This picture was taken in a tiny passageway, stalls crammed each side, goods so tightly packed that you wonder how anyone could linger to select the one little image he or she must have to take home.
And yet, on the corner, is a small temple. Incense wafts around the entrance and stings my eyes. But inside - just a step away from the mayhem outside - is a quiet space where people come to pray and meditate. The contrast couldn't be greater. But it's a rejuvenating respite from Bangkok's pandemonium.
It's not all tourism. I did manage to get lost in a local market or two. Even there goods are crammed - and here is a picture of a trolley heaped with vegetables - pushed by one man with apparently little effort. (I'll remember that, next time I push a baby buggy up a slope!)
I didn't have long in Bangkok, so there was just one 'tourist visit' - to the Palace. It's sumptuous and extravagant - all glitter and gold - and here are a few pictures as a taster.
That night, back on Khao San Road, I wandered about after supper. Music blared from the bars and people jigged along the street. Most of the massage chairs are full as tourists bare their toes for the masseurs. Pink and orange lanterns swing high above the bars. The tuks tuks have almost given up trying to get through.
Across the street, outside the temple, a group of rough sleepers settle away from the glare of the lights and the music. To one side a small boy sits alone, his hands out and a pot in front of him. I slip into a corner to watch him. A few passersby drop baht in his pot. After about ten minutes a woman arrives and they greet each other with unmistakable affection. She checks his pot, puts an arm round his shoulder and they settle down together.
But what if ... this is Bangkok. Not everyone is here for the pandemonium of Khao San Road. Men come to this city for the children. This time this little boy was safe. But the next night ... and the next ..?
I suppose they do not have any choice. I feel so upset when I see children begging.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard enough to see them beg, but I was frightened for this boy - all those years in Child Protection and I know too much about what predatory men do with lost boys.
DeleteOh Jo, this is just magical! I love your pics and descriptions. More please.
ReplyDeleteThere will be more, Carol - promise.
DeleteSo sad about the little boy. This is what's bittersweet about traveling to exotic places-- there's so much beauty and history and majesty on one hand, and miserable poverty on the other.
ReplyDeleteAll we can do is notice him - and, for one night at least, it seems he was safe enough. But I do find myself wondering how people carry on building magnificent memorials and statues and temples and mosques and churches when people are starving beside them.
DeleteSo interesting that you manage to give us a taste of real life there alongside the tourist view. Looking forward to the next episode.
ReplyDeleteYou do a magnificent job describing the area. I can practically smell it, and hear the hum of activity.
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition of such opulence to the underbelly of seediness and poverty is sobering, though, isn't it?
You got me with the tale of the little boy. Like you said, he was lucky this night. My heart sinks. Thanks. This was a very vivid post.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Wonderful, rich descriptions, Jo. Bankok seems to have such allure, but the little boy…so glad he was safe that night. It doesn't need too much thinking to be afraid for him in future - or maybe already in the past. So sad.
ReplyDelete