It is New Years Eve Day and I am still in Chiang Mai. I'll be here until next Monday (January 3rd) when I head off to Laos (more on that leg of the trip later). I want to use this blog entry to complete my Thoughts and Ramblings about Bangkok series and so I can then then get caught up with this week's adventures.

Previous entries on Bangkok have looked at Wats, food, the women of Bangkok, The Golden Palace, transportation in the city, fried cockroaches, toilets as well as a variety of other topics. I think the rest of the Bangkok series will just be a catch-all of my remainig thoughts and pictures.

This picture cracked me up. I am on the lookout for unusual signs that would be seen as odd in the U.S. and I think this qualifies.

I don't think there is any way to misunderstand this sign!

The sign above is posted at the entrance to the Chatuchak Weekend Market, I spent part of the day last Sunday December 26th cruising around this market.
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It was difficult to get any sort of picture of this place as it is so immense. This particular market is huge and sells everything from home furnishings, marble stones, flowers, clothing of all kinds, many different animals from tropical fish, fighting cocks (cock fighting is legal in Thailand and had a large following), all types of birds, puppies and kittens. Also for sale is the usual crappy stuff you see in roadside vendors all over the city. Of course there are also hundreds of food vendors everywhere. There are thousands and thousands of booths.
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The best way to describe this market is a huge swap meet, 10 times bigger than any I've seen in the U.S. There are myriads of alleys and aisles and it was real easy to get lost (which I did). These types of markets appear to be where normal, everyday Thai's shop. All the goods a household needs are available. I don't know about the prices because I didn't buy anything (except lunch) and I have no real basis for comparison but I would bet that many Thai's make weekly shopping trips here instead of the more expensive malls or regular stores.

The number of shoppers was amazing and unlike at the malls there are very few foreigners in relation to the locals. What I liked best about this market is that there are no pushy vendors (diametrically opposed to the street vendors!). The market is quite orderly and efficient (again, unlike the street vendor scene). It was pleasant to browse and not be pressured to buy something.

The other thing I noticed that really didn't register for me before was that I am tall compared to everyone here (Leo - You would be tall too!). I walked in huge crowds all through the market and to and from the Sky Train and could consistently see over everyones head! I think that the average Thai woman is 5 ft to 5'2" and the average Thai man is about 5 ft 6 inches.

In contrast to the Chatuchak Weekend Market there are a few upscale shopping centers, particularly the one in Siam Square. I've never been to the Mall of America and Siam Square probably doesn't compare but it is immense and has all sorts of upscale stores and boutiques in an indoor, air-conditioned, clean upscale environment. Many foreigners here, lots of kids and wealthy Thai's.
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Shopping seems to be a big deal in Bangkok!

Outside the mall on Siam Square is a Buddhist Shrine. Similar shrines are everywhere throughout the city, of various sizes, magnitudes, shapes and placements.
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Here are some various street scenes around the city. My purpose for these is to show the hectic nature of everything in Bangkok, from the traffic to the stores, the markets and the street scenes and stores in general.

This particular picture is of Khao San Road, the famous backpackers mecca in Bangkok. The road is only about 3/4 mile long but has more bars, guesthouses and scraggly looking westerners than probably any place on earth. You can buy just about anything here.

Here are a couple of pictures of Soi 11, the street off of which I stayed while in the city.
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MASSAGE ANYONE?

I really liked the highrises here, they are in such contrast to the rest of the city and in stark contrast to the many sections of poverty I witnessed, some (as mentioned before) right at the base of these skyscrapers.
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Beer is very popular here (quite a surprsie, huh??). I've sampled a bit of it but not too much. I drank too much my last month or so of work that I'm cutting back (for now). These are some of the local brands.
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Here are some cat pictures.
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That last picture is actually my Mom's two kittens, Scruffy and Muffy and they live at Lake Tahoe and are very cute and cuddly. (I wanted to see if anyone gets to the end of these blog entries!!) :-)

That's it for Bangkok. I was there for 7 days and it's quite an introduction to the Asia leg of this trip. I stayed at a great place that was a great value (Suk 11) and really helped ease me into this traveling life. Whether or not the traveling life is really something great is still up in the air... This multi-dimensional, multi-cultural city is so dynamic and stressful and wonderful all at the same time. I would encourage anyone who wants to visit Asia to visit Bangkok, it has it all!

Take care everyone.

Happy New Year. In with the old and out with the new! I hope that 2005 is a positive and eventful year for all of us. Be happy and Make Smart Decisions (MSD)!

Thank you for reading this. I hope to make this blog both interesting and entertaining. Please post a comment and let me know your thoughts, observations or counsel. Hearing from readers and knowing I have an audience is a great motivator and will be a great morale booster during down times on the road. Don’t forget to bookmark this site and tell a friend! Please feel free to e-mail me at “JeffMichie at Yahoo Dot Com”