Bangkok doesn't hold much place in the American consciousness - or even the zeitgeist of the western world. Our news rarely reflects Thailand at all and other than vacation, there's not a lot of talk about a city with 12 million people – more than New York or Los Angeles, the entire country of Greece and a little less than double Washington State. Nine out of ten times when people I know at home talk about Bangkok, it's usually about how in a vacation to Thailand, it's best to keep the visit to the nation's capital brief – that it has limited interest and tourist value.
I understand and don't necessarily disagree with that perspective. In fact, I had little love for Bangkok when I lived there. Over the years, I've become fonder, enjoying some of the nuances of life and the riches of the back-sois (alley ways where life is lived). But for a city which I have been to so much – one that has played no small part in my life – I have a surprisingly complicated relationship with Bangkok, or Krungthep as Thais call it.
Unlike Paris with only one sixth its population, Bangkok lacks much celebration of itself, its country and its culture. Bangkok is not a feast of history and art – although it has some very nice pockets. But maybe that's the best way to describe Bangkok – a city of pockets. It's a place where old run-down homes and neighborhoods live right under grad skyscrapers and around the corner from palaces and mansions. Bangkok old and new reside in a patchwork. As the country becomes ever-more-developed, Bangkok doesn't shed its third-world roots. Not completely. Bangkok is a master class in how wealth and urban planning are two distinctly different things.
Of course, someone could easily say that about Los Angeles. In fact, I find it interesting how often when people travel – myself included – they find poignant, critical observations of the places they explore as if those places are completely different from home. Make no mistake, it's easy to look at Bangkok with it's giant thoroughfares, narrow back alleys, cement construction housing, sky bridges criss-crossing the city, tangled electric lines and general Blade Runner vibe in its most urban corridors and see the differences. Yet Bangkok is sprawling, has substantial yet not fully effective public transportation and patches of extreme wealth and poverty adjacent to one another – not terribly unlike Los Angeles.
Then there's the question of what we're really seeing.
When my mother-in-law and her sister, Aunt Penny, visited Emily and me in Bali, Susan found sadness in what she perceived as poverty. True, the people she was seeing had far less money than any of us. Not only did I not find myself sad – I question whether their quality of life was terribly diminished. Most Balinese families own land whether or not they're cash rich or poor. Homelessness isn't a thing among the Balinese. People also have strong ties to extended family and strong communities from both their villages of origin and anywhere they might move. Balinese don't go hungry and they have tight social safety nets.
That's not to say that the poor people of Bali are having great lives. But it might mean that the amount of money in their pocket is less related to their happiness than those of us in America. Or maybe a better way to look at it is that the Balinese may actually have a jump up on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with their Physiological and Safety and Security needs are more likely to be universally met – and with their very collectivist culture, I would guess Love and Belonging needs are fairly widely addressed too. That's three out five layers of the pyramid out the gate.
During our Winter 2021 trip to Thailand, my niece Bailey commented on the houses and people she saw in the khlongs – the canals – of the Chao Praya River. She said she felt bad for a lot of the people who lived there because there were so many rundown houses and it looked like people didn't have very much. Sennen immediately challenged whether or not we should feel badly for them because, in essence, we don't know their lives. It's very possible that what isn't a lot to us might be enough or plenty for someone else – besides which there were a lot of kids jumping in the khlongs, swimming and having fun.
I've never met anyone who owns a house on a khlong – so I agree with Sennen that I don't know their story (ies). I do know the real estate is quite valuable and it's more than likely that families who have owned the land for generations can't afford improvements, but keep their property. Not every country has banking systems that make HELOCs and cash-out refinancing so accessible – so a valuable piece of land doesn't necessarily put cash in an owner's pocket.
Still, as my Bubbee used to say, what I don't know could fill a library – and it does. Without knowing more, I really have no way to judge what I should think or feel. All of this to say – who knows what to think about a dilapidated hovel next to a 60 story modern skyscraper? If Los Angeles confuses me – like how do so many people afford so much ridiculously priced real estate – then how can I evaluate the hodgepodge of Bangkok? While some of the gaps seem extreme – how different are they from Reseda and Van Nuys being adjacent to Tarzana and Encino?
What I can say is that Bangkok isn't my idea of a beautiful city and it's not somewhere I long to live again. I am always happy to see it and equally as happy to leave. For whatever reason, Bangkok never seems to take its place on the world stage. It's not Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris or New York – some of the great culture defining cities no matter how much Thailand's economy grows and its increasing importance in manufacturing and agricultural export. I think for better or worse – Bangkok just doesn't dazzle anyone enough.
And there we'll let Bangkok lie.
Which is just as well because today I left it for Ko Samet – my favorite Thai island. I've probably been here 30 times. I know Ko Samet like the back of my hand. I could write tomes about it, but that would be redundant. Over the years, I think I've written everything there is to be said about Ko Samet itself – which you can read here and which will refer you to even more blog entries on Ko Samet.
All I have to offer is that Ko Samet – as always – is a nice change of pace from Bangkok, and the world for that matter. Because it's the off-season, I got a great deal on a fantastic room with a sea view, good air conditioning and a large balcony/deck with an outdoor bathtub and shower. I probably won't be using either of those things, but I may enjoy it for writing or even some yoga.
I'll also take the next couple of days to read, longe on the beach, swim, eat fresh fruit and drink coconut smoothies from my lounge chair and get massages. What else is Ko Samet for?
