Day 9
Bangkok, my 5th city on this little journey, also became my pit stop city. Admittedly, I expected Bangkok to also be my least enjoyable spot on this trip because it’s pretty much a tourist hub and couldn’t really see how it would stand out in narrative in comparison to the rest of my trip. However, I think because I rested up and took it easy here, it became rather enjoyable except for the last night.
Let’s try running some things down.
Bangkok is a town of work. So many financial centers and companies are rooted in the city proper and the urban features really do remind me of New York (which by large is a wonderful place but also considerably a workhub like Tokyo, Seoul, and London). In translation, Bangkok is a town where you can really enjoy Thai things but not necessarily where you’ll get a legitimate embrace of Thai culture. Contrast this with New York and Tokyo for a moment and you’ll realize, “Wow, these cities are great but they are not really American or Japanese.” It is kind of fascinating with how many countries created such hubs, where national culture indeed can thrive but is very much does not overtake the city’s own culture and the technical assets that make the city a hub in the first place.
Bangkok has some interesting transportation. Like other parts of Southeast Asia, you can find tuktuks but they are a bit more of a shell.
Bangkok may not be Venice, but with their lack of gondolas, they make up for it with water buses. These boats are quite long and can seem to fit around 160 or so people.
More so outside of the city proper, one can find modified flat bed trucks (known as songthaew) that serve as mini-buses. At around 8 baht per ride, it feels criminal to get around town on these. Nonetheless, I heavily utilize dirt cheap prices.
It may be a Buddhist country but Islam and Christianity are very prevalent. You can walk down the streets and find Catholic private schools and halal markets quite easily. As a bonus, this meant I could find a bunch of tasty halal snacks and drinks I had growing up as a kid. Oh yeah!
So what was special about today? I went over to Old Town by water bus and just started exploring. At the very first temple I visited, I came upon quite the event. At Wat Suthat, as I sat down in the main hall, people rushed in with arrangements and cameras all around me. Confused on what was happening, I asked one woman from the crowd what was happening. Who would have now that I would get to see the ordination of a monk within my first day in Bangkok.
Following the tributes to his ancestors, the young monk began the ceremonial procession around the grand hall as a crowd followed behind him. After his third revolution he began his way into the hall. Surprise struck again as the ordination was not for just one monk but two. For some reason, the families allowed me to stay. It was a very humble beginning to Bangkok and nice to see such a happy event. Below, the two newly ordained monks chatted eagerly before the ceremony officially began.
Day 10
Bangkok is said to be quite the town for a foodie. Here are my takes on the Thai dishes I could get my hands on.
Again, like Saigon, I did not want to make the signature dish my first meal in Bangkok but it happened to be so accidentally since I could not read the entirely Thai menu. (Insert goddamnit gif) No doubt, it was pretty safe and decent choice but admittedly it was not the most remarkable Pad Thai I ever feasted on but it made do.
Gai tod is just Thai for fried chicken. Although by fried, they meant more like roasted and pan-fried. The flavors are pretty distinct for chicken but like the Pad Thai, nothing too special and relatively satisfying.
I love duck and this noodle soup dish killed it. My taste buds were grooving to the boatloads of flavor that came with each piece of roast duck. You know your boy Mahir loves his spices so the addition of some red chili and some hot sauce turned it up an extra notch.
Out of the five dishes I tried in Bangkok, Tom Yum Gung won by a long shot. I highly recommended this and the place you go to should offer various options for meat (I went with chicken). The dish is very big on veggies and the broth just really seeped in well.
A pretty salty salad with all the ingredients you would not picture as the fundamental parts of a salad happened to be my post-meal meal. The salad saltiness is matched by the juiciness of the (veggies) in it and can rally help chill you out on a hot day.
Guys, Bangkok also has a ton of parks and I recommend you check them out. Not only are they super chill and very well kept with temples and attractions often nearby, they often have wonderful public gyms available, kind of like Korea. However, Bangkok stepped it up by having public Zumba classes at Lumphini Park that I may or may not have taken part of because of how groovy the moves appeared. Hands down, my favorite spot in Bangkok that I visited. I also experienced quite a weird moment. Although the military coup seems to remain in effect, the respect for the monarchy is still very present. You can find photos, paintings, statues, and more of King Rama (?) everywhere. By everywhere, I mean everywhere: buses, taxis, subways, hospitals, offices, stores, coins, bills, and letters. The weird thing that persists are the activities one must continue to practice towards the monarchy that throw me off. In the middle of my relaxation time at the park, what I believed to be the national anthem started to randomly play, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks to pay their respects in silence and upright postures. Dog walkers, families, athletes, you name it and you saw them silent and obedient listening to the music just as I did. I have no idea what really happened but I am definitely going to check with my Thai friends on the strange event.
After such a great day, I thought I would just go home relaxed and full of food early to fix laundry and welcome Miriam t Bangkok before we would leave for Rangoon the next day. Unfortunately, this Monday happened to be the worst Monday ever to be in Bangkok because, according to my hostel owner, it was a graduation day. What that meant was an insane amount of traffic making it impossible to get out of the damn city. What that further meant is that I waited in vain for three different buses at six different stops for three hours to get home. I am not sure if I am ever going to visit Bangkok again, but I definitely will not stay there on a Monday.
