Day 5: Transportation Whoas and Woes

What a long day. We began by taking the MRT (subway) to the Thai Cultural Center, where a van took us to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning. Dr. Thongchai Roachanakanan spoke with us about Bangkok's development issues (on last names: the immigration card for entering Thailand had an incredibly long space for surnames, apparently to accommodate for Thais). Truthfully, I found this lecture to be very vague. Our question and answer session must have lasted nearly two hours, yet even when it was finished, I still felt that so many things were left unanswered. Surprisingly, some of the Thai students I talked to thought that our speaker told us more than they expected. Does Thailand have a political lack of transparency problem? Very much so.

Some issues that came up during the lecture and Q&A session:

1. Dr. Roachanakanan thinks that Bangkok has a "gloomy future." I thought that was depressing. Yet from the question and answer session, we were told that Bangkok is "not so bad" and then told that people smile a lot (apparently, it's the "Land of Smiles"). I guess the professionals and the people have very different views of the city. Dr. Roachanakanan thinks that Bangkok doesn't need to be like Singapore or other Asian tigers (i.e. Taiwan, South Korea). Rather, his goals are for Bangkok to become a good society for the people living there. However, is there even no hope for this?
2. Dr. Roachanakanan seemed depressed about his own country when he compared it so Singapore, where anything mandated by the government could happen instantly. Thailand lacks this political will. It's a country where there are multiple government authorities (the city government and country government are led by two different political parties, for example), and it has to deal with strong market forces. Power is definitely a key factor in Singapore's success.
3. Information is lacking. We had this ridiculously long discussion about population size and population growth. Nobody seems to know how many people live in the city or in the surrounding areas. Dr. Roachanakanan's surveys didn't match with figures found in reports. If the city isn't expecting future growth, then there is no reason to prepare for it. I wonder if they're forgetting to count the undocumented city inhabitants who live in the slums.
4. Although the government isn't very powerful, the business and informal sectors are thriving, and this city is booming economically and bringing along the typical urban woes such as traffic. These planners - with their plans that were created only very recently (the first comprehensive plan was created in 1992!) - they are falling behind more and more quickly.

After the lecture, we were fed by the Ministry of Town and Country Planning. Yay for free lunches. Then we took a van to the Emporium Mall to see a design exhibit. However, it was closed, so we had dessert instead. We then hopped the BTS Sky Train, a train on an elevated track, and traveled west through the Central Business District.

At Saphan Taksin, we got off and walked around the old part of the city, which was around 150 years old and filled with narrow streets and shophouses. The shophouses are 4-5 stories, narrow, and are commercial spaces on the bottom. The neighborhood was loud because of the traffic, but it was also very quaint - walkable, green, and lively. Singapore doesn't have places like these, but Bangkok is filled with these.

We examined an old French embassy building that squatters have taken over. It looks like they steal electricity and share cable television. Ironically, the building is located right next to government facilities and a police station. In our attempt to return to the street without back tracking our steps (the worse thing you can do when exploring), we ended up walking through a Buddhist monastery. Here we stopped for refreshments at an outdoor vendor. I've found a new favorite: sweetened rice-flavored green tea that costs around 20 baht.

We made through the neighborhood to Si Phaya Pier, where we hopped on a boat. Boats are another form of public transportation in Bangkok. Many homes, schools, and tourists spots are located along the Chao Praya River. On the boat, it began to rain. The region is in the middle of rainy season, and it begins raining in the late afternoon. The waves were becoming tumultuous, and water splashed into the window-less boat. But the view of the older, somewhat dilapidated houses and businesses along the river was amazing.


Because of the rain, we skipped the originally intended Grand Palace, we ended up at a coffee shop, where we settled down for drinks. I had a Thai tea frappe, which was strong in flavor and ridiculously sweet. It was frantastic. This trip so far has been filled with eating throughout the day. Apparently, we're being fairly Thai when we do this. Professor Goethert had us come up with class t-shirt designs, which we voted on (even the manager of the restaurant gave her opinion). Then we discussed questions to ask people on the following day.


By the time we left the coffee shop, it was nearly 8pm and still raining. We walked the streets, looking for cabs. Unfortunately, it took us about half an hour to get a free one and we almost took the bus (which I still want to try). Our cabs took us to the Paragon Center, where we looked at the orchid exhibition and ate dinner in the food court. I had a delicious fried egg and shrimp omelet over rice.

For the ride back to the hotel, I took a tuk tuk, which are like the auto rickshaws I took in India. They're like noisy golf carts, and the drivers drive fast, particularly with tourists. At least the breeze and the street view was great. The smell of car exhaust - not so much.