Excuse suh, Come Takaluuk

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Patpong street in the Silom district is always a fun place to visit after dark, when the night market springs to exhuberant life full of calls and shouts and the sound and smell of money changing hands. Shoppers seeking legitimacy might rather shop elsewhere, you will not find a Polo shirt here that has ever been near Ralph Lauren, or a Tag Hauer that has ever been near Switzerland. It really is all good fun; the money helps the people in town feed their families, and the tourist gets a cheap souvenier and more than that, a great experience.

The King is now 82. He is in the hospital. He did not miss his December 5th birthday party, however, and came out of bed for a brief visit and short speech. The people love their king. As we approached the Silom end of Patpong, we saw hundreds of people holding candles in front of a massive photo of His Majesty (and the local McDonalds), all chanting and singing national anthems. We were handed candles and “a light”, and stood with the crowd for about 20 minutes while they went through this yearly ritual. Cabs and TukTuks stopped on the streets; people were getting out of cabs and standing in the streets with their lighted candles. I offer no judgment here – I simply found it interesting and a diversion from the routine, if there is such a thing as routine Bangkok.

It is interesting, though, that in this morning’s op-ed pages of the Bangkok Times, one editor was chiding the Thai people, saying that it was time that they become a little less obeidient and a little more pesky, like the Americans who will even sue their own parents! “Its necessary for the development of democracy!", he wrote.

I am now in the bangkok airport, waiting for my flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Twenty years ago, one could not imagine getting around the world as easily as we do now. Air travel around the world has become standardized by technology, and that’s a good thing.

More from Siem Reap later…