Despite the chaos, the people of Bangkok are incredibly passive.

Except for the Tuk Tuk drivers, my god….the Tuk Tuk drivers, they don’t miss a beat or take NO for an answer. They are relentless and they will try almost anything to rip you off- so beware, we almost spent an outrageous 400 baht for a ride that took us 10 minutes to walk. Good thing for us- I was in a bitchy mood and refusing to dicker, so I stormed off right in the direction of the Metro. You never know when the universe is working in your favor.

What is most crazy to me is that people don’t even seem to notice the 500 million cars on the road. I am the most impatient driver in our own Vancouver traffic but road rage doesn’t seem to exist here. Traffic is a part of life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no rush hour, in fact, rush hour never ends and It is a total free for all. Basically, if you can navigate your way through the mopeds, large trucks, busses, tuk tuks and cars you have the right of way. Red lights seem more of a suggestion than a rule and as a pedestrian you kind of feel like you are playing an all day game of frogger.
I can’t tell you how many times I yelled “Ok- GO or NO- STOP, SHIT GET BACK” in the 3 days in Bangkok. My nerves were shot.
On our way home from China town we were crossing to get to the subway. It seemed like an opportune time to make a move and then half way through street a string of cars came out of no where. Brody decided to run for it and luckily he made it to the other side. The rest of us were stuck on the center line, traffic swirling in both directions.
I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes me. Later on that night Jared woke up sweating telling me he had a nightmare that Brody had been hit by a car.
Brody suggested we start looking for groups of people crossing the streets and join them. He thinks there we have better odds of not I getting killed- strength in numbers. He also suggested very strongly that I think before I speak, the word ‘GO’ could only be used if I meant it.

You can’t be wishy washy in Bangkok.
Good advice B.

On one of the water taxis. This Monk asked to take a picture with Brody.

People also don’t seem to notice the pollution. Well most of them that is. It is not uncommon for someone to wear a face mask because it is literally SO hard to breathe. On the first day I had such a bad headache after breathing the air in all day. The second day I bought us all face masks.
I feel so ignorant about the level of pollution in this part of the world and seeing it first hand has actually made me quite sad. I can’t help but think of how many goods are produced over here simply for the first world’s over consumption and meanwhile here millions of people are living in toxicity.

Things can not go on this way.

Not only are the factories a problem but it is obvious that the poverty is also contributing factor as. People simply can’t afford the luxury of being more socially responsible. So they don’t recycle instead they burn their garbage, they cook outside over open fires, drive old cars that blow black smoke to high hell and as a result not only does the air suffer, the water does.

The magnitude of the problem is overwhelming and I can’t even begin to imagine where to start. To try to explain how it feels here is difficult and the only thing that comes to mind is the air quality is like when we are in the thick of a summer forest fire. It is hazy and the air is hot humid and heavy. When I ask how the locals feel about the pollution, I always get the same passive answer “It gets better after 6 o’clock”

Better is minimal. I wonder how they can accept this- but then again I wonder if they even question it. Global economy is the driving force and this is their way of life. Thailand, especially Bangkok seems to be the land of opportunity, but seeing it first hand, I have to question how high is the true cost of our cheap goods?

Despite the chaos that is Bangkok, Thai people are amazingly well balanced, peaceful and kind. There is a tolerance and ability to coexist in the madness that I really appreciate.

There is also a lot of nose picking and hoarking and public tweezing. Brace yourself and bring hand sanitizer.

One thing I admire about Thai people is their love of food. The food is fresh and fragrant and amazing and there is no exception as to where you buy it. Street carts are full of amazing fare and they are everywhere. Whatever you desire you can find. Full pig’s faces, noodle soup, and roasted duck just to name a few. Pad Thai is cheap and at only 40 baht a serving ($1.50) you can get it anywhere.
Roasted meat on a stick also seems to be a common food although we didn’t venture out and eat any after my possible cat meat encounter in Cambodia and Jared’s rumbly tummy we are being cautious.

But there is no need to eat something you don’t like, fresh vegetables, rice dishes, and noodles are everywhere.
Mostly we played it safe, fruit, pomegranate, Pad Thai, noodle soup, and Roti- which is one of the most delicious fried bread desserts I have ever had-were some of our favorites.
I follow a food vlogger (Girl Eat World) who recently did a short video on eating in Bangkok. We meandered our way though China town to Yaowarat Rd to eat at one of the road side stalls she suggested. It was well worth the trek to get there and a trek it was. We did what most people do when they get to Bangkok- we got lost in the streets.

Street food in Chinatown

We also did all the usual touristy things in Bangkok. We rode the BTS, we walked forever, we bought knock off’s in Chinatown, we took the local boat taxi’s (holy shitballs) to see Wat Pho the iconic Golden Buddha, we visited the Grand Palace and we went to Asiatique otherwise known as the riverfront night market.

Golden Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Golden Buddha- Valued at over 60 million dollars

One of the many golden doors at the Grand palace

Brody on guard- Grand Palace

Logan and I both had our palms and astrology number read by an elderly Thai man. Either we are both very much the same- or the guy was a bit of a scam.

Either way he had some good messages.

He told me that I had a good brain but I need to learn how to turn it off. CHECK
He said that I need to speak more from my heart than from my head. CHECK
He said I have a hot temper and too much worry. CHECK
He told me that I would be wealthy and good fortune was coming in the year and a half OK- CHECK
He told me it would be better for me to move around for the next couple years than to stay put. OK- CHECK- JARED YOU SHOULD QUIT YOUR JOB
He said I would never work in an office again. CHECK
I would only ever have one husband and one true love. CHECK
There would be no more babies CHECK-THANK GOD
He said I should drink less wine or I would need an operation when I was 59. I asked what kind of operation, he said it would be my knee, so I am good with that, my liver is going to hang on. CHECK
He didn’t like my sarcasm – he said if started to meditate, did yoga, didn’t smoke and quit drinking entirely, I would live to be 92. If I don’t I will die at 87.
87 sounds pretty good to me. CHECK

Logan wanted a more cut to the chase with her reading. Basically all she wanted to know was if she was going to die. He said yes. We all will die.
He told Logan she would be 81 when it happened.
She would have good health with ‘no problems’. He said she would have 2 children and he said she would marry an older man at 27 years of age. He also said older people will always help take care of her- so it’s a good thing I guess that I am going to be wealthy.
Who knows, maybe it was hokie but I liked the messages so I am going to go with it. Except for the wine thing….
And 87 with a bad knee sounds like a good compromise.

With the fortune teller

All in all Bangkok was good, it was squishy as hell, smelly, yummy and sticky but it was a good experience
Every time we complained and wished we were back on the island, Dani (Logan’s friend) kept telling us to take it all in- it was all part of the experience. She was right. If all I saw was palm trees and paradise I would have missed so much about Thai culture. Bangkok may be one of those cities, you get in, do your thing, have a few bites to eat, see a few temples and the hell out with a few things you bought for a cheap price of course.

Trust me, you’ll be better for going to Bangkok. When you leave with your plastic Birkenstocks and knock off T-shirts you will be much more appreciative,better dressed and ready some more island time.

OFF TO KOH SAMUI!!