Blessing and Chanting in Bangkok
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”Welcome to Happy New Year 2024 Blessing and Chanting Ceremony”, says the poster on the wall of the wat (Buddhist temple) opposite my guest house. And indeed, after 2023 there is much to bless and chant about.
But for me personally, the year has started off favourably, as I forsook the cold snap in Finland and headed to South East Asia.
So when walking around, especially at noon, it’s usually good to avoid the sunny side of the street, no matter what the song says. All the same, I did appreciate the first couple of minutes on the sunny side as only a Finn in the heart of winter can appreciate a hot sauna.
And whilst on the subject of street sides, in Bangkok, as elsewhere in South East Asia, streets are where the action takes place.
One needs only take a slight detour from a main road down any narrow and shady passage to get away from most tourists and enter the Bangkok where locals live.
Streets are the extended living rooms of people. They bedeck their home alleys with plants and drying laundry, play dominos, wash dishes and occasionally set up minimalistic street kitchens catering to locals rather than the tourists, who tend to stay on the beaten path.
People set up little shrines near their homes, some more bedraggled than others, but surely it’s the thought that counts?
A few unfortunates also end up sleeping rough, though admittedly the sight is rare here in the tourism centre of town. Whether through jobs for all or simply because the government has cracked down on homeless people, I do not know.
Many people here have jobs that we Westeners would consider menial. Street sweeping is done meticulously and manually (with rather wonderful brooms), as are many other tasks of carrying and transporting.
But whether in the service industry or some other profession, people seem to take pride in doing their job well and maintain a friendly and smiling appearance even in the face of hungover Westerners who believe repeating ”no spices” enough times and increasingly loudly will make the staff start speaking English (not me, it was the other guy!!).
Though the future is gradually encroaching on some traditional professions - as the friendly sweeping robots at the airport show.
Street sides are also the place to eat if you want to mingle with the locals and find the best cheap food in town. Street food stalls come equipped with ubiquitous low plastic stools and fold up tables. But the food is piping hot, tasty and costs around 1,5 euros. Though obviously you need to take pot luck - as in the case of today’s noodle soup, where the floating things that looked like sausage slices were in fact some kind of sesame and nuts, and what looked like balls of mozzarella ended up being fish.
The streets get especially lively after dark, when most locals get off work. The evening air is pleasantly cool and families eat their dinner seated outside their houses or on the floor of their homes next to open doorways, young braves lean nonchalantly on their stationary motorbikes and exchange gossip, and ardent fishermen continue fishing -using headlamps to bait their prey.
If, however, you want to get off the streets for a bit, the waterways are the coolest way to get around - with frequent boat services along the river costing 16 baht (around 46 cents)
And commuter ferries along the lesser canals up to 22 baht depending on the distance.
As one of the flight hubs of Asia, Bangkok is a familiar destination. However, it’s more of a launch site for trips to other destinations and the town usually just get a cursory and jet lagged glance. There is, however, much to see here outside the rather grizzly tourist havens and amenities around Khaosan Road.
Still, true to form, tomorrow I’m off to Northern Thailand and Chiang Rai - and from there over the border to Laos.
So it’s north for me. Should be cooler, surely?
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