Bangkok: Me luv you not so long time
This is my 5th time in Bangkok, the 2nd time for Lissette. I’ve previously written about Bangkok and how it is a city that grows on you. With a fresh – and different – perspective I don’t know if that is accurate. In fact the opposite might be true.
I had a great time when I passed through here in 2003. I was single, horny, and at a different stage in my life. Days were spent exploring the city’s highlights, nights were about drinking and girlie bars. Bangkok was the craziest, most exciting city I had ever visited.
I met Lissette back in 2005. In 2008 we passed through Bangkok on our travels through Thailand and Laos. We did a lot of the tourist stuff and I still found Bangkok exciting. The temples, taking the ferry down the river, the frenetic pulse of the city. Lissette found the city dirty though and was pretty happy when we left after 3 days.
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Now that we are spending more time everywhere we go (we’re now retired full-time ‘slow’ travellers), we experience things from a new perspective. Our apartment (which we booked through Airbnb) is close to Sathorn Road in the center of town. You would think that this area, with all its embassies and the financial district nearby, would be pretty refined. It is and it isn’t. You’ll see huge condo buildings (like ours) with rooftop swimming pools and gyms. Hotels rise up 60+ stories and contain popular bars and restaurants where the beautiful people go. The Skytrain is ultra modern and rides up over the city. You’ll see huge digital billboards on the walls of buildings advertising soft drinks, cars, and skin whitening creams (I’ll get to that below). Especially seen from above, Bangkok appears incredibly futuristic. But get in close and walk the streets and you’ll see broken sidewalks, hanging electrical wires, and you’ll have to make your way through millions of little shopping stalls, multitudes of people, as well as a sprinkling of street dogs, cats, and beggars lying or sleeping on the sidewalk. Keep your eyes on the ground and towards the gutter and it won’t be long before you see a cockroach or a rat. Bangkok is not made for walking; sidewalks are an afterthought and seem to serve primarily as a spot to park motorcycles or put up some kind of hawker stand. Crossing any street is a time-consuming nightmare because turning cars have priority and you’ll often find yourself waiting for a break in the traffic along with locals and stray dogs (there is something to be said about survival of the fittest in Bangkok). And then you get to a major street, which requires you to walk up the stairs of an overpass to cross to the other side. If the streets and sidewalks are not bad enough, you have the endless concrete of buildings, roads, and the skytrain overpass along Silom and Sukhumvit roads. Add to that the exhaust fumes from 4 lanes of cars, trucks, tuk tuks and motorcycles. I’ve heard people say that the smog in Bangkok is comparable to a tire dump on fire. It’s an exaggeration but not that far from the truth. Add to all that the smell of raw sewage emanating from the manhole covers and the putrid stink from some of Bangkok’s canals.
All to say that Bangkok is an assault to every sense in the human body. We don’t know how people can live here every day, especially the poor. You seem them pushing food carts, cooking food over huge vats of boiling oil, and going home to squalid slums. Somehow, through it all, they smile at you. Ordinary Thais (ie those not in the tourism business or those not looking to scam tourists) are still the among the friendliest people we’ve met.
Our thoughts on visiting Bangkok? It’s funny how impressions on a place vary according to where you are in life. If you’re single and coming to party it’s definitely a fun place. As a couple it is a lot less interesting. Don’t get us wrong, Bangkok is worth a visit if you’ve never been. But 2-3 days will suffice to see the highlights. You’ll be ready to move on after – we’ve been here 3 weeks and have both been getting increasingly irritable. One more week and we’d be heading towards divorce court. So, as the title of this post suggests, make Bangkok a quickie and not a long term relationship.
Observations, thoughts, tips
– Tuk-tuks. Take it once for the novelty of it. It’s fun. But otherwise avoid them: they’re dangerous, overpriced, and you’ll usually always be hassled for a tour.
– Taxis. I’ve visited Bangkok a few times and it’s getting harder and harder to find a taxi driver who wants to turn on the meter. They only want to deal with tourists that agree to a (high) fixed price. I’ve found it shocking to have taxi drivers basically just say “no”. Note: taxis in Bangkok are required by law to use a meter and if people are settling for a fixed rate they’re just making it bad for everyone else.
– Gems. One of the most popular posts on this blog is the one I wrote detailing how I got scammed back in 2002. It’s still going strong, witnessed by both the comments I receive and offers I still get walking down a street in Bangkok. Don’t ever get fooled by someone (usually a tuk-tuk driver) who; a) tells you that a temple is closed b) offers to take you for a ride somewhere else.
– Women. People always complain about the ‘dirty old men’ who come to Thailand and who hook up with Thai women. Many of these men end up losing their life savings to these women who, for the most part, are anything but ‘poor victims’. I wrote about it here.
Everything in Bangkok is organized to separate the tourist from his money. Even little things like taking the ferry down the river. Get off at Saphan Taksin pier and you’ll see the ‘ticket counter’ for the ferry. They’ll ask for 50 baht to take you down the river. Note that this is not the ferry that locals take down the river – those cost 15 baht. The one they’re trying to sell you is the Tourist Boat. For the record, the tourist boat has blue flags and you pre-pay, the local ferry has orange flags and you pay when you get on the boat (they pass every 20 minutes). While we were down by the pier a Thai man started talking to us, asking where we were from. Of course he had family in Canada (sic). He cut the conversation short when we told him that we had been to Thailand many times before. Don’t know what his game was but he had one. One thing I’ve learned in Bangkok; everyone is hurrying you, pressuring you to get on that boat, take a tu-tuk etc…don’t. It’s probably a scam. After many experiences here we know not to rush into anything.
A few random observations/oddities
We’ve seen a lot of ads for whitening creams and surgical ‘enhancements’ of eyes and noses here in Bangkok. Go to the pharmacy and you’ll see a whole section dedicated to skin whitening creams. You’ll often see women walking around with parasols or umbrellas to hide their faces from the sun; the prejudice here is that the paler you are, the more attractive.
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The Skytrain, or ‘BTS’ as people call it is a great way to get around the city and people should organize their stays around it. A bit strange though; you go to the counter to tell them where you want to go and they won’t give you a ticket – they’ll tell you how much it costs, give you change, and direct you to the ticket machines. The cost varies by the number of stations you go.
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We’ve stayed in an apartment building and the security guards do a lot of saluting. One old man gives us the royal salute while clicking his shoes at the same time. Is it because of the new military government? Never experienced that in Thailand before.
We’re happy to be in Thailand but looking forward to moving on. Next stop: Hua Hin.
Related: The Hypothetically Perfect Day in Bangkok
Related: Bbqboy’s Ultimate Guide to the Best of Thailand
Related: Which to visit: Bangkok or Mexico City?
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skins
“Bangkok is an attack on all of the senses.” That’s the truth! I warned my friend before visiting… Hot, loud, dirty, polluted, stinks, but great fun! I’ve been here a year and there are moments where I want to push a crowd of people out of my way while walking down Sukhumvit… But it’s still a fun city. However, I’m in that “young, single, horny category. Cheers!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks for the comment skins. Know where you’re coming from, been there – and totally agree!
Nigel
I haven’t read all of your site yet but will attempt to. Yes, Bangkok is an interesting place but like anything you get used to it. I know that I did during my 12 years living and working in Bangkok. It is a place that definitely isn’t for anyone. Thailand is fun and an interesting country. However, Bangkok isn’t Thailand just like New York City and Las Vegas aren’t the USA. Chiang Mai is nice but I much prefer Chiang Rai.
As for Nivea, well…..they are an international company out to sell their product. One item that sells well is skin whitener. As much as we think that is weird so do the Thais, and many other Asians, think tanning beds are weird. I mean, who in their right mind would want their skin darker?? It’s all in the perspective I guess. Oh, and I’ve known the country manager for Nivea in Thailand for over 25 years.
Cheers!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks for your input Nigel. We met some expats who are very happy in Bangkok. But it definitely isn’t for us for anything more than a short visit. But as you say, some people chose to live in Las Vegas. There’s a place for everyone. But interesting what you say about Chiang Mai because it’s on everyone’s list as ‘the’ place to go, either to retire or as an expat. Countless bloggers located there because its cheap, and I know a few retirees as well. My mom has been there about 10 years but has tired of it, complaining that its gotten too crowded with too much traffic and pollution. I know very little about Chiang Rai but have been curious about it…
Our next stop will actually be Nong Khai which I hope will suit us well – we’re not really fond of big cities. We generally prefer small towns and nature.
I’m sure Nivea raking in the big bucks on the Thai get-white craze! I just find it sad when races, whatever race, feels the need to appear paler. Its a fact everywhere you go in developing countries that the paler skinned people get the better jobs. Go to the Dominican Republic and all hotel staff are the lighter-skinned Dominicans. I guess they’ve figured out that guests feel more comfortable being served by someone paler. But how sad a commentary is that? I’m not blaming anyone, it’s the way of the world and won’t change anytime soon. And companies like Nivea are just responding to that. But like I say, just find it a sad state of affairs…
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
travelFREAK
Great post, Frank! You’re honest and that’s what matters most! Thailand is fun and interesting, but Bangkok is so different from other parts of the country!
Frank (bbqboy)
When we first got to Bangkok we thought we’d really like to get to see the cultural side of Bangkok. But getting anywhere, unless directly on the skytrain route, ended up being so time-consuming that we ended up just giving up. Hua Hin was recommended to us by a person we befriended in Bangkok, we wanted something quieter that wasn’t too far away.
Chiang Mai the place most “slow travellers” settle in. My mom lived there for 10 years until very recently (has become to crowded, polluted. She’s now in Mexico). Probably where we should have gone instead of Bangkok or Hua Hin, much cheaper than in Bangkok. Next time. But as I say, we ended up loving Nong Khai which was our base for 4 months.
Other than Thailand, have done well in choosing our destinations. Usually chosen by considering countries we would like to see, the costs, if they have a good infrastructure to work (ie reliable internet), and if there is enough in the town or city to keep us interested for at least a month.
Frank (bbqboy)
Hey Tom. It’s the way we travel, we’re slow travellers and work at the same time. So we use bases, like Budapest where we are right now and stay anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months, getting to properly know a place. We’re not on Vacation but in many ways it’s the best of both worlds. It would be expensive to be on permanent vacation 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
We’ll have to agree to disagree. Have passed through 5 times and have enjoyed the city, but spending 3 weeks as we did this time was enough. I think it’s a fun place if you’re young and single, less fun if you’re a couple and a bit older. At least that was the case for us.
Frank (bbqboy)
Hi Darren. If you’re not into the nightlife then I think its a little long. I think 3 full days would do it. This is a bit of an older post but the attractions in Bangkok haven’t changed: https://bbqboy.net/highlights-and-scams-in-sin-city-bangkok-thailand/. You can visit all the highlights there in 3 days. And make sure to take a day trip out to Ayutthaya, we enjoyed it much more than anything we saw in Bangkok: https://bbqboy.net/ayutthaya-thailand-train-rides-and-drunk-germans/
Let me know if that helps!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks for taking the time to comment Lily 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks for taking the time to comment Rachel. Well, it all depends what you like – as I say, you have to spend a few days here because there are sights worth seeing and you have to see the city with your own eyes to understand how crazy and chaotic it is. But its also very dirty and I can’t understand those backpackers who spend days on Khao San Road…maybe dirty is exciting for some. But we’re too old for it now 🙂
That’s exactly how I felt about the whitening creams. Let’s tell people what is beautiful and capitalize on it…I find it ridiculous seeing Thai girls with their parasol, afraid of getting a bit of sun on their faces lest they turn brown.
Frank (bbqboy)
Hey Sarah! Everyone is different. Everyone always tells me that Chinatown should be visited for its markets and street vendors – but 5 times in Bangkok and I’ve never gone because when I hear ‘markets’ the only thing I think of are crowds, noise, and rats and cockroaches. And that’s the problem with most of Bangkok. Just too busy, at least for me.
Frank (bbqboy)
Hey Chantal – never tired of travel, its the rats, roaches, and crossing the damn streets that are getting to us! Maybe time we get away from cities and towns and hit a touristy beach resort eh?
Yeah, don’t you love when someone hangs over you taking photos and then stays there to admire them? 1 more photo and I think she would have 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Hi Carol – Thailand is actually mostly fine. Bangkok is on one end of the spectrum and is really dirty…but there are some beautiful natural spots all over Thailand; mountains, green fields, gorgeous turquoise waters…and that’s why most people go. I’ve been to Thailand 5 times now and still love coming here because in addition to the above the people are really nice. But no more Bangkok 🙂
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Kemkem – I just pointed the camera and told her to talk, so was completely natural. We hadn’t even talked about doing video for the blog. Lissette is from the Bronx and has a cutting sense of humor and says it how it is – I think she’s a natural in front of the camera.
I still think Bangkok should be visited. And if you have money it can really be visited in style because a LOT of fancy restaurants/hotels. But maybe only a couple of days when passing through…we’ve been here enough times now so I think we can say that we’ve seen what we’ve had to see.
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Stephen. The Thai girls pretty but not much in the boob and butt department. I guess like anything, anywhere we always gawk when we see something different!
Frank (bbqboy)
Agree with everything you say Paula. And it is a fun place to let loose – but 3 weeks is too much. Looking forward to tranquility and nature.
Frank (bbqboy)
Hey Maria – yeah, look what it did to Michael Jackson.
Seriously though, doesn’t it set a bad example when celebrities or higher classes feel they’ll get further ahead with paler skin? And these companies, like Nivea, just capitalizing on it while pushing that paler is better. You’d be amazed by the huge section dedicated to whitening creams in Bangkok.
Yes, we’ll eventually get to CM. Have been there a few times, we’ve just wanted to explore other places before going.
Thanks for the comment Maria.