I was deciding for a long tjme whether to write an article about Bangkok or not. Famous city in which we didn't find anything special and a little of expected. But then, while we were spending our time in the north, the news hit about the death of the king. We returned to Bangkok. First, because it was on our way to the south. And second, because we wanted to see how the city changes at such events.
The first thing you notice on the streets are obituaries and black-white banners. On the newspaper cover pages there are only photos of the king and similar articles.
In front of the royal palace the people are gathering to show their sadness and support...
Even in everyday life black colour prevails. At the marketplace you can buy black T-shirts.
But that everything wouldn't be so sad, they are giving free food in the old town. We had to wait just a bit in the line. You can get water, juices, whole meals with rice and meat and vegetables, fruits, cookies, dumplings and other sweets...
Otherwise it's difficult for me to find some exact opinion aboit Bangkok. According to what people told me before, I was expecting the dirtiest, stinkiest city in the world. But I can't say it's dirtier than other cities in southeast Asia. It looks like street cleaning services are doing their job. I don't remember where I saw something like on the photo below right for the last time. And that was taken a week before the news hit.
The traffic is of course awful, but this is also nothing new. And the tuk tuks are just charming :)
Like in the majority of cities here around the living standards differ a lot from street to street. You need just a few steps to get from luxury to the end of the world.
Well, marketplaces are different than what we're used to by now. In Bangkok everything is sold right on the streets. Just for your information. Who needs a glasses, just any kind you want... Here you get all for 25 baht - let's say a bit more than 50 cents :)
But real attraction are floating markets. We visited Damnoen Saduak which is known to be the most touristic. But getting up early and visiting it before 8am was enough to avoid groups of tourists which started to jump out of the busses when we were already leaving.
Photos below will give you idea what is it all about. Vendors are not selling things behind the stalls but right on the boats. You can reach them from the bank or pay a couple hundreds baht for an hour ride around the canals.
Thanks for reading. I you find this article interesting or useful, don't forget to share it with your friends. Using buttons below you can publish it on popular social networks
We'll be happy of any response. Positive or negative :) Please contact us using contact form and express your opinion, ask question or share you experience, suggestion, complaints...
