Sights, Sounds and Sun in Bangkok

Bangkok has quite the reputation worldwide.

While it continues to be the central metropolitan location in all of Southeast Asia, the business and transportation hub to all other locations in this region and the welcoming city for all tourists with their eyes on the beaches and islands, Bangkok retains its status as a bit of an enigma to the outside world. Sex trade and political instability continue to raise eyebrows in the Western world and keep Bangkok (and Thailand) on the edge of being considered a developed, reliable, trustworthy nation (as opposed to other Asian nations to the north).

What is Bangkok like for the temporary local, here now for over three months? This week’s ride on the Tuk-Tuk Talker explores this city further and provides a few insights for the tourist who spends more time here than just a layover.

Sights
While there are tourist sights to visit throughout the city, the kind of tourism is different than Western nations. Museums are not the focal point, the various temples are. History is not necessarily located on a wall in an air-conditioned quarantine, but might be a crumbling monument found in Bangkok or the former capital, Ayutthaya, to the north. The experience of this city is found in exploring the former Royal Palace and temple, cruising along the Chao Praya River downstream and stopping at a market for a local Thai-style lunch, then walking through Chinatown before the sun goes down and the revelry of the evening begins. One doesn’t necessarily come to Bangkok to complete a sightseeing checklist extraordinaire, but to experience Thai culture found in markets, districts and participating in the daily and nightly lives of the natives.

Impressions
Parts of Bangkok are very rewarding and enjoyable for the tourist or temporary local. But you have to pick your spots and plan your route and location very carefully…by day, you may find yourself stuck in an unexpected traffic jam (the above ground transit system, BTS Sky Train, comes highly recommended and air-conditioned) and by night in an unexpected red-light district, which is unfortunately why so many foreigners venture to Bangkok in the first place.

Like so many cities, Bangkok can be broken down into smaller districts, which helps the new arrival to get oriented. The old city with the Grand Palace on the river, Chinatown, the seats of government and the shopping district are all the places where you will see the most farang (white foreigners usually from in order of quantity: Australia, America, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France).

One big attraction for the foreigner to Thailand and Southeast Asia is the price. Once you’ve paid the pretty penny, krown or baht to get here, lodging, transportation and food options abound, coming at all different prices, which can make this part of the world particularly appealing for the budget traveler. A nice hotel for $30/night and a filling lunch on the street for $1 can indeed bring a smile to the traveler’s face.

Conclusions
Growing up in Los Angeles, I’ve learned that I fare better in cooler environments that aren’t so conducive to the unappealing aspects of the world’s largest cities such as traffic, pollution, endless concrete, over-urbanized population and the economic disparity between street sellers, labor and executives. Bangkok is the epitome of this type of mega-city. Many people thrive off of this, would be refreshed (especially this time of year in the middle of winter) with the incessant heat and humidity, usually between 90 and 100 degrees Farenheit and can manage through these disadvantages of large cities. I can’t quite get past it myself and, well, can often be caught daydreaming about the Swiss Alps or the rolling meadows of Sweden when I’m in my tuk-tuk traffic jam sucking on fumes.

Bangkok can work for you, but you must be prepared mentally for this type of city.

Pictures above:

1. The Democracy Monument, located in the middle of the tourist district of Bangkok, marks the triumphant change from Absolute Monarchy to Constitutional Monarchy which took place in 1932.

2. One of the more popular wats, temples, in Bangkok is the Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha. This is one of the only pictures that can capture the magnitude of this lazy Buddha, which is practically bursting from the temple.

3. The Chao Praya River is a central part of the Bangkok experience, serving trade and tourism for centuries.

4. China's influence in Asia extends far beyond its borders. The Chinese immigrant population in Siam, old Thailand, and now has created an entire district (not all that different from larger American cities with Chinese or International Districts), which is one of the most popular tourist areas in Bangkok.

5. Sean finishes his latest ride on a tuk-tuk (pass the oxygen).

Buddhism in Thailand: Temples, Monks, Spirit Houses and More

Integral to any cultural exploration of Thailand is a consideration of the religious heart of this land, Theravada Buddhism. Upon a visit to Thailand, whether your goal is the cities, the mountains and tribal lands or the beaches, you will be surrounded by religious and cultural icons and symbols of Buddhism.

Temples and Buddha images
Everywhere - similar to churches in the West. See pictures below for the unique Thai-style temple architecture. Inside of temples are images and icons of the Buddha. Self-awareness with regards to dress, behavior and the pointing of your feet inside temples is of supreme importance for the tourist in Thailand.

Monks
Ubiquitous – you can’t miss them if you’re near a temple. Most Thai men and some Thai women will become a monk at some point as a passage of rite, if not something more religious. Shaved heads and robes, along with the daily morning ritual of alms collection, give the monks away (but you still see them in internet cafes, with ipods dangling from their ears and carrying about casually in their daily activities).

Spirit Houses
On the grounds of many houses and virtually all businesses adhering to Buddhist principles, spirit houses are believed to be a home for the spirits who otherwise might be tempted to torment those not paying homage with the daily sustenance of food and drink and tender, loving care…

Miscellaneous
Taxi drivers and others may have fresh-cut flowers in the shape of a necklace somewhere nearby. There is no specific day of the week which Buddhists have set aside to worship, but instead do so as they please, but specific holidays are often popular times in the temples.

In general, Thai culture is very modest in clothing and behavior, which may come as a surprise to many farang (foreigner), but all the places with open consumption of alcohol and other carnal desires that Bangkok is famous for are for the purpose of, well, farang!

Pictures above:

1. Thailand's most famous sight, the Grand Palace complex, includes Wat Prat Kow, a temple of royalty.

2. Chiang Mai's highest regarded temple.

3. A Spirit House in front of a "Seven" on Ramkhamheang Rd. on the outskirts of Bangkok.

4. A taxi-driver displays a spirit necklace, fresh flowers for protection.

5. Paige and Sean catch a moment by a waterfall in Southern Thailand.

A Walk Through a Thai Market

One of the joys of being in a developing country is the genuine local flavor of nearly everything, except in the bigger cities, of course. You just don’t have the big imports or the presence of large, multinational businesses, unless you want it. In developing countries, you have to go find the homogenous corporation instead of it finding you. Here’s to authenticity!

A local market, where freshness and friendliness abound, can be just the place to connect: Connect with the people, connect with the fruit, literally, of the land, connect in a convivial way with the country you are exploring. Many people already know this about France and other European corners where “fresh” and “in season” are the highest complements, but the same is true in Thailand.

So we take a walk through a Thai market: All four food groups are represented (even though judging by a quick Google search, the “four basic food groups” is so 1975): Fruits and vegetables in abundance, meats of all kinds both trustworthy and frightening (to the foreigner), rice, and even some dairy seen in the stacks and stacks of eggs.

These neighborhood markets are found throughout Thailand and SE Asia, quite often the equivalent of a local grocery store, especially in rural villages.

More of a pictoral blog entry this week than a textual, I hope you enjoyed our walk and can get to your own local farmer’s market soon.

Pictures above:

1. Most markets are outdoors, but this one in Chiang Mai is large and in-charge indoors.

2. One of the more dazzling-looking fruits found in Thailand, but usually these types of fruits are all show, and the go just isn't very tasty. I'll stick to my peaches and cherries in season, thanks.

3. These are frogs with their hearts ripped out to prove freshness. Anything for freshness!

4. A typical outdoor market scene, this one found in the Southern Thailand area of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

5. Duriane, the most famous of unique Southeast Asian fruits, is known for smelling really, really bad and tasting okay. The smelling bad part I can confirm...

Top 10 Best Ways to Offend Thai People

Just a fun look at unexpected cultural rules you are sure to break if you don’t read this, or something like it, before you come to Thailand:

1. Disrespect the King (don’t stand in honor at 8am, 6pm or before a movie and always make sure to lick that stamp with the King’s image).

2. As often as possible, as blatantly as possible, show everyone the bottom of your feet.

3. On that note, make sure you step over things lying on the ground or floor and especially step over people who might be laying in your way in a hallway, aisle or line.

4. Touch the top of a Thai person’s head as often as possible.

5. When entering someone’s home, do not take off your shoes and make sure to get dust, dirt, sand and muck all over the floor…

6. When entering a temple, don’t take off your shoes and always point your feet directly at a Buddha image (bonus points if you show the bottom of your feet to the Buddha image).

7. If you’re a man, touch a female monk. If you’re a woman, touch a male monk- oh yeah, they love that.

8. Kiss and touch your lover in public – pda, pda, pda!

9. Wear shorts above the knee, tank tops or just go with your bathing suit when you’re not on the beach.

10. Show your outrage publicly when the service, personal comfort or convenience is not the same as at home!

Special bonus advice on how to best offend a Thai person (and hopefully others):

11. Make the already-cheap prices for a Westerner cheaper by taking advantage of the street vendor, server or other representatives of famous Thai hospitality and their non-confrontational personal approach, getting that tuk-tuk ride for $1.50 rather than $2.00 or that fried chicken wing for 30 cents rather than 45 cents…way to go, capitalist, be proud.


Pictures above:

1. A typical meal gathering in rural Thailand or many homes in the cities. Sitting on the floor increases the likelihood that you’ll break the “bottom of the feet” cultural rule – be extra careful.

2. Bugs, like these locusts, are “edible” and usually, um…well, crunchy.

3. Do yourself a favor and just don’t mess with drugs in Southeast Asia!

4. Buddha images are not only found in the many wats or temples, but also in various outdoor locations like this one in the middle of the commercial district of Bangkok – another likely place for visiting tourists to severely disrespect Thai culture simply out of ignorance.

5. Paige celebrated a birthday this past week, so we went to top floor of the Baiyoke Hotel for a buffet and view of Bangkok from Thailand’s tallest building and the 28th tallest in the world. Happy Birthday, Paige.

A Dark Side of Southeast Asia

Beyond the beaches, elephants, food, hospitality and tuk-tuks, there exists a sad reality in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia.

One more consequence to the inexplicable lack of governmental leadership in this part of the world is the rampant human trafficking, usually women and children for sex, that thrives within the corruption-laden authorities and law enforcement entities from India to Vietnam. Worse, as any brief internet search indicates, human trafficking is not isolated to this region, but is a problem worldwide, including even North America and Europe.

An article recently written by a syndicated columnist in the U.S. is the latest attempt to shed light on a problem that hides in the dark corners of ignored parts of the world:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008587333_opin05kristof.html

Please read to increase your own awareness of "modern day slavery" and if you are so moved, here is one of many resources to help stop human trafficking:

http://www.catwinternational.org/

A Communist Christmas: Adventures in Visa Travel

There are only five countries left in the world that subscribe to Karl Marx’s views about life, where the national religion is by definition atheism. You know about China, Cuba and North Korea. You may know that Vietnam is still Communist. The one you don’t know is the fifth and last Communist country in the world, this other country that you may have never even heard of and certainly have never thought about: Laos.

Little Laos.

That’s where I spent Christmas.

Not by choice.

One word:

Visa.

Those in the travel community love to tell stories about the escapades and bureaucratic back-flips needed to acquire tourist visas in certain parts of the world. Up until I arrived in Thailand, the only story I had about visa "fun" was having to pay double as an American what Swedes pay for a Russian visa – I assumed it was just leftover bitterness from the Cold War.

Now I understand.

At least it’s good blog material...

Here’s how I ended up in Laos for Christmas:

1) If you fly into Thailand, you can stay for 30 days until you have to start playing the visa game.

2) I didn’t know beforehand that I would be here for longer than 30 days.

3) You can’t get a Thai visa IN Thailand. Yeah, I’m glad you think that’s funny.

4) To Cambodia for the day, but the border extensions are only for 15 days, a law two weeks old and still not posted on appropriate websites. No help whatsoever, and a day wasted.

5) The Thai Embassy in Laos gives 60-day visas. Where? Laos. What’s that? It’s a country between Thailand and Vietnam. Really? I had no idea.

6) I had to get there before December 23rd or start paying day-by-day to be in Thailand.

7) Despite two blank pages in my passport, and after a two hour wait in line at the Thai Embassy in Laos, and after an overnight train ride and hotel booking just to get there, I was told I needed more pages in my passport. Visa denied.

8) US Embassy to the rescue – 20 minutes in and out. God Bless America.

9) But, I had to stay an extra day in Laos due to my visa page problem. That day was Christmas Day. Laos is a Communist country. It’s all such an adventure full of irony and, hopefully, entertainment if all you have to do is read about it.

10)Since you have to turn over your passport for the one-day processing, I was officially without a passport in a Communist country…on Christmas.

Paige and I made the most of our unexpected first Christmas together – and we’re already able to look back and laugh at our (mis) adventures, and the stories we can tell, about forced visa travel.

I can hardly wait to see what New Year’s holds.

Happy New Year to you from the Tuk-Tuk Talker.

See you back here in Thailand in 2009!

Pictures above:

1. The Lao and Communist flags fly in unison throughout most of the country.

2. The visa game line at the Thai Embassy in Ventiane, the capital city of Laos. Don't miss the Laos version of the Tuk-Tuk!

3. In between twice-daily embassy runs, Paige and I squeezed in some sightseeing at this famous landmark in Ventiane, the Patouxay, or Laos' Arc d' Triomphe, since Laos is a former French colony.

4. An impressively festive Christmas display in front of the main hotel in Ventiane.

5. The beautiful fountain in Old European Square, the center of town.

Christmas in Thailand

Part of the deal in making a spontaneous move to Thailand in November is sacrificing being home for the holidays. For me this is the second year in-a-row away from the west coast of the U.S. for Christmas and, for the second year in-a-row, I give a big blog shout out to my mother and family for their support of my travels and commitments. Skype is the most favorite present this time of year.

Culturally, Thailand is a Buddhist nation. 99% of people are Buddhist, whether they are a monk or non-practicing. What kind of place does Christmas have in a country such as this? Well…

Thailand is also the most free, least corrupted, non-communist, commercial and globalized country of the Burma-Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam region of SE Asia. Most Thai people have a curiosity and fascination for the West, and particularly America, that welcomes culturally American lifestyles and preferences. Commercially, Thailand is the most capitalist of this immediate region and, I think you can see where this is going…

Aside from the beautifully devout churches of Thailand that are celebrating the meaning of the season, Christmas in Thailand means everything that Christmas in America means: Buy, buy, buy, spend, spend, spend! It’s the most wonderful time of the year for commercialization.

In the West, the meaning of Christmas and modern Christmas commercialization morph into one. A Christmas tree is found next to a nativity scene and we celebrate the divine birth in a manger by running up credit cards. Even this irony is lost in the busyness of the season. Culture and religion intermingle, uncomfortably for many.

In Thailand, however, it’s just unapologetic commercialization. That big and beautifully decorated tree in front of the department store? No real or deeper meaning at all – it means “This is the time of year where we must shop a little more.” All those beautiful Christmas lights? They’re all connected to commerce. Traditional Christmas songs are only overheard when you’re in the mall.

The considerations and commentaries surrounding culture, religion, globalization, travel, spirituality and economics are far too expansive to wrestle with here, but experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a non-culturally Christian, but still-capitalist, worldview has been fascinating.

Give a creative gift, cherish the time with your family, celebrate the meaning of the season.

Merry Christmas from Thailand.

Pictures above:

1. The biggest Christmas tree I have ever seen, in a Bangkok mall.

2. The celebration of Christmas among the Christian believers in a Buddhist nation is inspiring to watch.

3. High schoolers caroling at a street market in Lampang about an hour outside of Chiang Mai in Thailand's north. Paige's work brings her all over Thailand.

4. Anna, one of Paige's students, gets a bit lost in the Christmas decorations.

5. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours from Paige and Sean (as close to a Christmas card as you'll see from me this year).