We were up in time to make a reasonably timed entrance to breakfast where already it was hot enough for sweat to drip down your front. Why bother showering? We popped into a branch of Boots for some toiletries though it must be said it's hard to find a shop selling soap in Asia. We flagged down a taxi but despite repeated attempts at basic communication, even a map, we were gently ushered out not far round the corner. A second taxi hadn't heard of Jim Thompson's house but could read a map and so we headed off for the National Stadium.
Taxis are almost the most excitable vehicle on the road and you can be sure that you'll make full use of the width of the road even on the shortest journey. In one jam our driver got out and edged across the traffic to ask a colleague a question -- his door was promptly blocked by a moped.
Jim Thompson was a silk entrepreneur turning his artistic talents (an ex-architect and military intelligence office in WWII) to turning around the Thai hand printed silk industry and pocketing a small fortune in the process. With it he constructed a nice (but hardly fabulous) authentic Thai mini mansion and stuffed it with Thai art. After his (astrologically predicted) disappearance aged 61 in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia his home was opened to the public and is a nice place to waste a couple of hours. The cafe is very good! Throughout our stay, the adjacent canal was regularly shaken by a passing longboat with helmeted outrunners. When we had a chance to look it turned out to be a river bus service which storms down the canals (woe betide anyone stood near let alone in), passengers sat behind side screens to protect them from the spray.
Looking at the map the next location was Thanon Sukhumvit, another noted road, straight down the road we were on. Couldn't be simpler, we'll risk all and take a tuk-tuk, one of Bangkok's more famous forms of transport. Visually romantic (picture a motorised rickshaw) but physically and mentally unhealthy: How much to go [2km] down the road?
B400.
No way! B40.
B100.
No, B40, bye.
OK, B40.
He then complains about a zig-zag and as we move off we see that, possibly for rush hour, it's a one way street, not in our favour. So we head off into the fumes of Bangkok's arteries, the driver occaisionally yelling something at us and pointing but you can't see anything out of a tuk-tuk without falling out (the roof's quite low) so I gave up. And then we've doubled back on ourselves (watchstrap compasses have their uses! -- Boots were selling a [Gillete] Mach 3 with keyfob compass, obviously all the rage) and I have to lean forward wagging my finger saying Sukhumvit, Sukhumvit,
to avoid us being led astray into a gem shop scam or somesuch. Then we hit one of the big arteries, at least six lanes our way and one or two the other. A tuk-tuk is now in its element, engine screaming, full [steering] lock applied to direct it around cars and through the narrowest gaps, slamming on the brakes at the last moment. Whilst beginning to get a little motion sickness I wonder if they win a prize for the number of times they cross the entire road. Eventually, we're dropped off and B100 is demanded. There's a bit of toing and froing before I manage to drop B40 on him and stride confidently away, expecting a sharp thwack on the head. "Taxi meter" from now on, we say.
The Sukhumvit is supposed to be the new Thanon Khao San but it's not a patch on it though, depending on your reasons for being in Bangkok there's a lot more reference to sex shows, videos etc.. Besides the road itself is a six lane traffic fest which inhibits a relaxed feel. We found a bookshop in one arcade and promptly wasted an hour browsing (my chosen subjects: corporate branding and typography. Go figure.). We had to go -- it's a bit obvious we're not going to buy -- but spot a cyber cafe with memory stick and CD writing service so I spin my pictures onto disk for B120. Good value and very quick. In the meanwhile we spend twice as much answering some emails.
There's not much happening on Sukhumvit Road so we grab a taxi back. The driver seems to share our amusement as tuk-tuk, street cart vendors with their pathetic sounding hand held horns use the oncoming lane for a quick getaway until someone comes the other way and it all grinds to a halt. We grab some tea and as Helen packs I keep out of the way reading the paper downstairs, headline: 14 day house detention for people returning from Hong Kong. CNN later report the WHO request to avoid non-essential travel to HK. Hmm, where are we going again tomorrow?
Sawasdee Woraburi Khao San Inn, Bangkok N13.75837 E100.49728 Elev. 22m
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.