I really looked forward to Bangkok. The welcome we got, however, was not one of the best. After 12 hours on a night bus which arrived at 5 in the morning, we had our first encounter with the 'tuk-tuk mafia'; the driver refused to take us to our guesthouse. After two attempts and 250 baht poorer we eventually got there. We found out by the owner that tuk-tuk drivers refuse to take tourists to the guesthouse we chose because they do not get commission. Perhaps I should explain this point. In many countries, getting off a bus or a train tourists are met by an army of touts. In many cases these are merely guesthouse owners plying their trade, enticing prospective punters to their place. In Thailand this is carried out by tuk-tuk drivers, which in turn get a commission from the guesthouse's owner; the commission is then built into the nightly rate which is paid by the tourist. PLEASE PLEASE do not follow touts for accommodation in Thailand. The best guesthouses usually don't pay commission anyway; don't believe touts if they tell you the place you want to go to is closed, full, burnt down or whatever. This mafia only puts genuine owners of great guesthouses out of business. Do not support it.
Riverview Guesthouse in Bangkok was fantastic. It is situated in the heart of Chinatown, with a view on the Chao Phraya river. I loved Bangkok, because it was the first Asian capital I visited with a genuine traditional core. Being close to the river we travelled by riverboat around the city. We were able to appreciate how the Chao Phraya was, and still is, the spine of the city. The river was not reduced to a pretty background for fancy restaurants and expensive dinner cruises as it is in most European cities. We could see barges, ferries, long tail boats and river taxis crisscrossing the river all day long. The river was alive, not a memory of the past. And Chinatown was great. Not a Chinatown with the token red lanterns and crispy ducks, this was the real deal. Rickety teak houses overlooking the river, doorways open to show a glimpse of a red altar inside, shops that sell anything you can possibly imagine and many things you cannot. When we visited Khao San Road, the backpacker's ghetto, we were so happy we stayed in Chinatown.
I mentioned briefly a dark side of the Land of Smiles. I certainly did not expect to find it at the Chatuchak weekend market. This market is perhaps the largest I have ever been to. It can be described as a cross between Spitafields, a Moroccan souk and a livestock market. Spitafields for the number of up and coming designers in addition to those who sell the standard tourist-to-Thailand clothes (fishermen's pants, Singha singlets and the like). A souk for the bustling atmosphere, the narrow alleyway and the impossibility of finding one's way. And livestock. That's self explanatory. The market doubles as a pet market. There weren't only goldfish and cute puppies such as Sao Paulo's Embu market. We saw squirrels tied to a red ribbon, apparently the latest craze for Bangkok's teens. But we also saw sugar gliders, a monkey, a metre-long iguana in a tiny cage, endangered tortoises, plus a small hawk and owls for sale. Our attempts to take pictures were met with hostility; the stallholders were well aware they were trading illegal pets. We stumbled upon a cockfight; the punters were welcoming this time but the spectacle was rather macabre. The two cocks were released by their owners into a makeshift ring, where they were suddendly enveloped around one another, pecking at chests, throats and heads. It appeared like an animal version of muay thai; the cocks circled for a while and then it was just full-on contact. They didn't fight till death, although by the end the loser was pretty beaten up. It was interesting to see how quickly a luscious and pampered bird turned into a scabby, featherless and bloody defeated cock. We did not know Thais, especially in small Northern towns, are crazy for cockfighting. Travelling north over the next few weeks we could see several cocks being raised for the purpose of fighting; it was easy to tell them apart from the ordinary 'breeding' cocks; first of all for their beautiful plumage, and secondly because they are raised in isolation under wicker bells.
Bangkok is a great city. There are several amzing sights, a buzzing atmosphere and the food is great. We ate only street food in Bangkok; the choice is tantalizing and ranging from every corner of the kingdom. From Chinese style rice and chicken, to fish-ball noodle soups, Pad Thai and fiery papaya salad, nothing disappointed us. And the most expensive dish was probably 30 baht. Nick found chicken sticks, his new love; small chicken kebabs battered and fried, 10 baht each. I felt street food encompasses the soul of the city of Bangkok or Krung Thep (city of the angels, the local name); the political and cultural centre of Thailand, a place on the move.
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