Blogging vs Barking

BLOGGING these events, from January and February, have brought back a flood of memories. I wanted not only to share them, but hold on to them as well. This string of stories, was in a sense, a kind of travel diary too. The trip is over and the blog activity will slow down, perhaps to a trickle, over the coming summer. Thanks once again for following the posts.

The cartoon above, is from the New Yorker magazine. It was irresistible, so it too should be added to the narrative.

A Bangkok round up and the end of a trip

Taxi ride, Bangkok

Bus ride, Bangkok

Street food, Bangkok

Street vendor couple, Bangkok

Street stalls in Chinatown, Bangkok

Inspection outside the Royal Palace, Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok

Where the military shop, Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok

A friendly High School media team, Chutachuk Park, Bangkok

Water flower with insects, Royal Palace, Bangkok

Sex industry marketing, Wang Thonglang district, Bangkok

Ladyboy model at a photo shoot promoting lipstick, Duty free departures, 

Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok

A mythic moment, Duty Free Departures, 

Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok

THE TRIP through Southeast Asia had gone smoothly enough in almost every way. The last days played themselves out in Bangkok. I visited, or even revisited a few places, using buses or taxis, to move through the city. Suvarnabhumi International Airport came and went and then the China Airlines flight to Taipei, with the hope of making my connection to Vancouver. 

Much later, the Jumbo approached Vancouver. It had left Taipei some 12 hours ago, taking off into the night. We had followed twilight or darkness all across the Pacific. Raindrops appeared on the window as the descent in thick cloud began. Soon the waters of the Georgia Straight appeared. There were cabin announcements, an approaching runway and an extended bump on the tarmac. 

Home again.

The Baiyoke Sky Hotel, a monster building

Video #1 - Room 7404, Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok

Video #2 - dinner outside on the deck, 

Bangkok Sky Restaurant, Bangkok

Video #2 - View West from the Bangkok Sky Restaurant, Bangkok

Video #3 - View South from the Bangkok Sky Restaurant, Bangkok

 Video #4 - Window crew removing anti-glare film, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, as seen from the Airport Skytrain line,
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, as seen from the Pratunam Market area, 
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, phad thai in the coffee shop, a mere 19 floors up, 
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, sunset from an outdoor terrace,
Bangkok Sky Restaurant, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, peering over the edge and 75 floors down,
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Pratunam Market area from an open terrace,
Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, bedtime in Room 7408, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, industrial looking sunrise, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, window crew member, Bangkok

Baiyoke Sky Hotel, window crew member, Bangkok

IN THE MIDDAY LIGHT the Baiyoke Sky Hotel looked almost menacing. This post-modern creature rose 85 storeys, far above the Ratchathewi District, dwarfing any surrounding buildings. In the shadow of Thailand's highest building was also the Pratunam Market, a chaotically busy neighbourhood known for it's cheap clothing. On first sight, at the beginning of the trip, i viewed it in disbelief, having just arrived from Vancouver. After a series of flights i could see the soaring monster from my budget hotel. 

With the trip now coming to an end, a night in the Baiyoke Sky Hotel started to appeal to me. It seemed like a novel last sleep in Asia so i went online. Of course i felt a little guilty too. Staying at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel felt a little pretentious, even excessive, at least by my sometimes thrifty standards. What really intrigued me though, was the promise of spectacular urban views, not any perceived luxury. 

With my flight home to Canada the next day (February 20th), i left the Marvin Suites and took a taxi to the Baiyoke Sky Hotel. I stepped into a crowded elevator, packed with members of a Siberian tour group and we ascended to the 19th floor. At check in, i decided to update from a Sky Zone (46-68 floors) to a Space Zone Superior Room (74th floor), so that i could experience being even higher then high. Room 7408 turned out to very comfortable, but one could quibble that the spacious quarters looked a tad faded, perhaps even frayed, here and there. The view of course was breathtaking, even if it was through floor to ceiling windows that were covered with a film made up of a screen of fine black dots. This was meant, of course, to reduce the glare of the sun.

Suppertime was approaching so i took the elevator up to the 76th floor, and the Bangkok Sky Restaurant. Here one could sit outside and view the city while eating dinner. Outside i had a table right at the edge of the open terrace. When i held my iPad over the edge, the top of the concrete and glass parapet was at chest height. One could look straight down, 78 floors down to be exact. It took a little while to overcome the slight nausea and of course i was terribly careful not to let go of the little tablet device, while making video clips. Being some 9.3 million people, metro Bangkok seemed huge. The cityscapes gradually faded away, in the distance, in a thick cloud of pollution. The buffet was the biggest i had ever seen and stretched around the inside of the floor, on three sides of the elevator shafts and kitchens. There was trays and steamers of food lined out, like a culinary procession, with a bewildering array of choices. It included a variety of fantastic seafood, including jumbo prawns and little mussels. There was Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Western fare as well as a huge variety of desserts and fruit. It was far beyond too much. 

Night fell and i returned to my room, feeling rather full from the International Buffet and eager to just lay low till bedtime. The next morning i woke up, after a good sleep, just as the Eastern sky was turning light. Sunrise came in a palette of slightly acidic hues, shining through the pollution. I took an elevator upstairs to have breakfast, which was once again another gargantuan buffet. As i did not need to check in for my flight till mid-afternoon, i had hours left before the departure for Taipei. Here in my room, i could now hear clanking sounds, coming from above, A swaying cable or two, came into view. Soon a team of workmen descended on a platform, outside the windows. They were removing the anti-glare film on the window surfaces. 

By noon, i was back outside, dragging my suitcase across the pavement in the ferocious heat and humidity, with a walk of a few minutes to the nearest Skytrain station. The airport was next.

Some technical information:
Architectural height: 304.0 meter (997 feet)
Floors above ground: 85
Number of hotel rooms: 673
Start of construction: 1990
Completion : 1997

Lonely Planet review, which points out some negatives – they have a point :
Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand - Lonely Planet

Overview of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel :
Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Baiyoke Sky Tower Reviews - Bangkok, Thailand Attractions - TripAdvisor

International Buffet at the  Baiyoke Sky Hotel :
International Buffet at Bangkok Sky Restaurant - Special Offers

Pratunam Market area, Bangkok

Warning: this is a nine minute video of a stroll 

through the stalls and streets to the Baiyoke Sky Hotel,

Pratunam Market area, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

 A Macdonalds welcome or wai (Thai greeting), 

Pratunam Market area, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Calling Canada from this long distance telephone shop, 

Pratunam Market area, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Cinematic bloodbath at an outdoor movie, 

Pratunam Market area, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

A WALK THROUGH the Pratunan Market area could be almost exhausting. In the shadow of the 85 storey Baiyoke Sky Hotel, this was one of city's most frenetic and favourite shopping areas. With legions of vendors, factory outlets, street markets, food stalls and a host of support services for the garment industry, this was Bangkok at it's nearly craziest. Narrow passages, lined were crowded with hundreds of stalls. Outside, the equally narrow streets were clogged with mostly taxis and vans, not to mention the throngs of people. No clothing buying opportunities, presented themselves however to this traveller. Two of the four Bangkok hotels i stayed in, were adjacent to all this intense commercial activity. The video above depicts the market when things were quite slow, which could be almost misleading, Later in the afternoon and into the evening The Pratunam Market area seethed with activity.

The Pratunam Market is a beehive of activity:
Pratunam Market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPratunam Market - Tour of Bangkok's Crazy 

This video by a traveller really captures some of the crazy chaos of this huge wholesale clothing market:
Pratunam Market - Tour of Bangkok's Crazy Shopping District - YouTube

Window shopping in Bangkok

 Video #1 - Vintage Papaya Shop, second floor, Bangkok

  Video #2 - Vintage Papaya Shop, third floor, Bangkok

Video #3 - Vintage Papaya Shop, third floor, Bangkok

Video #4 - Paragon Dept. Store food court, Siam Center, Bangkok

Video #5 - Water sculpture, CentralWorld, Bangkok

Marvin Suites, Sathorn District, Bangkok

Taxi to the Skytrain, Sathorn District, Bangkok

On a city bus, Lat Phrao Road, Wang Thonglang, Bangkok


Pink power for a mod pad, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

Sophisticated furniture, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

Donald Duck accessory, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

The M&M mob, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

Comic hero with the androids, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

The bride to be, Vintage Papaya Shop, Bangkok

BANGKOK AGAIN? That thought crossed my mind as this was my third time here in six weeks. Don Muang Airport and it's old Vietnam War era terminal, was starting to look all too familiar. Taking the shuttle bus to the end of the Skytrain Station line had now become routine. I was heading to the Marvin Suites, my accommodation for three nights, just off busy Sathorn Road. The room was on the other side of Bangkok. I finally reached the hotel, which was a modern building in muted orange. There was nothing to quibble about here – the glowing online reviews proved to be accurate and i liked the modern and minimalist vibe of the place. My accomodation came with a decent breakfast too.

The next day was Sunday and since i wasn't flying home till Wednesday evening. It was time to pursue the odd and quirky, given my jaded state of mind. On this quiet morning the Papaya Vintage Shop seemed to be the place to go. After a short taxi ride i boarded the Skytrain again, returning to Northern Bangkok, before jumping on yet another free city bus. I never did find out why some non-air conditioned buses were free and others not. I finally reached Wang Thonglang, one of Bangkok's 50 districts

My destination was down a crooked soi (lane). Vintage Papaya Shop was a cavernous looking barn of a building. The place was filled to the rafters with all manner of kitsch, junky treasures and groovy artifacts. Where else could one find masked, life-sized comic book figures, returning your gaze, or furniture that was so sixties sophisticated it made you feel like a square, or serene wooden buddhas contemplating the chaos? There was even a row of dusty busts of the second to last monarch of Siam and so much more. It was hard to find anything worth having but the Vintage Papaya Shop was all an eyeful to look at. There was more to come! Several bridal entourages were working their way through the premises, in search of good locations, with photographers, videographers and lighting assistants trailing behind. These wealthy and soon-to-married couples, were prepared to forego the orchids and fishpond backdrops. Who would want that when they could have a cool looking wedding photos with included the likes of batman for a prop? As much as i loved it here, it was time to leave the retrorama behind. 

Now, if you thought that malls were too mundane to blog about, you could be right. Both Siam Centre and CentralWorld were a special challenge, given my dysfunctional behaviour in settings like these. How long would it take this time before i had an episode? Meanwhile, there i was on the escalators, looking like just another hungry ghost. Who would have thought that gratification was just around the corner, or rather in the basement of the Paragon Department Store. There i found a big fat food court which offered a myriad of culinary offerings. If i told you that the Phad Thai, here at the Siam Center, was delicately flavoured and delicious beyond compare, could i be forgiven for blogging about a mall?


Provides great rooms and breakfasts:
Marvin Suites

Marvin Suites - Condominium Reviews, Deals - Bangkok, Thailand - TripAdvisor

Vintage Papaya Shop, for the jaded tourist:

http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/papaya.htm

http://talkbangkok.com/listings/1735/shopping/furniture/papaya

The Siam Centre Food Court for surprisingly delicious fare:

http://www.bangkok.com/restaurant-dining-experiences/food-courts.htm

Attention shopaholics!:

http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-mall/siam-center.htm

Last days in Phnom Penh

Video #1 - View from the Foreign Correspondents Club, Phnom Penh

Video #2 - Watching a video about King Sihanouk, 

at the home of Chhonn and La, Phnom Penh

Video #3 - Inside the Central Market, Phnom Penh

Video #4 - Outside the Central Market, Phnom Penh

Video #5 - Tuk-tuk ride from the Central Market 

to Riverside, Phnom Penh

Video #6 - Exercising with music, Riverside, Phnom Penh

Video #7 - With Dorn Khat at Hen Hen Restaurant, 

a popular barbecue place, Phnom Penh

Chanrika, the daughter of La and Chhonn, Phnom Penh

Yiey (La's mother) with Chanrika, Phnom Penh

Yiey (La's mother), Chhonn, Chanrika in La's arms, Phnom Penh

Chhonn explaining Cambodian culture and politics, Phnom Penh

 Near the Central Market, Phnom Penh

Shadows at the Foreign Correspondents Club, Phnom Penh

French Belle Epoque ghost, Phnom Penh

Derelict carriages in a railyard, Phnom Penh

Phreh Sisowath Quay, Riverside, Phnom Penh

THE PACE WAS SLOWING as i coasted through the last days in Phnom Penh. Apart from a few errands i was able to stroll in the Riverside area, linger for hours in the Java Café and revisit some of the markets too. On some evenings i enjoyed a good chamber music concert at Meta House (German Cambodian Cultural Center) or caught a movie at the Flicks Cinema House.

The Cambodian leg of the trip could not end without mentioning my friend Chhonn and his wife La. I first met the couple in 2012, through the sister of a Vancouver friend of mine. On this second trip, i was in my their home a few times again. In the meantime two family members had arrived since the visits the year before. Chhonn and La became parents in October with the birth of their daughter Chanrika. Because of the baby, La's mother Yiey came to live with them as well. Chhonn and i met in town a few times too. We saw the funeral of King Sihanouk, payed a visit to the iconic White Building, snuck like kids into some derelict railyards or just hung out in the Riverside (Downtown) area. We even saw the bloody Tarentino movie "Django Unchained" (which Chhonn enjoyed and this blogger didn't). My friend often held my interest with his insights into current Cambodian politics. He even had an activist streak in him. Chhonn's knowledge and critical thinking gave me extra insight into life here in Cambodia. When we weren't engaged in long conversations, then we were whizzing around Phnom Penh either on his bike or by tuk-tuk. Given the pressures of having a young child and dealing with the stresses of his NGO job, i was very lucky he had any time at all.

After over five weeks of steady travelling my zeal was slowly wearing thin. Thankfully there had been scarcely any problems. All that remained were a few days in Bangkok and then the long flight home to Vancouver.  

One of Phnom Penh's notable bars, Riverside, Phnom Penh
Foreign Correspondents Club, Phnom Penh | Happy hour on the Mekong

Public exercise at Phreh Sisowath Quay, Riverside, Phnom Penh
Public gym and public exercise in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Actually two local art house cinemas and bars, Phnom Penh
The Flicks Community Movie Houses — screening the latest blockbusters, documentaries and classics on the big screen in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Java Cafe was a favourite place for the expat and NGO crowd, Phnom Penh
Java Café & Gallery | where food and art meet

Meta House is arguably the best place in town for viewing contemporary Cambodian art, seeing documentary movies about the region or hearing good western music (from chamber to DJ), Phnom Penh
META HOUSE PHNOM PENH : German Cambodian Cultural Center