Paradise Lost.
At least it must have been for the Thai Kings whose grasp on power slipped when a thousand years of absolute monarchy gave way to military rule between 1932 to 1973. You wouldn't want to be the one who dropped the ball. Perhaps that is why Thailand was the only nation in the region to avoid western conquest, sorry colonisation.
The show really got on the road following the foundation of the kingdom of Ayutthaya in 1351. By the 16th century the Thai's had superceded the Khmer Empire of neighbouring Cambodia, which had been the regional power since the Angkor period in the 9th century. The arrival of western powers and changes in trade routes all contributed to the decline of the Thai kingdom.
More importantly, we booked into Lub D hostel on Silom Street that The Guardian newspaper says is one of the world's best. At 5 pounds per night it was perfect. Usually, cheap means prison camp and luxury means debtor's jail. Imagine car park chique with polished concrete walls and exposed cable trunking.
Bangkok, like everywhere in this neck of the woods, is a city of wild contradictions. High rise and shanty, limousine and tuk tuk, flushing toilets and open sewers. Central to it all is the great Chao Phraya river that runs through it. In a bulging city of 7 million with facilities for half that, the river remains essential to transport and commerce, which is where the fun starts.
It costs 3 baht (6 pence) to cross the river on a water taxi that crabs its way between the traffic, easing through gaps and holding in the current when the way is blocked.The crossing can take 30 seconds or 10 minutes depending on the skipper's religious persuasion. Muslims make cautious ferryboat captains. Buddhists laugh in the face of a watery grave and Hindus? Well, its all you can do to stop them ramming everything in sight. They know they are coming back in the next life.
Tiny tugs strain to haul huge barges. Small Thong Sala boats with colourful, lance like prows dart amongst it all, propellers throwing spray high into the air and whirring menacingly as they lift from the water in the swell.
Amongst the most polluted cities in the world, the river is curiously alive with fish. Throw bread into the water and you get your own free chemistry experiment. The water boils with writhing bodies. Clearly the Thais have something against river fish. Anywhere else such a plentiful source of protein would be exploited to exhaustion by 7 million hungry mouths.
The Grand Palace (Wat Pra Kaew) on one side of the river is an opulent display of golden towers and ornate fixtures. It is the official residence of King Bhumidol Adulyadej, who came to the throne in 1946 and is the longest serving head of state in the world.Across the river is the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) from whose dizzying heights the true size of Bangkok is apparent.
Generally a peaceful bunch as individuals, loss of face is important to Thai people. One man selling whistles at Arun, beat seven bells out of another over some some small infraction that escalated. Lots of sharp marble corners didn't do either of them any favours and there was blood on the walls. When it was over, they licked their wounds and got back to business. No hard feelings then.
By 6pm the storm clouds were gathering and by 7pm four shabby sorts on horseback, waving a selection of gardening utensils, rode past the hostel. Everyone dived for cover as a zillion giga-watts crashed down on Silom Street and the rolling thunder made my trousers fall down.
At least it must have been for the Thai Kings whose grasp on power slipped when a thousand years of absolute monarchy gave way to military rule between 1932 to 1973. You wouldn't want to be the one who dropped the ball. Perhaps that is why Thailand was the only nation in the region to avoid western conquest, sorry colonisation.
The show really got on the road following the foundation of the kingdom of Ayutthaya in 1351. By the 16th century the Thai's had superceded the Khmer Empire of neighbouring Cambodia, which had been the regional power since the Angkor period in the 9th century. The arrival of western powers and changes in trade routes all contributed to the decline of the Thai kingdom.
More importantly, we booked into Lub D hostel on Silom Street that The Guardian newspaper says is one of the world's best. At 5 pounds per night it was perfect. Usually, cheap means prison camp and luxury means debtor's jail. Imagine car park chique with polished concrete walls and exposed cable trunking.
Bangkok, like everywhere in this neck of the woods, is a city of wild contradictions. High rise and shanty, limousine and tuk tuk, flushing toilets and open sewers. Central to it all is the great Chao Phraya river that runs through it. In a bulging city of 7 million with facilities for half that, the river remains essential to transport and commerce, which is where the fun starts.
It costs 3 baht (6 pence) to cross the river on a water taxi that crabs its way between the traffic, easing through gaps and holding in the current when the way is blocked.The crossing can take 30 seconds or 10 minutes depending on the skipper's religious persuasion. Muslims make cautious ferryboat captains. Buddhists laugh in the face of a watery grave and Hindus? Well, its all you can do to stop them ramming everything in sight. They know they are coming back in the next life.
Tiny tugs strain to haul huge barges. Small Thong Sala boats with colourful, lance like prows dart amongst it all, propellers throwing spray high into the air and whirring menacingly as they lift from the water in the swell.
Amongst the most polluted cities in the world, the river is curiously alive with fish. Throw bread into the water and you get your own free chemistry experiment. The water boils with writhing bodies. Clearly the Thais have something against river fish. Anywhere else such a plentiful source of protein would be exploited to exhaustion by 7 million hungry mouths.
The Grand Palace (Wat Pra Kaew) on one side of the river is an opulent display of golden towers and ornate fixtures. It is the official residence of King Bhumidol Adulyadej, who came to the throne in 1946 and is the longest serving head of state in the world.Across the river is the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) from whose dizzying heights the true size of Bangkok is apparent.
Generally a peaceful bunch as individuals, loss of face is important to Thai people. One man selling whistles at Arun, beat seven bells out of another over some some small infraction that escalated. Lots of sharp marble corners didn't do either of them any favours and there was blood on the walls. When it was over, they licked their wounds and got back to business. No hard feelings then.
By 6pm the storm clouds were gathering and by 7pm four shabby sorts on horseback, waving a selection of gardening utensils, rode past the hostel. Everyone dived for cover as a zillion giga-watts crashed down on Silom Street and the rolling thunder made my trousers fall down.
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