No One Walks in Bangkok
A New Yorker at my core, I’m used to walking all the time. It is the way to live in a city, the way to see and experience it. Bangkok challenges this basic premise of city life. On its face, Bangkok should be a great place to walk – it’s got terrific and interesting neighborhoods, wonderful back lanes to explore, and a 24/7 lifestyle. But no one walks in Bangkok (at least not any serious distances). It’s too hot. It’s too polluted. There are too many cars and motorcycles everywhere. Even many of the back lanes have narrow, if any, sidewalks. And if this weren’t enough of a deterrent, the slip on sandals one is inclined to wear in an environment where you’re regularly taking your shoes on and off to enter homes and offices aren’t the greatest for striking out on a stroll.
I’ve been determined to walk anyway. Early in my stay here, not able to find an available taxi near my office during the evening rush hour, I decided to walk instead. I’d traveled the route enough times to know that it was definitely a reasonable walking distance. Despite the crowds around the evening markets and movie theaters, it took me about forty minutes. True, it wasn’t totally a pleasant experience. But it felt good to be out on the streets, even if the exhaust and street smells weren’t the nicest. And I’ve discovered – now that I’ve walked the route at least a half a dozen times – that each time, I see a little more. Stopping along the way, I’ve begun to be able to make out which vendors sell what types of food (each has its own specialties, which can be discerned by the array of raw ingredients in the carts.) I’ve got a good idea which are the most popular by the consistent lines waiting to place orders. I’ve learned to tell the uniforms from the different schools apart by the pins and logos on the shirts and blouses that students wear. I’ve gotten immense pleasure anticipating the kinds of offerings I might see at the spirit houses in front of the IMAX theater, where young moviegoers often leave Slurpees purchased at the nearby 7-11 or cans of orange soda to appease the ghosts. And, if truth be told, I’ve enjoyed the incredulous reactions of the TTAG staff, who now regularly ask, “Did you walk home again last night?” when I answer, matter of factly, “Of course I did.”
I’ve been determined to walk anyway. Early in my stay here, not able to find an available taxi near my office during the evening rush hour, I decided to walk instead. I’d traveled the route enough times to know that it was definitely a reasonable walking distance. Despite the crowds around the evening markets and movie theaters, it took me about forty minutes. True, it wasn’t totally a pleasant experience. But it felt good to be out on the streets, even if the exhaust and street smells weren’t the nicest. And I’ve discovered – now that I’ve walked the route at least a half a dozen times – that each time, I see a little more. Stopping along the way, I’ve begun to be able to make out which vendors sell what types of food (each has its own specialties, which can be discerned by the array of raw ingredients in the carts.) I’ve got a good idea which are the most popular by the consistent lines waiting to place orders. I’ve learned to tell the uniforms from the different schools apart by the pins and logos on the shirts and blouses that students wear. I’ve gotten immense pleasure anticipating the kinds of offerings I might see at the spirit houses in front of the IMAX theater, where young moviegoers often leave Slurpees purchased at the nearby 7-11 or cans of orange soda to appease the ghosts. And, if truth be told, I’ve enjoyed the incredulous reactions of the TTAG staff, who now regularly ask, “Did you walk home again last night?” when I answer, matter of factly, “Of course I did.”
posted by Lori at 6:13 PM
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