Kaleidoscopic

November 8, 2022 to November 11, 2022

Walking the streets of Bangkok

When I tell people I don't experience jet lag they laugh a disbelieving kind of laugh as if they are thinking, 'Oh, that Bruce, he says such silly things.' Seriously, I don't have the jet lag experience people describe. Deprived of sleep from the horrendously long and uncomfortable plane ride(s) to Bangkok, I fell into bed (2AM local time) and finally slept. But four hours later the distinctive song of the koel woke me. The song of the koel is like a welcome-back-to-Thailand song by an old Thai friend. How could I sleep anymore! I was ready to hit the streets, the streets I knew were intensely alive. LIFE happens on the streets in Thailand.

Sunrise with a newly cleaned up khlong at the bottom of the image complete with lights and walking/bike paths. The large rounded building is Hua Lumphong Train Station.

I'm very much a visual person which, for me, walking the streets of Bangkok is as if I'm inside a kaleidoscope. With each step, each turn, I'm presented with a changing pattern, sequence or combination of colors, textures, angles of objects and even concepts that my visual brain devours as an addict might. I'm fortunate Andrea has for months studied the streets and alleyways near our hotel using Google street view as well as watching Jwinthai's videos on YouTube. Without Andrea leading, I would have gotten impossibly lost, my normal good sense of direction taking a back seat to visuals.

Everything happens on the streets: From men cutting metal rods - sparks flying - to fish drying on racks, to people selling anything, pearls to face masks and everything in between. Food is prepared, fried over red hot coals, fans blowing greasy smoke skyward, food everywhere and people eating at tables set up down little alleyways, blocking sidewalks and even in the street., Kind, happy, people everywhere munching on something or other, some rushing off to work in their pristine and pressed clothing, children in their natty school uniforms, and guys covered in black grease from working on motorbike engines; everyone seems to be eating something.

The Thais also love plants and in front of their stores or homes they place potted plants on the sidewalks sometimes so many that it impedes foot traffic. No one seems to mind, however, because the plants are beautiful and soften the normal city concrete hardness. Often they have large bowls of water with miniature water lilies, water weeds and guppies or other tropical fish. I just shake my head thinking about how the raccoons in our neighborhood back home would demolish everything in those pots.

I saw something I had never seen before as well. On the sidewalk of one full block were spiritual healers performing exorcisms. At least that's what I gathered from what I saw in the victims' eyes. The one afflicted sits in a chair and the one who is doing the exorcism covers their clients entire face with some sort of white chalky paste. Then a length of white cotton string is held taut, and a width of string at a time, the white paste is flicked off the skin. I think I heard the healer chanting as well. I say it was some sort of exorcising of bad spirits because of the torment and distress I saw in their eyes. No way was I going to photograph them. I didn't even want to distract by walking past. Spirits loom large here in Thailand but they too are taken care of on the public sidewalks.

It all happens on the streets and sidewalks of Bangkok. Thai culture energizes and stimulates my visual brain and even activates senses that were seemingly dormant. I slip into the rhythm which is uniquely Thailand's and I smile incessantly, happy to be back. I fall into bed at the end of the day and now I know the koel will wake me at precisely 5:45AM enticing me back down to the streets for a repeat kaleidoscopic trip.

These are the reasons jet lag doesn't take hold of me. In fact, I don't give jet lag the time of day.

lovebruce

Certain times of day there will be a food oriented takeover of a portion of a street. This was a breakfast takeover serving the classic old-style Thai breakfast of jok which is a rice porridge and lots of little toppings. The tables and stools and food will completely vanish in about two hours.

A fairly orderly sample of plants in pots on the sidewalk.

Cleaned serving utensils at the end of the day.

Using the space between buildings as eating space.

All of these little booklets pertain to ways you can improve your odds of winning the lottery!

One of the many khlongs (canals) in Bangkok and a khlong taxi. Bangkok is making a concerted effort to clean up its khlongs. They are a great way to get around in the spread-out sprawl of a city with 20 million inhabitants. Cheap and fun too.

The man with the colorful vest is a motorbike taxi guy. It's yet another way to get around in Bangkok but a more dangerous way I think.

Thais are very industrious and are always looking to the future. There will probably be a huge tall building here the next time we come.

Just one of the hundreds of Buddhist temples in Bangkok.

I love the brooms they make in all the S.E. Asian countries. Again, very artistic.

This guy deals in the fittings for moving or capping of water through large water mains.

If you move your food cart out into the street it certainly is more visible and maybe means you will sell more.

Hua Lumphong Station is more than 100 years old.

The Chao Phraya River which we will be following, more or less, all the way to Chiang Mai.

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Brent HirakA rush of the sensual. I feel your awakening
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2 years ago

Jacquie GaudetYou are so lucky with jet lag. I live in the new time zone as soon as I arrive, but my body doesn't want to cooperate. In fact, the first time I travelled to Europe, age 22, I didn't know why I couldn't stay awake past 5 or 6 p.m. for the first week.
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauI'm also one of those people who isn't affected by jet lag. I think it has something to do with the adrenaline high I get when there is something new to explore. That high seems to overcome the sleep disruptions. (Though I have to admit that I've never flown all the way to the other side of the world.)

Anyway, the main thing I wanted to say is that I enjoyed your explorations so far, and I'm looking forward to more of southeast Asia. I've been reading so many European journals that all the pictures are beginning to look the same.

Also, I am a big fan of Thai food. And I fully realize that Thai cooking in Minneapolis-St. Paul cannot possibly match Thai cooking in the streets of Bangkok.
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2 years ago

Gregory GarceauI've never heard a koel call, so I listened to some of them on Youtube. I was wrong when I thought I could compare it to a bird call I HAVE heard before.
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2 years ago

Gregg Butensky"I don’t give jet lag the time of day." Great line!
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2 years ago

Rachael AndersonWonderful photos! I’m not affected by jet lag on the way over but am on the way back. I think it’s because I sleep very little on the way over and crash when I get there. Also, it’s so exciting getting there and we immediately are bicycling or walking.
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2 years ago