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'

Post 364: Into Laos for a new Thai Visa

Bangkok Floods 2011 ....

The flood waters in Lak Si, Bangkok have stopped rising... that's the good news. The not so good news is that 32 thousand million cubic metres of water still needs to be drained. Three main canals, or 'Khlong', drain the water at a theoretical rate of 30 cubic metres per second. Unfortunately the 'theory' doesn't account for the mass of garbage that's accumulated and restricted the flow of the khlongs. Unfortunately, garbage isn't the only contaminent in the water that's been stagnant and festering for more than a month. Yellow fever, cholera, dengue fever and malaria are now more than just theoretical threats here. I'm lucky, I've got nothing more than bronchitis and although my tollerance to waterborne diseases will probably not be as high as that of the locals .... I haven't been swiming in it  ....

I've been back in Thailand for almost a month now ... and my 'Visa on Entry' allows me to stay for only 30 days. The only way to extend my Stay .... is to Leave. That sounds a little crazy, but this is Southeast Asia .... it's just the way that things work around here. In the not too distant past, I could have simply crossed the border into Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia, turned around and instantly got another 30 days visa on entry .... but times have changed. In early 2009, the rules changed so that crossing a land border would only give you 15 days of visa exemption, a process that could only be repeated twice. Now, the solution is to visit the Thai Embassy in Laos to obtain a proper visa.

Two days earlier, the bus station at Mo Chit had been flooded .... but today they're watering the grass. It seems that the walls and sandbags have done their job and buses seem to be operating normally. Travelling VIP 1st Class, the journey to the northern town of Nong Khai will take 11 hours ... but as the ticket costs only £8 ..... it beats flying. The bus leaves on time .... 7pm .... but progress through the north of Bangkok is slow. The elevated motorway is reduced to one lane ..... the other two lanes are now car parks with improvised market stalls and all of the activities that you'd normally associate with Thai life. The evacuees of Pathum Thani, Rangsit and Lak Si Districts have occupied the only available high ground and made it their home.

At 6am .... the bus drops me at Nong Khai bus station where a host of eager tuk-tuk riders offer their services. As a European arriving alone at this hour, they probably know my plans better than I do. 'Friendship Bridge ... 300 Baht' ... I know the real price and hang out until they see reason ... 100 Baht. The border opens at 6am and it's quiet .. amazingly quiet. In the mornings the crossing is normally active with Thai traders crossing into Laos to buy local goods to resell back in Thailand, and in the evenings, Thai girls crossing into Vientiane for a slightly different kind of trade. With no queue to slow me down, I pay my $35 for a Lao 30 Day visa and an extra $1 for the 'out of office hours' service .... and I'm in. Another tuk-tuk takes me to central Vientiane where I find a small hotel. It's way too early for 'check-in', but they'll need to register my passport before they'll let me stay (my passport will spending the night at the Thai Embassy here) ... look at me .... I'm actually planning ahead for once. I change $100 and that gives me 500,000 Kip .... more than enough for 2 days here including Hotel and Thai Visa costs.

The Thai Embassy is a formality ..... arrive at 10:30am, half an hour before it closes and most of the queues have gone. A 60 Day Double Entry Visa will cost about 200,000 Kip, or 2,0000 Thai Baht. If you follow the advice from many 'Thai Forums' on the Internet, they'll tell you that it's impossible to get a double entry visa from any Thai Embassy in Southeast Asia .... but you can. Just go to Vientiane, smile sweetly and ask for it.

After less than an hour at the Thai Embassy ..... I walk back to the centre of Vientiane .... I like to walk here .... because walking allows you to see stuff. The photograph above was taken in April 2010 and shows the restaurants set up amongst the earth works on the banks of the Mekong River. Below is the photograph that I took today ... from about the same position. Progress is unstoppable.... but I prefer the 'Old'.

Where once there was sand, now there are miles and miles of pavement ... empty pavement. It feels like I'm the only person here ... except for the statue .... but I have no idea who it is!!!

Thankfully here in Laos, the 'Old' seems to live in harmony with the 'New' ... but probably not for very long. I've seen 'change' across Southeast Asia, but the changes here seem to be happening more quickly than in other areas. Changes not so much in the development of infrastructure, but development in the financial means of the people ..... or I should say .... 'some' of the people. It seems that a two-tier system is rapidly developing here in Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic) ... the 'Have's' and the 'Have Not's'. Maybe it's always been that way but today the 'Have's' are not embarrassed to display their wealth. I've never seen so many BMW X6's and Lexus SUV's in one place ....... the 'Have's' are wearing their wealth on their key chains. Western 'Brands' are this years 'must haves' here in Laos, but you wont see any of those brands being distributed through international chains ... NO McDonalds, NO KFC, NO Walmart, NO Starbucks and very few Fat people .... just an observation  ... mai pen rai kap

Post 363: Swiming in Lak Si

Bangkok Floods 2011 ...

Walking from the Lak Si apartment this morning, I noticed that the little Mira car was now an island. The waters were still rising and everywhere was quiet. The usual morning chaos was absent  ....... People were either asleep or gone.

At the entrance to the car park, the usual collection of Taxi Bikes had been replaced by a boat .... and that's not really a good sign.

Paddling along the Soi with a small bag of rice and a bottle of water .... there was just a single monk. His bowl was full but he accepted my small offering and provided the usual blessing ... 'koon wai nahm mai?' ...  he then asked if I could swim .. and I returned the question .... but he just smiled.

The only scooters on the Soi this morning were being pushed ... but their owners still smiled.

Large trucks and small boats were the vehicles of choice today ......

At Wat Lak Si ..... the Red Cross were evacuating the local population ..... and in my limited experience, once the Red Cross become actively involved in a situation, that situation is probably a little more serious than it looks. Flooding in European cities can be devastating, but in comparison to Bangkok, the water involved in European floods is probably a little less hazardous. By the time the waters reached the district of Lak Si, they'd been traveling for quite some time. During that journey the waters had collected a certain amount of debris, a huge amount of sewage, numerous snakes and at least a hundred crocodiles from a flooded farm in Pathum Thani. On Chanel 3 this morning they interviewed a young boy in hospital. His legs were heavily bandaged after accidentally interfacing with a group of five crocodiles in the flood water ...... less than 100m from my apartment.

Alongside the main highway, which was still passable with care, evacuees waited for collection ..... and maybe it's now time for me to follow them .... mai pen rai kap

Post 362: Amphibious Automotive Invention ...

Bangkok Floods 2011 ....

Floods can be depressing. So ignoring for a moment the death and devastation that the Bangkok floods have caused ........ here's a little proof that necessity truly is the mother of invention ....

As the waters flooded into the northern districts of Bangkok: Pathum Thani, Rangsit, Don Meuang, Lak Si, Changwattana etc., the people made rudimentary modifications to their vehicles. Plumbing pipe to create new air intakes and hose pipes for exhaust outlets. Provided that you can maintain a spark, keep water out of the fuel system, allow air to enter and exhaust gases to escape, then an engine should still work .... that's the theory. Well, at first I scoffed, ..... but now the jokes on me ... because it works.

For the first few days of the flood, local residents and taxi-Bikes continued to operate as normal ... but 'Normal' in an Asian way .... an inventive 'Make Do' kind of attitude that still exists in a society that hasn't forgotten how to use a tool kit at home. But then the waters rose and once a vehicle achieves neutral to positive 'Bouyancy' ..... the home-fix modifications became useless. At this point in time, 'We' would probably give up and admit defeat ... but 'We' are not Thai. If a Thai doesn't work then a Thai doesn't get paid .... and if a Thai doesn't get paid then a Thai doesn't eat. Hunger is a great motivator .... that thankfully 'We' have never experienced ....

So .... when the only vehicle you have is a Car or Scooter ... and the vehicle that you need is a Boat ... it's time to improvise. The Isuzu DMax is the normal mode of transport for most rural Thais' ... but will eight oil drums provide enough buoyancy to turn this metal beast into a boat? .... Who knows? ... It's probably a bad idea who's time has come ..... but 6/10 for effort and ingenuity.

Slightly lighter than an Isuzu DMax, the Scooter is possibly an easy conversion. Here, six oil drums should allow the scooter to float and mini paddles attached to the wheel spokes will provide drive. Steering might be an issue though. All in all ..... it's a well deserved 8/10

Taking the mechanical high ground .. this effort really hits the mark. If you want to raise the air intake and exhaust outlet above the level of the flood water ...... building an extra storey into your scooter is something that I would never have thought about ... but then I am 'We' and 'We' are not Thai. I have no idea how the new elevation will affect the already ponderous handling ..... but 9/10 for effort on this one.

I'm not usually a fan of choppers .... but then before today I'd never seen a version quite like this one. It might be an aging 2-stoke but the lady in the centre seems to be having the ride of her life. I'm not sure if that's because of the positioning of the exhaust pipe or the rear passenger??? .... This creation takes the full 10/10 ..... because it actually works ..... I love Thailand .. mai pen rai kap

Post 361: Koh Lak Si .....

Bangkok Floods 2011 ....

I woke this morning at dawn and following my daily routine, wandered down from the apartment to give food to the passing monks ... the traditional Thai ritual of 'Sai Baht'. There were no monks this morning, only water ...... lots of water

Yesterday I bought a pair of natty black rubber boots, 'Wellingtons' ... just like I wore when I was a kid. They came up to just below my knee ... and thankfully that was just above the water. I wandered to the market, more in hope than confidence. The stores along the Soi were all open .... but all flooded. They've built walls of sandbags and concrete block, but I fear many have missed the chapter on hydro dynamics. Water finds it's own level and if your internal drains are lower than the level of the water outside, no matter how impressive your wall is .... you'll flood from the inside out ... mai pen rai kap

Kids will be kids, and kids love playing in water. When that water is a free flowing river or a beautifully chlorinated pool then that's a good thing ..... but when it's sloshing around in the street mixed with sewage and garbage ..... maybe not so good

Arriving at the store .... shampoo, condoms and chewing gum. Looking on the bright side, yesterday they didn't have any gum ...

I did find food .... at the Food Hall in IT Square. I killed an hour enjoying a plate of kow pad gai. It was quite delicious. I'd been off the street for a little less than an hour, but in aquatic terms, it seemed like a day. The waters had risen .....

Along the Soi, the Taxi Bikes demonstrated the success of their scooter modifications. Yesterday I'd laughed at the improvised plumbing systems but today I'm impressed ... it actually seems to work. Perhaps more impressive was the sudden appearance of sexy thigh-high PVC boots in this part of town. It's unusual for around here .... but the matching 'skins' on the girls iPhones and BB's was a real touch of class ....

The water had breached the top of my natty new boots and the closer I got to the apartment the deeper it got. In the end I gave up. I took them off and handed them to a local guy who was wading towards the shallower waters ......

If this was happening back in Blighty, we'd all be getting bent out of shape ... screaming at Authority and trying to drown ourselves not just in water ... but in self pity. But this isn't England .. this is Thailand and the people here just seem to get on with their shit and smile ... and that's why I love it here

Post 360: Waters rising .....

Bangkok Floods 2011 ...

Crossing the International Date Line really screws up the body-clock. I know that midway across the Pacific Ocean I lost a full day of my life, but this morning Google Clocks told me that it's now Saturday 29th of October 2011 ...... and I was convinced that it was still Friday. Anyway, no matter what day it is, there was an interesting sight in the car park this morning. As I mentioned earlier, the only 'High Ground' in Bangkok is man made and when all of the existing high ground has already been taken, you have to create your own .... and the owner of this little Mira car has done just that.

I wandered down the Soi and found a delicious bowl of 'kow dtom gai' for breakfast (Rice & Chicken Soup). At 7am it's already warmer than an English summer day and there's something weirdly comforting about eating hot spicy food for breakfast. On the street, small fountains of water bubbled up from the drains and trickled down the side gully. Builders were busy constructing temporary walls with cinder blocks and cement at the entrances to shops. For 7am Lak Si was busy, and all of the busyness seemed to have a single purpose .... preparation for flood. 

I crossed the Lak Si Canal and noticed that the ramshackle residences that line its towpath were within inches of becoming submerged. Normally these dwellings sit a few feet above the water but today they're kissing its surface. The waters are moving in my direction and there's absolutely nothing that I can do to prevent it. Nature is unstoppable, so bend with it or break.

At Wat Lak Si, the waters had arrived before me. The individual buildings were now islands in a sea of tranquility. Monks and worshippers paddled between them but life seemed to be continuing as normal. The complex of buildings that form the Temple were constructed using traditional methods and design. Rooms stand on stilts and the areas below them are concrete, designed specifically to minimise damage and disruption in times of flooding. Monsoon rains and subsequent flooding are not a new phenomena  here in Bangkok, but the development of 'Western' style buildings is. If the floods do arrive then the Temple will be virtually unaffected, but those Thai's who chased the 'Western Dream' and built their 'two-up two-down' houses will probably have ample time to reflect on their folly .... mai pen rai kap   

Walking North, the narrow lanes running between the high density residences that sprang up during the rapid growth of Bangkok during the 60's and 70's were already running with water. I stood watching an elegant lady using a large white bucket to empty water from her home. Her efforts were futile but perhaps the simple act of acting in some way helped her to deal with the situation.

A little deeper into the narrow lanes and the water levels were higher. Residents were doing what they could but seemed resigned to the fact that the water would win. They moved furniture and belongings into the roof space above their humble dwellings and prepared to become prisoners in their own homes.

The previous day, or perhaps it was two days ago, I'd crossed this road using the footbridge. I'd used the footbridge because the traffic had been so dense that walking across it at ground level would have been impossible. Today, the only vehicle on this road is a rowing boat. The monks at the temple were right ..... I'm now living on the Island of Lak Si.