Thailand the Tame

We've now been in Thailand for just under a week and have decided to chill for a while where we now are in Bangkok. I have to admit that, although I'm still quite enjoying myself, Thailand has not yet lived up to my expectations for it. Well, Bangkok at least.

I think when I came here I was expecting to find a crazy, sparkly city pulsing with life. A city that was tripping on yaa-ba (meth). By that I don't mean the people all on yaa-ba, but more that I would get this highly energized feeling from the city. A town where you couldn't let your guard down. I think I've seen too many Hollywood movies and taken the Lonely Planet too seriously. As far as the Lonely Planet is concerned, all the Thais in BKK are out to somehow trick the unknowing farangs (foreigners, derived from the Thai word for 'French' the first foreigners in Thailand one would imagine). I'll admit that the tuk-tuk drivers constantly asking "where you going?" so that they can, presumably, convince you not to go there and take you instead to a gem store where they get a comission, presumably, gets annoying, but it doesn't seem much different than Laos in that regard.

Really, I think that once I get over my expectations, I'll start to enjoy BKK for what it is. I've managed to have some fun wandering around some various quarters here and exploring. It was particularly interesting wandering around some back soi today and seeing people living in stilt houses on a canal. Although I'd seen a similar set up before, I wasn't expecting it in downtown Bangkok. I also enjoyed China Town, and thought the commercial district was okay (though again not as new as I was expecting).

The best way I can think of to describe Bangkok is as a Taibei wanna be. I know this doesn't particularly help those of you that haven't been there either, but maybe it will help others. The weather seems about the same. They're both littered with 7-11s on every corner (although I'll bet you that Taibei has more). Their respective cultural monuments are grand in scale (though I think Bangkok might win on this one. The Royal Palace is simply spectacular, and I'm enjoying its wats more than Taibei's temples.).

But basically this town is how I imagine Taibei just a couple of years ago. The difference seems mainly to be that Taibei has picked itself up by the coat tails and is starting to boom again. Bangkok is limping behind. Taibei now has the tallest building in the world. Bangkok's commercial center, Siam Square, was built in the mid seventies. Taibei now has a very functional MRT system. Bangkok has two sky train lines that don't go all that far. Taibei will soon finish a project to install wireless internet covering the whole city. I can't even imagine that in Bangkok.

Maybe it's not fair to compare cities like this, and I should enjoy each for what they do have to offer, but this is honestly how I'm seeing it. I might also add that I think that I prefer Taibei mainly because it doesn't have as strong of a tourist element, and because it has a stronger Japanese influence which I do enjoy.

Anyway, as for some Bangkok tales, I don't have much to recount other than that I have learned my lessons and was able to thwart a taxi driver trying to rip me off.

I had gone out to visit a friend of mine and my mother's who was touring around SE Asia this past month as well in her hotel that was half way out to the airport. I suppose it probably only cost like $35 a night or something, but I'll tell you that goes an extremely long way here! It was an impressive hotel! Anyway, I went out there at about 8:30 at night for a drink. It was good to catch up with the friend, but then it was 11:30 and time to go back into the center of town for the night. First, I went to the concierge to see what my options were for how to get into town. After I ruled out the limosine option, he called a cab for me. What he couldn't seem to understand was that I was not a customer of his hotel. He kept on wondering when I was coming back, and if I needed the taxi to wait for me, etc. I tried to explain I was staying somewhere else but he wouldn't listen. Finally he asked me if I had an "appointment" (which I take to mean either a meeting with a prostitute or some sort of drug deal, probably the former. I had told him that I was going to KhaoSan Road, the main tourist road of BKK.. I told him I had just so that he could create a reason for himself why I would be going into town that late and not coming back.

Anyway, the cab came and I got in. He started going down the hotel's half-kilometer driveway and asked me "how much?" I was like "how much what?" He replied, "how much to take you to KhaoSan Road. I'm sure that whatever you want to give will be fine." I thought to myself, "yeah probably not since that would be more like 100 baht," so I asked him how much he thought. He hesitated. Asked me again how much I would pay. I retorted "as much as the meter says." He said, "no, no. How much did it take you to get out here?" "150 baht." I lied, it had taken me 165 baht. "Oh no," he said. "Turn on the meter and we'll find out," said I. He refused. "Turn on the meter or stop the car!" I insisted. He turned back around and dropped me back at the hotel. I scoffed and explained to the concierge that he wouldn't start the meter. The concierge tried to coerce him but he resisted. I said, "Fine, I'll wait for the next taxi," and that was that. I made it back into town on the meter for only 130 baht. That first taxi driver just saw a rich foreigner he could take for all the money he could, and that still frustrates me, but I try to imagine the Thai side.

Actually, I think that's the most frustrating stereotype of foreigners all over Asia. They have money. It makes for a frustrating time if you actually live in a place like China. Coming home from the airport or train station in Kunming they keep insisting on paying 40 yuan when it should be 20-25 max and you know it. I guess there are worse stereotypes.

And with that I'll end my somewhat wandering post :o).