Post 368: The Ghosts of Bangkok

Living in the Lak Si District of Bangkok, means that I live alongside one of the seven(ish) wonders of the modern world .... The Hopewell Ghost Towers ..or as they are referred to by the Bangkok Post, 'Thailand's Stonehenge'

Back in the 1990's, money flooded into Thailand and the rest of Asia. As property prices across Europe fell and then plummeted, Investors looking for a return on their money, and other peoples money, started looking to the East. Thailand was seen as one of the investment hot spots and property development rocketed ... along with prices. It was of course a bubble, and like all bubbles, it burst. That's what bubbles do, it's their nature and their only point. Amongst the grand development  projects for Bangkok, and there were many, was the Hopewell Mass Transit System. An elevated rail and road system that would run from the heart of Bangkok to Don Muang, the old and now almost defunct, International Airport.

The plan involved a total of 60km of transit system, but in all honesty, it appears that's about as detailed as the plan ever got. Work started in the early 1990's and 'Hopewell' began erecting towers. In all, 6km of towers were erected before work was finally abandoned in 1997. The Asian financial crisis put an end to the half-baked idea and today all that remains are the concrete pillars. Over a thousand of them have stood unused for 14 years. Later concrete flyovers and BTS Skytrain tracks now intersect the line of Hopewell Towers and nobody seems to know what will become of them.

The Hopewell Towers are not the only monuments to the Asian Financial Crisis of the 1990's. The Bangkok skyline is still littered with the empty shells of skyscrapers. Huge structures once designed to house the growing middle class are now home to vines, wild dogs and graffiti artists. The largest of these structures is Sathorn Unique. A high rent 650 apartment/90 retails outlet building standing close to Taksin Bridge on the Chao Phraya River. Forty six floors of ultimate luxury in the very best part of town. The lower apartments already had fitted bathrooms, hard wood floors and most of their fixtures and fittings. But, it's a ghost structure, probably never to be finished, a future uncertain, ownership unclaimed.

I'm not entirely sure what the 'Point' of this post is .... For me, it's things like this that make Bangkok a fascinating place to be. Everything here has a back-story, but the back-storey seldom makes any sense. Why don't they knock the pillars down and use the land? Why don't they finish building Sathron Unique instead of starting to develop new skyscrapers in its shadows? There are no answers, only questions and nobody living in the shadows of these structures seems to mind .... it's all just a part of life in Southeast Asia  .... mai pen rai kap 

Post 367: Bangkok Floods ... the aftermath

The cleaning of Bangkok begins ... but the fallout will probably be with us for an awful lot longer than the waters .....

The flood waters around Bangkok are receding .. slowly. Areas to the North and West of the city are still inundated but life for many of Bangkok's residents is returning to some kind of normality. Districts are organising 'Big Cleaning Days' where the public come out onto the streets and the community take charge of restoring their own districts. When I say the 'public', I really mean the local residents plus a few celebrities and politicians.  We live in an age where the value of a photo opportunity increases in direct proportion to the size of the problem. 10,000,000 people have been directly affected by the 2011 floods ..... and that must equate to an awful lot of votes.

I can almost see the Press Secretaries advising their Masters .. 'Go to Pathum Thani and shake a broom with the masses''. Sadly, the Masters seem to take to their tasks with a certain lack of spirit. They smile for cameras but when the film stops rolling, I suspect that their brooms stop sweeping.

In the trail of the receding waters is garbage ... lots and lots of garbage. In some parts of the city, the regular garbage collection service probably hasn't happened for a month or more. Added to the problem of regular household garbage is the ground floor contents from over a million flooded homes ..... and that's an awful lot of festering rubbish that needs to be collected and disposed of.  This is Thailand so I've no doubt that the garbage will all be collected, probably in record time ... but some will say that this will be achieved despite the efforts of the various authorities.

Political point scoring is rife .... accusations of ineptitude and corruption abound .. but the people just smile and get on with the task in hand. Compensation for flood victims is beginning to flow ... 5,000 THB (£100) immediately for each flooded home and up to 30,000 THB (£600) in the longer term. I can only hope that this compensation ALL flows to the right people.... mai pen rai kap

Post 366: Amphawa Floating Market, Samut Songkram, Thailand

In Samut Songkram, I found a hotel that I can honestly say, I love. It's name is 'The Legend Maeklong', an old colonial building that sits on the banks of the river. In the grounds are four traditional stilted buildings ... stylish, classy and comfortable. It's family owned and the family take great care of their guests .. nothing is too much trouble. It costs a little more than I'd normally pay, but it's still an awful lot cheaper than a mid-week room at 'Motel 6' in the USA. This is a special weekend. Since returning to Thailand, my friend Nongnoo hasn't been feeling well. At first we thought that it was just a bug from the waters in Lak Si. Everybody here was sick to a certain degree, it's the nature of flooding and its aftermath. But, things didn't improve and the antibiotics didn't seem to help. Finally it was a trip to hospital where several medical tests were carried out. The first test results returned positive, but positive in a very negative way. More tests have been done and we await the results ... and waiting isn't  easy ... so we took the break to Samut Songkram and treated ourselves to a little luxury.....     

From the Hotel, a long-tail boat takes us along the water for about thirty minutes. The banks are a hive of activity, vibrant and teaming with life. We head to Talad Yan Yen Amphawan, the less famous Thai floating market...... 

The Amphawa market takes place in the afternoons of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's less famous and much nicer than the touristy floating market at Damnuen Saduak. Walk down both sides of the river on wooden platforms with no safety rails. Buy fresh food from the vendors on the small boats and eat until your hearts content. The vendors will not speak English, but that doesn't really matter .... you can see everything that's on sale and 'pointing' is a universal signal ....

The market sells mostly fresh and cooked food from the small wooden boats and clothing from the stalls on the banks. But really, it's not about what the market sells, but more about the experience. It's impossible not to like this place .... It has changed over the years but still reflects a side of Thai life that's been lost in the development of other markets. I hope that Starbucks stay away .... but we will see .... mai pen rai kap

Post 365: (Video) Talad Hoob Rom ... Thai Train Market

Post 365: Talad Hoob Rom, Maeklong, Samut Songkram, Thailand .. Market of Closing Umbrellas

You can only have so much fun cleaning and recovering from floods ... not to mention the stench of festering stagnation that still lingers in the air ... you sort of get used to it ... but a break from it is good. I jumped onto a mini bus at Bangkok's Victory Monument .. destination Samut Songkram (I think), price 60 Thai Baht (£2). Mini bus driver are like Jenson Button, but without the safety record ... it was a very swift journey.

There are several good reasons to visit Samut Songkram, and the first reason is 'Talad Hoob Rom' .. the Market of Closing Umbrellas....

Initially it looks like any other market in Thailand ... hot, busy and fragrant. The produce, mostly fresh fish, meats and vegetables, is laid out on any available space and sheltered from the burning sun by large canopies ...... it's only the pathway between the long narrow line of stalls that gives a clue as to the infamy of this particular market ...  

Fresh fish of all varieties .. spices and herbs ... meats that attract a million flies and market traders that seem genuinely happy in their work .....

It's busy .... but all markets in Thailand are busy. Food shopping is a daily activity, a big part of the ritual of family dining. Nobody has any space, but nobody is in a hurry ..... shopping this way is unlike Tesco or Walmart ..... shopping Thai style is an event in itself ....

And then a distant whistle blows ... the market traders become busy. Tables of produce are magically rolled back into the rear of each store ... the tables are on metal wheels that in turn run on metal rails. Produce displayed on the ground remains where it is ...... the canopies are quickly pulled back and sunlight floods into the market. Anxious traders wave at the non-locals to take cover ...... and the rumble of the train moves closer ...

With less than inches and seconds to spare, the train rumbles past ..... driver smiling in the front window. Eight trains per day run into the station at Mae Khlong .... and then return ... so this is a process that takes place sixteen times per day .... three hundred and sixty five days a year. Nobody gets hurt ... not even close .... a perfect example of Driver, Trader and Customer working in harmony to make productive use of an otherwise barren area ..... It is in a word .. 'Amazing'