21 October 2003
I recently went to Thailand for the first time as an adult. My last visit to the land is a vague memory of tiffin carriers and a boat ride. This time I took a plane and landed at the Bangkok international airport. Honestly, the airport was not what I expected. After the size of KLIA, this one seemed functional.
I learnt on the way to the hotel that Bangkok is much larger than KL with about nine million registered people. The trip gave a clear picture of that because the scenery comprised mainly of roofs and buildings. I had thought that perhaps the area between Bangkok and the airport was more favorable for business and so more people lived there but still most of the time I saw roofs as far as my eyes could see. As i enjoyed the bus ride, a Thai cellphone service provider sent me a welcome note on my handphone ... along with a couple of sms messages from people at the office – technology's way of reminding me that I was there to work and not to "play". Perhaps we should consider changing the term portable cellular phones to portable cellular leashes.
That first bus trip was also also when I was introduced to the sublime joy of Bangkok traffic jams. The bus driver had misread his instruction and took us to the wrong hotel but he realized his mistake before he got there and headed towards the right one. The distance between the two hotels were only a few kilometers but the detour took us into the several jammed areas and the ride took four and a half hours. I did however see something quite amazing, the Bangkok drivers appear to be amazingly patient. It these jams were in KL, you would probably hear an endless chain of horns blaring but I heard no car horns. The absence of blaring car horns in a traffic jam that bad, was almost deafening.
The hotel rooms there are pretty much like the ones we have in his country except for the absence of a small electric kettle and a tray of instant coffee and teabags. I think it is because they want to maximize your spending: this way, if you feel like coffee or tea you have to call for room service or go down to the cafe and that way they make money. After all they have the manpower.
The next time I was stuck in a traffic jam, I noticed that there were plenty more phone booths in Bangkok than in any place I have been to, especially KL. They are placed in clumps of twos or threes at about twenty to fifty meter intervals on both sides of the road. Some were old and covered in dust and grime and some looked brand new, perhaps they were newly added for the APEC meeting but they all seemed to work. More importantly I saw plenty of people using them. I only hope that we KLites can learn to use ours and not vandalize them.
I also learnt Bangkok's solution to their drinking problem. They have specific rivers designated as drinking water providers. These rivers are lined with three foot walls and not even rain water accumulating on the roads are allowed to flow into them. I saw a few garbage traps along one river and there was bare minimal rubbish there. The water in these rivers were murky still but i think it was because of the soil and the rain, not due to pollution but i could be wrong. At certain points along these rivers they build small water refinery plants that produce drinking water supplied to the district. I wondered if KL could implement similar steps instead of piping water in from refineries outside the city. I wondered which idea was better.
I guess my only initial compliant about the place was about food. Breakfast was not edible mostly: bacon, ham, pork sausage, fried rice with ham and pig's blood soup. I guess they prefer pig meat for breakfast over there. A bit of a bummer for Muslims.
3 basic types of tom yam coconut, regular and clear water. As for food these people don't take half measures the welcome drink they served at the hotel was insanely sweet and the tomyam I had at a Muslim restaurant near a mosque, sent my tastebuds on strike and lit bonfires in my throat.
For now
Sawadeekrap
I recently went to Thailand for the first time as an adult. My last visit to the land is a vague memory of tiffin carriers and a boat ride. This time I took a plane and landed at the Bangkok international airport. Honestly, the airport was not what I expected. After the size of KLIA, this one seemed functional.
I learnt on the way to the hotel that Bangkok is much larger than KL with about nine million registered people. The trip gave a clear picture of that because the scenery comprised mainly of roofs and buildings. I had thought that perhaps the area between Bangkok and the airport was more favorable for business and so more people lived there but still most of the time I saw roofs as far as my eyes could see. As i enjoyed the bus ride, a Thai cellphone service provider sent me a welcome note on my handphone ... along with a couple of sms messages from people at the office – technology's way of reminding me that I was there to work and not to "play". Perhaps we should consider changing the term portable cellular phones to portable cellular leashes.
That first bus trip was also also when I was introduced to the sublime joy of Bangkok traffic jams. The bus driver had misread his instruction and took us to the wrong hotel but he realized his mistake before he got there and headed towards the right one. The distance between the two hotels were only a few kilometers but the detour took us into the several jammed areas and the ride took four and a half hours. I did however see something quite amazing, the Bangkok drivers appear to be amazingly patient. It these jams were in KL, you would probably hear an endless chain of horns blaring but I heard no car horns. The absence of blaring car horns in a traffic jam that bad, was almost deafening.
The hotel rooms there are pretty much like the ones we have in his country except for the absence of a small electric kettle and a tray of instant coffee and teabags. I think it is because they want to maximize your spending: this way, if you feel like coffee or tea you have to call for room service or go down to the cafe and that way they make money. After all they have the manpower.
The next time I was stuck in a traffic jam, I noticed that there were plenty more phone booths in Bangkok than in any place I have been to, especially KL. They are placed in clumps of twos or threes at about twenty to fifty meter intervals on both sides of the road. Some were old and covered in dust and grime and some looked brand new, perhaps they were newly added for the APEC meeting but they all seemed to work. More importantly I saw plenty of people using them. I only hope that we KLites can learn to use ours and not vandalize them.
I also learnt Bangkok's solution to their drinking problem. They have specific rivers designated as drinking water providers. These rivers are lined with three foot walls and not even rain water accumulating on the roads are allowed to flow into them. I saw a few garbage traps along one river and there was bare minimal rubbish there. The water in these rivers were murky still but i think it was because of the soil and the rain, not due to pollution but i could be wrong. At certain points along these rivers they build small water refinery plants that produce drinking water supplied to the district. I wondered if KL could implement similar steps instead of piping water in from refineries outside the city. I wondered which idea was better.
I guess my only initial compliant about the place was about food. Breakfast was not edible mostly: bacon, ham, pork sausage, fried rice with ham and pig's blood soup. I guess they prefer pig meat for breakfast over there. A bit of a bummer for Muslims.
3 basic types of tom yam coconut, regular and clear water. As for food these people don't take half measures the welcome drink they served at the hotel was insanely sweet and the tomyam I had at a Muslim restaurant near a mosque, sent my tastebuds on strike and lit bonfires in my throat.
For now
Sawadeekrap
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