Feb 04 - Bangkok & Slums | Naveen's Travel Blog

Feb 04 - Bangkok & Slums

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 – 10:14 pm

Today i was an early bird!

So early that i decided to snap this view from my hotel room as i was ready @ 5.20AM

Not a pretty sight from the laps of luxury. My room was facing a worn-down slum. But i’m not complaining, infact a perfect way to peep into the lifes of ordinary metro Thais: their roof-top garden, their assorted laundry in drying line, open-air baths(oops!) with the backdrop of towering modern Bangkok skyscrappers. What a contrast!!

But my precious morning hours were lost warding off from the traps of the hotel travel agent.

I catch a commuter boat in Chao Praya river from the Oriental pier to the northern Phra Pin Klao bridge pier to visit the Royal Barges museum.

From the pier, i took a motorcycle taxi! Yes, Thailand has such motorcycle-borne taxis everywhere around their cities and towns. Armed with reflector jackets and spare helmets, they are the most economic means of transport riding the bylanes of crowded markets; zipping through the highways at break-neck speeds.

The routine life of Thais were never complete without them, you can see people from all walks of life waving down a motorcycle taxi to run a household errand or go to nearby place. So here i’m catching one, lets go for a ride!

My ordeal for the day was far from over, the motorcycle taxi driver didn’t drop me in front of the Royal Barges Museum. Instead he dropped me before an obscure narrow street and said, here is the way! Standing there was an unimpressive but clear signage confirming that it goes to the Royal Barges Museum!?

With utter disbelief, i step inside: come join me in the walk…

For the next several minutes, i navigate through a maze of paved concrete streets, looped with sewage, river canals, heaps of garbage, tin roofed bare shell houses… Well, i’m deep inside what seems to be a quite large slum in Bangkok. Nothing was close to anything of ROYALTY!? The only indication that i was in the right direction, was the same signage “Royal…” pointing rather mockingly at the poverty all around !!

Finally i was at the Royal Barges Museum and it seems the most common way to reach it is via the river but only private boats dock in it. And since i took a commuter express boat, i had to take a land route from the nearest pier. The advantage was an insight into the lowest strata of Bangkok away from the glitter and glamour of the City.

After the visit of the museum, i pull back myself to the main road and on the way, i see Wat Dusidaram in its dilapidated condition.

Later i take another motorcycle taxi, this time a much longer ride to the main thoroughfares of Bangkok and visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Here and there with a drizzling weather, several hours were spend inside the Grand Palace premises

Back to pier-side, this time its Tha Chang pier near to Grand Palace

Very late lunch by the pier-side food mall. Its a food mall because one gotto get coupons and buy using it from any of the several outlets. With no fanfare and glitter it goes on beside a crowded stretch of the pier. So here i’m waiting for my Thai delicacy with a orange drink!