AmyHuang
Observations of Bangkok and travelling anonymously
"To be anonymous and travelling in an interesting place is an intoxication" (Paul Theroux in The Kingdom by the Sea)
Here is one of the things I like about being by myself. I am free to think what I want when I look at things. I spent most of yesterday just looking at people, on the foot bridge, at the shopping centres, at hotel receptions and in the local parks. There is always something interesting about someone at any one time and there is no one here to distract me from observing.... even better - no one knows who I am, so even if I seem a bit strange to them, it's unlikely we'll ever meet again!
Us people are funny animals - we do strange things.... Like the group of tourists from Hong Kong who took an emense interest at the sign of the All Seasons hotel. They stood in front of it, took photos of themselves in various poses with the sign, checking through each of the photos to make sure they looked like they are having a fantastic time before leaving to see the real tourist sights...or the lady praying on the foot bridge just above the Erawan Shrine. She may have been just strolling past, saw that a worship event was happening and decided to join in (without actually joining in)... or the American businessman who did not understand the concept of leaving a credit card imprint upon checking in to a hotel for incidentals. He argued that it was the staff's way of getting people's credit card numbers with the "no one ever does this in America!" so therefore, no one ever does in the rest of the world attitude.
As for Bangkok, it's slowly growing on me. I am still waiting for our chemistry to click, waiting to be charmed into loving it. I am playing the observer view, so far purposely not looking for tourist attractions but to fade into the existence of Bangkok's inhabitants (anonymously!). I stood among peak hour people traffic watching cars, buses and scooters take on the round-about at Victory Monument; I spent half an hour strolling the local parks, small oasises in the midst of a concrete jungle, peering into the muddy pound trying to find turtles; I got lost in the back streets going around in circles and travelled the entire length of the BTS (the SkyTrain) just to check out the individual stops. The Thais ib Bangkok, like all other Asian city dwellers, live a hectic life. I tried to imagine myself living and working here and the thought of it made me want another massage.
Images of Bangkok
Here is one of the things I like about being by myself. I am free to think what I want when I look at things. I spent most of yesterday just looking at people, on the foot bridge, at the shopping centres, at hotel receptions and in the local parks. There is always something interesting about someone at any one time and there is no one here to distract me from observing.... even better - no one knows who I am, so even if I seem a bit strange to them, it's unlikely we'll ever meet again!
Us people are funny animals - we do strange things.... Like the group of tourists from Hong Kong who took an emense interest at the sign of the All Seasons hotel. They stood in front of it, took photos of themselves in various poses with the sign, checking through each of the photos to make sure they looked like they are having a fantastic time before leaving to see the real tourist sights...or the lady praying on the foot bridge just above the Erawan Shrine. She may have been just strolling past, saw that a worship event was happening and decided to join in (without actually joining in)... or the American businessman who did not understand the concept of leaving a credit card imprint upon checking in to a hotel for incidentals. He argued that it was the staff's way of getting people's credit card numbers with the "no one ever does this in America!" so therefore, no one ever does in the rest of the world attitude.
As for Bangkok, it's slowly growing on me. I am still waiting for our chemistry to click, waiting to be charmed into loving it. I am playing the observer view, so far purposely not looking for tourist attractions but to fade into the existence of Bangkok's inhabitants (anonymously!). I stood among peak hour people traffic watching cars, buses and scooters take on the round-about at Victory Monument; I spent half an hour strolling the local parks, small oasises in the midst of a concrete jungle, peering into the muddy pound trying to find turtles; I got lost in the back streets going around in circles and travelled the entire length of the BTS (the SkyTrain) just to check out the individual stops. The Thais ib Bangkok, like all other Asian city dwellers, live a hectic life. I tried to imagine myself living and working here and the thought of it made me want another massage.
Images of Bangkok
The Bangkok BTS (skytrain) efficiently transports people to and from work/school/shopping centres
The Living Wall inside Siam Paragon, promoting a sustainable living.
Asia's version of Arc de Triumphe, the Victory Monument sees hordes of traffic a day, yet I haven't seen any accidents yet!
Parks like this one are perfect for people watching. It's also a great place to escape from the chaos that is Bangkok
Grabbing a quick bite on the way to work.... snacking is part of the lifestyle.
