Bangkok

I entered Bangkok how I think everyone should, on the back of the scooter through morning rush hour traffic. Firstly it wakes you up from your overnight bus trip, and secondly I think it prepares your brain for the hectic city it is about to attempt to comprehend.  Bangkok is a busy place, too busy?, Always seems to be so much going on, what I love about that is that it would still be this way without tourism, very unlike Patong. I can see it being a while before I get sick of this place.

If you were to pass out somewhere on Bangla Road and came to on Khao San Road only to think to your self "Where the fuck is the beach?" you could be forgiven. If there is a difference it's a small positive; a few less touts for ping pong shows and few more foods stalls. You could think of a Khao San road as something of a progressive three course meal with entertainment, of course definitions of entertainment vary ( I guess the same could be said of 'meal'). First course is grilled meat on a skewer, B6 each. Walk up the road a bit too the main course, Pad Thai for B20. At the end of the street is dessert, banana pancakes with chocolate syrup, B20. On the walk back try to convince a dozen or so guys that I am a dozen or so different nationalities and that I don't really need a suit but thank you (Challenge for the week: Collect at least 100 business cards from suit salesman).

How to spot a scam: or how I should learn to stop worrying and embrace the culture.

I was walking for the sake of walking as I tend to do when an awfully kind gentleman let me go through on a narrower section of the side walk.

"Thank you," I say.

"Where are you heading?" he asks.

"This way" I say, pointing in no direction in particular.

He walked a few paces in front of me and I ducked into a store for a bottle of water. The same man enters not 30 seconds later, he buys whatever it was he was buying, and walks out. I buy my water and 'surprisingly' bump into him again just outside of the store.

"Ah, you again!" "Where are you from?"

"Australia."

"Sid-e-knee?" "Mel-born?"

"Adelaide."

"Oh" he says with a confused look on his face. As they tend to do. "Temple up here very nice" he continues, perhaps taking a mental note of 'Adelaide' for next time Sydney or Melbourne draws a blank.

Conversation continues and I end up getting out my pocket map where he kindly draws me a small itinerary of places he recommends. Including two places that are only open 1 day a year. AND TODAY IS THAT DAY! How lucky am I. I say thank you and begin to walk away in no direction in particular when he follows me and explains that they are all very far away, too far to walk really, and that I should really consider getting a Tuk-Tuk. Only B40. A tuk-tuk appears if on queue.

"Thank you very much for your advice but I'll walk thank you."

This is when the tuk-tuk jockey gets out and in unison with the other gentleman says "No no, it is very far!"

I now decided that I am getting scammed and say, in my grown up voice this time, "I'll walk, thank you." Smiles disappear and everyone goes about their day.

Maybe they were just being helpful and I'm a cynical asshole.

It was one of those days... where it's a minute away from raining, and there was this electricity in the air.

You can aImost hear it.

Right ?

And this bag was just... dancing with me,

Like a IittIe kid begging me to play with it, for minutes.

That's the day I realised that there was this...

entire Iife behind things...

and this incredibIy benevoIent force...

that wanted me to know that there was no reason to be afraid... ever.

Video's a poor excuse, I know, but it heIps me remember.

I need to remember.

Sometimes there's so much...

rubbish...

in Bangkok.


Bangkok probably does get a little familiar after a while, one temple, one little side street market tends to look just like the last, you wonder if your a little lost. I swear the same lady trying sell me one of those noisy wooden frog things, is following me everywhere, waiting for me to weaken and die. It was probably the constant smell that did it in the end. Beautiful city but just so much rubbish.

It was on the bus ride out when I realised that even though I had walked around non stop for four days I hadn't even seen a tenth of Bangkok. It a bit like what they say about London, you could never walk out of it.