The driver pulled over in a cloud of dust, and a secret door opened from the center of the bus. I climbed a narrow stairway into the cool, dark interior. Lucky for me it was a VIP bus – the nicest kind. These buses almost feel like airliners. They have air conditioning, pillows and blankets, movies, snacks, drinks, and stewardesses. Unlike most airplanes however, the bus had enormous windows to reveal the Thai countryside, and periodic stops at night markets along the way. I watched “Cat Woman” entirely in Thai, and was thrilled to pick out a couple of Thai phrases I understood. I mostly grasped the simple plot: Halle Barry in leather jumping around on skyscrapers, Halle Barry in leather yelling, Halle Barry in leather beating the crap out of somebody….
Despite all the comforts of the VIP bus, the eleven hour ride wore me out, and I was happy to find myself in the swarming chaos of the southern Bangkok bus terminal. A cab driver dropped me off in the only area I knew I would find a cheap backpacker hotel – the notorious Khao San Road. The place is a circus and the stars of the show are all the crazy western backpackers on parade. This is where you find the brain dead traveler – the one who has been rambling far too long without purpose and now walks bewildered through the streets of yet another destination. To my relief, Khao San Road was pretty desolate at 5:00am when I rolled in. I began to feel disheartened after passing five or six guest houses with big NO VACANCY signs out front. Exhausted after a sleepless night on the bus, I settled on the first place that had a free room, a sleazy hotel with no distinguishing features other than a big purple “HOTEL!” sign on a side street. I gratefully checked in and passed out until the morning sunshine woke me again.
I took a bus north to the Chatu Chak Weekend Market – an insane mélange of shoppers, hawkers, and just about anything you could possibly want to buy or sell. Particularly disturbing is the pet section, which includes people selling baby squirrels in tiny little outfits (seriously), and a great deal of exotic, and undoubtedly illegal animals. One guy sat in a stall with a cardboard box containing different baby chicks. One was definitely an endangered raptor. I quickly left the pet section and had a fun morning perusing other stalls for different gifts to bring home while tasting fruit, snacks, and different iced beverages along the way. I grabbed lunch at the market and then crawled into a cab, happy to relieve the burden of my purchases.
Kites for sale in Lampung Park
After a refreshing cold shower, I crossed the street to check out Lampung Park. This enormous open green space is most famous for its phenomenal view of the Grand Palace and Wat Khao Praeo. During the months of February and March, locals congregate here to fly kites. I bought some ice cream, parked myself on the vast lawn, and admired the view of the Palace as the sun began to set. Kites of every size, shape, and color filled the sky. The crowd consisted mostly of families and small children, though kite fliers of every age tugged at strings and squinted into the sky. Kite flying is an actual sport in Thailand. I’m not sure I understand the intricacies of the rules, but I know it is in effect a carefully executed kite fight and as with any kind of fighting here (boxing, fighting fish, fighting roosters, bull fighting…) the Thais bet heavily. What a beautiful scene: brightly colored kites swirling and careening like crazed tropical fish before the massive regal towers of Wat Khao Praeo. The sun set and my ice cream long since devoured, I left the Park, looking forward to one more day of playing tourist in Bangkok.
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