After arriving and living in the heights up here on the 31st floor and following our upscale eating the day before (at $20 a head), I was keen to get out and explore the real world below, upon waking. I hoped for a wonderful sunrise but was disappointed that there was an ugly building right in the way, so this is the best I got.
Shortly after the crack of dawn I was out for my walk, making the most of the slight cool of the morning.
The elevator takes about a minute to travel the 31 floors, so I thought I'd just check out my camera! LOL!
The cool vegetation and tiles in the forecourt of the building was a welcome transition to the heat beyond.
Immediately opposite the building was a man selling eggs from his cart. I love the idea that one can live in a world that has such a mixture of retail opportunities - from the exotic to the mundane.
Street food is abundant and smells delicious. These street carts are the McDonald's of our world, feeding people fast on their way to and from work. I suspect the food is less processed than McDonald's however - possibly more nutritious?
Drive through is even offered and the smells are usually scrumptious - lots of chicken, fish and pork on skewers - not so much beef.
One of these days I might be brave enough to try this salt fish on a skewer! It looks and smells delicious, but navigating that head and bones is the scary part! Most of the food is recognizable but sometimes it's little balls of mystery meat!
There were lots of choices around Phrom Phong BTS station. I think it would be fascinating to know how the world of street vendors handles territorial conflict and if it offers any chance of upward mobility. Can one go from being an egg seller on a bicycle, to a street cart with a motorcycle, to a more permanent stand like the ones shown above? Does a street cart offer an actual living, or do these folks pack up and go off to another job? I shall let you know if I get any answers to these questions.
Possibly, the next step is a tent restaurant like his one on the street parallel to ours. There is, in fact, a woman here in Bangkok, who earned a Michelin Star from her street food. Her restaurant is the next step up from a tent. You can read her story here. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/06/26/732529154/meet-the-74-year-old-queen-of-bangkok-street-food-who-netted-a-michelin-star
Another entry level business opportunity appears to be selling lottery tickets. These sellers just have a flat board to carry around. Many are just on foot and others have bicycles and stands. People gather around and seem to be able to choose the numbers/tickets they want, it seems. Not like us buying them from the machine behind he counter that just spits them out. I like the element of choice here. Again, I wonder if this actually provides a living, or just supplements other enterprises.
Another form of work that is plentiful are the men (usually) who man the driveways of the larger buildings. They offer security and direct traffic in and out of the establishment. They often courteously hold out their flag as one walks across their drive so that incoming and outgoing traffic stops. They are also the ones that will hail a cab for the residents, which sometimes means being the schmuck out in the rain on a wet night! There's always a smile and 'sa-wat-dee khrap' ('hello' male version, women say sa-wat-dee kha) as one comes and goes. Sarah tells me at Christmas time, they will dress in Santa outfits at some establishments! She said that are not the full plush outfits - more saggy and thin, but given the heat, that makes sense.
The sidewalks are very clean in the area I'm staying. Evidently people like this woman are responsible for making it so. I love the dustpan she carries on her shoulder. I expect it is a dangerous job - the traffic is heavy and she has to walk in the street. If she is about to sweep the trash down the drain, that would be one reason the waterways get polluted, I've read that solid trash causes more flooding in the rains as it blocks up the drainage systems. However I appreciate the results of her labor as I walk.
While I was walking for fitness, leisure, curiosity and photography, the rest of the world was walking off to work!
I could see the future of the Bangkok skyline ahead of me.
There were also busloads of construction workers headed off to their worksites - both men and women. I was pleased to see that they have some protective equipment and the sights and sounds of their labor are evident all around me. Everone seems
Many of the construction sites are huge, like this one next to the Australian Embassy near Lumpini Park. I am astounded at the level of engineering skill and attention to detail it must take to organize the swarms of workers to create these massive buildings safely.
To finish off this exploration of work roles, it is worth mentioning that one does see beggars - not uncommon for any large city. They are not obtrusive, no-one is in your face actively begging and there does not seem to be exploitation of disabilities and children that I know can occur. Yet it is there and saddens the heart.
Students were also headed to school. I don't like taking photos of children without adult permission, so no street pics today. The staff at this school nodded an OK for me to photograph their lovely courtyard. School children wear uniforms and always look very neat and tidy.
I did manage to get a photo of this school bus, which gives you a slight glimpse of the socks and white shirts that are very common.
There is much more to my brief walk that I'd love o share, but I expect that this is enough for you now. However, thought you might like to see the khao soi restaurant we went to for lunch. As you see, it is much more 'regular' than yesterday's fare, and for $4, I had a blood sausage soup with rice noodles (nam ngiao) that was very delicious. I thought I was very brave to choose it and was very pleased with my choice. It was so filling, we didn't need dinner!
I love my street ramblings so much, but come back drenched from the heat, so a dip in this beautiful pool is a lovely punctuation mark toward the end of the day.
Until next time..........
This is one of my favorite blog posts ever--utterly delightful!
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