Arrival, Bangkok - What is it like?

"It's like London on steroids" was the answer I got when I asked this question of a solo traveller back in London. But the first thing that struck me as I travelatored across Suvarnabhumi airport was the mento-pink seats. 

And then a glimpse (from the skytrain) of a row of shocking pink cars. I thought it must be a sun/height optical illusion or fatigue hallucinations ("they must be red, no?") But no, the taxis are pink, pink pink and orange and yellow and green (sadly, not many purple). And although I'm not a very big fan of pink, I am charmed by Bangkok.

There are bits that are grimy as all hell and bits which are lip-curling swanky. I tried to capture the contrast in photos, but the grimy place just kept photographing as charming (maybe all the mango and fresh-pressed satsuma juice is coloring my outlook).

      - v -

 
You can tequila vote on which part of town I'm staying in (keep your hair on parentals - not actually at one of the places in the photo). But not too far from this place:

And first impressions of the smell of Bangkok? Hmm....old takkies (trainers). The taste? Oh oh how to describe? Worth crossing the world for. A tasty green papaya salad with unusual, leafy things, and my first public humiliation: an eye-watering encounter with a small green chilli - serves me right for smirking at an overheard American lamenting the same chilli. Delicious noodles from a street vendor so busy that the back of his truck became a makeshift table (with pink stools of course). 

I saw some amazing temples yesterday, made more fun by meeting a French woman. Neither of us could speak much of each other's language (her English much better than my French) but we got by, with a lot of laughs. I also stopped by the Khao San Zoo Road to see what all the fuss is about, and because my budget may take me there when I next pass through Bangkok. My my! Posers and pizzas galore. But, a couple of blocks up, I found a delightful department store with handwritten receipts and a haberdashery section (yeah yeah, I needed cotton - my beloved wrap has holes in it). Reminded me of the old Woolworths in Harare - the one with glass sectioned counters, and lots of sweets!  Anyway, here's a selection of pics. Whoop whoop for colour!

 

 

     

     
                                                  


 Posted: 5 March 2012