Bangkok a city of surprises
I’ll admit it. I fell into the trap of Bangkok. This is the trap of judging a book by its cover, of thinking you know a place when you really have no idea. For some reason, this city has gained a reputation as a dangerous, dirty, rough and tumble hell-scape. And I gobbled this myth right up. I don’t know where it comes from or how it started, but the narrative of the big bad Bangkok is the stuff of fantasy. To me, this is the city of surprises.
Massive and sprawling, Bangkok is split by the legendary Chao Phraya river. Once thought of as the ‘Venice’ of Thailand, the old city of Bangkok was filled with canals of various sizes. Transportation and commerce centered around the river and its canal networks. To this day, cruising the river on the taxi barges is a great way to not only get around the city, but to see it from its natural center. I loved watching Bangkok light up as the sunset from the deck of one of its barges. The river's views are astounding.
Though many of the old canals have been closed, much of the cities’ jewels still line the river. The prominent temples of Wat Arun, Wat Phra and Wat Pho (the famous reclining Buddha) quickly spring to mind. These temples are naturally quite famous and are must-sees in their own right. The deep reds and brilliant golds of these temples were captivating, enthralling and all together alien in the best possible way.
The real delights of Bangkok are found in its hidden gems. Its little neighborhoods and quiet temples. These places are just waiting to be discovered all around the city.
One of these gems is Wat Hong Rattanaram. When we arrived at 9 a.m., the quiet temple had not fully woken up yet. No other visitors arrived the entire time we were there. Only us and the red robed monks. Except for the occasional smile and nod,the monks paid us not attention. The temple does not seem to receive visitors in the morning and to my delight, the monks seemed indifferent about our presence. We sat in for the morning rituals. A chant and some meditation. Again, the monks didn’t seem to note our presence one way or the other. Once the ceremony was completed and the monks had left the inner temple to conduct their daily chores, I couldn’t help but snap a series of photos of the temple. The red and gold flowed harmoniously. The white flowers secured to the pillars of the temple as well as the altar created a subtle floral ambiance. I could’ve spent the entire day here.
If one thing about Bangkok was actually dystopian, it would definitively be its skyscrapers. The most famous of which being the King Power MahaNakhan building which rises and coils like a pixelated serpent. Visible from most places around the city center, this building is unreal without absurdity. The skyline of Bangkok is a clear cut example of a city that values architectural creativity. The skyscrapers are shiny and resplendent while simultaneously completely unsterile. The city feels organically beautiful despite its lack of polish.
Not normally a fan of the ‘Thai food’ found in the U.S., I was blown away by the excellence of Bangkok street food stalls. One of our favorite spots was the area around Bang Rak bazaar after sunset. On offer: standard southeast Asian street food such as fried crickets, teas, noodles, snakes and even milk shakes! We went to one nameless stall two nights in a row at the end of Charoen Krung alley near Sathorn Pier for grilled chicken skewers. Further down Krung alley we over indulged in blood sausages before trying a purple sweet potato milkshake. Bangkok street food stalls are feasts fit for kings where they’re willing to feed hungry dogs like us.
This was not my first time visiting Thailand. Despite the nation’s nickname “The Land of Smiles,” I had no memorable experiences interacting with the Thai people. This was odd for me, considering most people make impressions on me and I usually seem to meet memorable characters. This is not to say I had any negative experiences with Thai people, just nothing particularly memorable.
That all changed the night we met Mr. Pock. It was our last night in Bangkok we decided to visit some American expats on Ekkami road in Watthana. After a certain point we decided it was late and time to head back to our hotel in Thon Buri. Berenice had woefully tried to find some good cheese products in a lackluster Italian themed restaurant but was once again disappointed. We tried to hail a taxi but found none driving down Ekkami Road. We attempted to call an Uber but the app was so glitchy in Bangkok that we quickly gave up. We waited around 20 minutes before deciding we had better start walking towards the train. As we neared the train station, a bright green cab appeared at the light in front of us. We debated whether to cab or train before our laziness settled on the cab. This turned out to be the best decision of our whole trip to Bangkok.
Our driver, who asked that we call him Mr. Pock, was a talkative baby faced man who spoke with a soft accent and even softer voice. Despite his gift for gab, he did not talk particularly loud or fast. His voice was soothing and pleasantly monotone. Mr. Pock told us about his career as a chef at a high end hotel in Bangkok, his family in the United States and his love for soccer. Those who know me, know that I’m not one for sports. Somehow, my family name, Anderson, got brought up during the course of our conversation. Mr. Pock’s eyes lit up as he looked at me through his rear view mirror “Andersen?!? He is my favorite soccer player!” Mr. Pock excitedly told me all about his favorite soccer player, Stephan Andersen, and Andersen’s World Cup exploits. Knowing next to nothing about soccer, I quietly listened as Mr. Pock’s voice became more excited yet never fast. Of note, Mr. Pock was the first cab driver in Bangkok to know precisely where our hotel was located without having to consult an address or map. A soothing and peaceful ride serenaded by Mr. Pock's enthusiastic, if monotone, soccer talk.
The next day, we called Mr. Pock to pick us up at our hotel. When he got out of his cab to help with our bags, he was wearing an Andersen jersey and told us “I’m not kidding around.” Mr. Pock asked the hotel lobby attendant to take a picture with all of us using Mr. Pock’s phone.
We had a few extra hours to kill before our flight out of Suvarnabhumi Airport for our flight back to Chicago and Mr. Pock insisted that we couldn’t leave Bangkok without visiting the famous Rod Fai Night Market. This night market has everything one could want. Limitless people watching, cheap souvenirs, delicious food and drink. This particularly night market is massive and features long rows of colorful tents. A prominent photo on Instagram is easily taken from the roof of the nearby parking garage. The colors are truly vibrant. Another must do for any visitors to Bangkok.
Mr. Pock is one of those unexpected characters that makes a trip so much more memorable. A person to ground a place to a personality. Before departing the cab and entering the airport, Mr. Pock saved the photo of us together as his phone’s background. Mr. Pock said to us “the next time you come to Bangkok, this will still be my phone background. I’m not kidding.” I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s telling the truth.