Surviving Bangkok
The Thai capital's an increasing sprawl of 12 million people. Originally a
riverside village growing wild plums (that’s what Bangkok means), in
this year of the Buddha 2557, it’s choked with traffic, the air
pollution’s suffocating, the heat’s sometimes unbearable. Even so, it’s an
exciting, fascinating place where I’ve never known a day of boredom,
after three decades of living here as professor of English,
photo-journalist, editor, publisher, businessman and lately, stock
trader.
After the market closes at 16.30 hr, I stroll down to my favorite
cafe at Elephant Head Bridge, by Saen Saeb canal, to feed my dog, Hi-So,
a half-Bansenji bitch, and drink a few beers with friends. Every day, we’re
asked by lost tourists where to find places or stuff and we happily help
out. The first thing I tell them is that the chaos of Bangkok is their
problem not ours.
Your body arrived by jet a few
hours ago but your mind will be here in a few more days. And by the time your
mind catches up with your body, it might be time to go home. It's called jet lag, and there's no cure. So take it slow and easy.
I’m working on an e-book to help visitors avoid the common scams and
enjoy the little known oases of pleasure in Angel City (Krung Thep is what we call it). I’ll excerpt it
here and will welcome any comments to improve the book. It’ll sell through Amazon, and any contributors I include in future editions
will get acknowledgement and a free copy. If it doesn’t save its cost during your stay, drop by my cafe at Elephant Head bridge and I’ll
refund your money.
JG
