Thailand: Good Luck for You. - Day 1 (Bangkok)

That was one of the longest days in our lives. My Barcelona-time set watch says it's 3am, but the sun is shining bright in Bangkok and there are no signs of jet lag so far.

The first details that caught our attention on our arrival were the shining golden statues lining … the highway! Later we will see that gold is undoubtedly Thais’ favorite color.  A train that goes above the ground took us to the downtown: in front of our eyes tumble-downs shacks clinging together, drowning in the fields of green, give way to mammoth skyscrapers. To our surprise when a modern airport express leaves us at one of the stations, we discover that orderly, law-abiding Thais line up in neat queues, exactly following the arrows to enter the train.  Obviously, the metro users are not just any  common Thai, but rather office workers and college students. 

Bangkok is notorious for all kinds of scams. One of the most typical ones is when you are approached by a well-dressed Thai speaking mostly understandable English (which will later turn out to be a real rarity, even among hotel staff and guides!). The typical questions will surely include ‘Where are you from?’, followed by the knowing ‘Ahhhh!’-exclamation and a couple of names or words connected with your country, and enquiries about where you stay and are heading. The questions serve just the role of ice-breakers after which you are friendly directed you to a ‘very good’ Thai market, a shop or a restaurant. The shop or market stall will most likely belong a your ‘friend’s’ mother/sister/grandfather/uncle/nephew, etc.  Eduardo later noted though that they are not really frauds, but rather ‘take care of public relations’.

During our stay, if memory serves me well, we’ve been approached at least 4 times. The ‘Spain-related repertoire’ infallibly included ‘Ohh Spain! Madrid, Barcelona, football good! David Villa/Messi!’ + - ‘como esta’?’

It was funny how a really old man at a river piers in Bangkok, selling river cruises, exclaimed when some tourist said he was from Denmark, ‘Aha, Denmark!’ Something tells me the old man had a blurry idea of where Denmark even was… 

It’s quite easy to move around Bangkok by river ferry. A ferry conductor goes around the boat, clinking with the metal box to collect the fare. Unlike metro, it’s used more by ‘humble’ citizens, as well as school children and monks. It’s curious that unlike European transport where some seats are reserved for old people, pregnant women and so forth, in Thailand those seats are reserved for monks. And even if there is no sign, a person will always offer his seat to a monk, if one enters.

'Reserved for monks'

Looking out of the ferry, one has a great chance to see the city’s trademark, a mind-blowing contrast of the rich & poor: slums with luxurious next-door neighbors, squalid hovels lining up filthy canals, just a few meters away from broadways, all the panorama richly sprinkled with innumerable food markets and moving food stalls.

Seems like those hovels don’t have any kitchen whatsoever. What for, indeed? Thais cook absolutely anywhere and round the clock you will find all kinds of stir fries, soups (served in a plastic bag as well as sauces), all kinds of meat and other less describable dishes. Fruit stalls immediately became my favorites, full of really cheap exotic fruit, already cut, or that can be cut right in front of you.

juice maker

p.s. getting really sleepy. promise to continue tomorrow.