I am absolutely at tired to my bones and at peace with everything.
The day started out with coffee and fresh fruit and a walk down to the river for the Chao Praya Express boat, the only way to get around the Big Mango. We're heading for the maze of Chinatown!
The Chao Praya Express Boat. Forget your personal space.
The Big Mango from the water. No Traffic!!
Off of the boat and into Chinatown. The first thing I learned is that you have to read the directions very, very carefully and be ready to do a lot of back-tracking. But everything is so much fun to gawk at, smell and sample that who cares. You are definitely going to get lost. Get used to the idea. Its the best thing that can happen to you.
A quiet Soi in Chinatown
This is a lightly traveled Soi. They get lots tighter
Chinatown is about commerce. Its a busy place. As I wandered this way and that, trying to find the landmarks that the Lonely Planet was extolling the virtues of, I was amazed at the sheer volume of trade that was shoe-horned into every available square foot of real estate. And almost everything that comes in or out of Chinatown comes in on a scooter, tuk-tuk, or very small truck. Once it gets that far, it is unloaded by hand.
Unloaded and stacked by hand Baby!
Do you like shoes? Do you like cool-ass shoes for $ 3.33? This is your kinda place. Not only can you get a great pair of shoes for 100 baht, the fake Prada label comes with the deal at no extra charge. The fake stuff from Bangkok is so ubiquitous that some of the more outrageous fakes are becoming cool in and off themselves. The oft-quoted example is Louis Vitton fanny packs. Of course LV makes no such thing but that doesn't mean you can't buy them in Chinatown. The more fake and more kitsch the better.
If it goes on a foot, its here
I wandered down smaller lanes or "Soi" to the quieter parts along the river. There are alleys that are all devoted to the same business, just like in Mexico City. Since addresses are so hard to find, like businesses tend to group together in the same area. So you have old engine row, down on Soi. Each shop seems to have a slightly different specialty, whether is disassembly or crankshafts.
Where your engine goes to be reincarnated
Of course, while all this commerce is going on, folks are getting hungry. The possibilities for food are almost endless as long as you aren't needing a sandwich. There is so much food available, either on the fin or cooked up at a stall and ready to eat, that it is truly mind-boggling.
Its gotta be fresh
I almost walked my feet right off of my legs. Finally, it was back to the river and homeward bound.
If you read the little stenciled sign, it says "Space for Monks"
OK, so I know that people talk about fleeing Bangkok as soon as the plane lands. I have heard a lot of horror tales and was given the advice to get out of town as soon as possible. This was not my experience. While I readily acknowledge that Bangkok can be maddening, at the same time it is rewarding and magnificent. As the Chao Praya Express slipped past Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, I was ready for another evening of Bangkok dining and exploring. I will miss this huge and crazed city.
Wat Arun, a Khmer Style Stupa, the Dawn Temple
The day started out with coffee and fresh fruit and a walk down to the river for the Chao Praya Express boat, the only way to get around the Big Mango. We're heading for the maze of Chinatown!
Off of the boat and into Chinatown. The first thing I learned is that you have to read the directions very, very carefully and be ready to do a lot of back-tracking. But everything is so much fun to gawk at, smell and sample that who cares. You are definitely going to get lost. Get used to the idea. Its the best thing that can happen to you.
Chinatown is about commerce. Its a busy place. As I wandered this way and that, trying to find the landmarks that the Lonely Planet was extolling the virtues of, I was amazed at the sheer volume of trade that was shoe-horned into every available square foot of real estate. And almost everything that comes in or out of Chinatown comes in on a scooter, tuk-tuk, or very small truck. Once it gets that far, it is unloaded by hand.
Do you like shoes? Do you like cool-ass shoes for $ 3.33? This is your kinda place. Not only can you get a great pair of shoes for 100 baht, the fake Prada label comes with the deal at no extra charge. The fake stuff from Bangkok is so ubiquitous that some of the more outrageous fakes are becoming cool in and off themselves. The oft-quoted example is Louis Vitton fanny packs. Of course LV makes no such thing but that doesn't mean you can't buy them in Chinatown. The more fake and more kitsch the better.
I wandered down smaller lanes or "Soi" to the quieter parts along the river. There are alleys that are all devoted to the same business, just like in Mexico City. Since addresses are so hard to find, like businesses tend to group together in the same area. So you have old engine row, down on Soi. Each shop seems to have a slightly different specialty, whether is disassembly or crankshafts.
Of course, while all this commerce is going on, folks are getting hungry. The possibilities for food are almost endless as long as you aren't needing a sandwich. There is so much food available, either on the fin or cooked up at a stall and ready to eat, that it is truly mind-boggling.
I almost walked my feet right off of my legs. Finally, it was back to the river and homeward bound.
OK, so I know that people talk about fleeing Bangkok as soon as the plane lands. I have heard a lot of horror tales and was given the advice to get out of town as soon as possible. This was not my experience. While I readily acknowledge that Bangkok can be maddening, at the same time it is rewarding and magnificent. As the Chao Praya Express slipped past Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, I was ready for another evening of Bangkok dining and exploring. I will miss this huge and crazed city.
That's all the blog that there is folks. Travelling to Chang Mai tomorrow and I will blog from there.
Thailand had already stolen my travelling heart.
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