Bangkok, Thailand 11/30/06

Bangkok, Thailand 30/11/06
This will be a quick entry because I have to get to the airport and even though I have over four hours before I fly out I have learned to respect Bangkok traffic. I have two things though that I want to get down into this little memory reminder book. The first is a hilarious bit of irony.

Earlier in the month, when I passed through Bangkok the first time, I changed a flight and shaved off two days of island hopping in Southern Thailand so I could get back to Bangkok and get a visa for China. I knew I had to visit the Chinese Embassy to get it. I knew it would take roughly three days for them to process the paperwork at the normal rate and that I needed to fill out one form in duplicate.

I also knew the address of the Embassy and where it was located in relation to where I was staying. I even knew what subway stop I needed to get off at to avoid that dreaded traffic. So with two passport photos, that I also knew were required, I arrived in Bangkok and I confidently went directly to the Embassy. Unfortunately though I had forgotten about an essential bit of recon; when is the office open?!

I arrived at the office at 4 p.m. in time to find it closed by minutes. “Oh,” I said to the security doorman, “What time does it open in the morning?” He looked at me like I was joking. “It no open tomorrow. No open on weekends.”

My brain spun around in my head. The words I had written from my recent proud entry on days of the week were audible in my head.

“It’s Friday.” I said more like a sad statement rather than a question.

It didn’t matter. The guard still answered me. “Yes, it is Friday.”

I can’t read minds but I’m sure the thought he had after the statement was something like “…you stupid backpacking island bum. Welcome back to the real world!” OK, maybe those were my thoughts.

My next thought was, “Way to go Mat! You planned three days, two nights, in Bangkok in order to get your visa and arrived on a Friday afternoon! That would mean that your flight out for Cambodia leaves on Sunday night! That’s before the embassy will be open again. That’s great planning!”

I had to go back to the ticket counter at Bangkok Air and change more flights. That meant one less day in Cambodia, a late night arrival, which always makes things more interesting, back into Bangkok before heading to China, and an extra 1,600 Baht for a rushed visa.

As usual I tried to find the positive in this circumstance which leads me to the second thing I wanted to get documented. In these extra days here I have finally found my soft spot for Bangkok. Well actually one spot in particular won me over but it was good enough to cover up for all the things I disliked about Bangkok.

On my second visit, or I guess I should say on my weekend in Bangkok, I stayed in a guesthouse near Siam Square. The Backpackers of the Banglamphu area, and all the businesses that cater to them, were gone and were replaced with good old fashioned U.S. commercialism. Siam Square isn’t really a Square. It’s just one big shopping mall, or malls, reaching blocks and blocks in multiple directions. Each building at least 6 stories high and connected to each other by bridges. So basically I traded crowds of Backpackers for crowds of Thai teenagers.

I had to search to find a decent restaurant that wasn’t a name I knew. Hard Rock, Outback, Sizzler, Pizza Hut, Au Bon Pain, etc. were everywhere. I finally had to settle for some over priced sushi at what was probably a Japanese chain restaurant. I will admit to hitting a really big and nice Starbucks though. Hey, it was the only thing open before 10 a.m. and I got a big comfy chair right by the window! I had to stop!

To make matters worse all the stores and malls were gearing up for Christmas. Ahh, come on! You’re a Buddhist country! I will give them credit though, whether they knew it or not, for waiting until after Thanksgiving to put up their decorations. Even Starbucks wasn’t the haven I thought it would be. Once I heard the dance remix of Silent Night I knew it was time for a run, which finally brings me to the part of Bangkok I love, Lumphini Park.

I had read a little paragraph on Lumphini Park in my Rough Guide book and could see a corner of it on the area map I had for Siam Square. The book said it’s where the Thai go to get away from the crowded craziness of Bangkok; a simple enough description that sums up most parks.

To me, any park is usually worth checking out and a good destination for a run. On my first run there I was staying about 3 miles away and ready for a water when I finally crossed the busy street to enter the park.. I was happy to find a little lady selling drinks from a Styrofoam cooler next to the gate. I don’t know which was more refreshing, the cold water or what I saw inside the park.

It’s a big park, not Central Park size but probably a circumference of 3 to 4 kilometers. There are ponds, bridges, old trees, gazebos and pagodas. You can rent swan boats from a dock or you can run around the distance marked roadway. In all, it is a beautifully designed park but that’s not why I love Bangkok now.

You can tell a lot about a town by their parks but more specifically by how they use their parks. I have seen towns with huge, beautiful, open public spaces that no one uses. That’s not what I found in Bangkok.

On my first late afternoon run there I found giant aerobics classes; several classes in fact, apparently some for different ages or levels. There were yoga and tai chi classes off under the trees. There were hundreds of walkers and joggers, young and old. There were pull up bars and stretching areas all with people using them. I took special note of the two outdoor weight training areas. I was the only Western face I saw. No one tried to sell me anything but many people smiled and waved. I had made it to the local’s place!

I ended up visiting the park about 4 times over my remaining visits to Bangkok. I even got a few workouts in at the weight training areas. They charge twenty Baht for the day to use them and I would have probably paid 1,000 Baht just for the experience.

The funniest memory I have of my time in the park was on my last run there. I was zoning out in a steady jog with my iPod on when I noticed everyone else was standing still. Everyone; the joggers, the yoga classes the guys in the weight training area. All were standing and facing the same direction. I thought I was in a Twilight Zone episode and someone had frozen time.

Then I pushed pause on my tunes and realized the National Anthem was being played on the park PA system. “Doh!” I stopped immediately. “How long had it been playing before I noticed? How many people had I passed?” A few people were looking at me and I tried to make a face that said “I’m sorry!!” I think it worked because a few started to smile and I thought for probably the hundredth time “God, I really love this park!”
MJF