I've lived in Bangkok since mid-1994, but only about May, 2006 moved into a typical Thai neighborhood here in Bangkok. Though it's between two major avenues, Rama IV Road and Sukhumvit Road (and is only a block from rama IV Road), it's an entirely different world from that found along the capital's major arteries.
The streetlife in Bangkok is vibrant just about everywhere, but especially in the out-of-the-way places, where people get to know each other. In my small area, there is an amazing number of sidewalk vendors selling just about everything, beauty shops, Mom-'n-Pop "doo-dad" shops, so selling food and drinks, others selling other stuff, even tailor shops. And the occasional actual sit-down, indoor restaurant. There's even a 7-Eleven nestled in the soi that does a brisk business!
The biggest draw is the people. I live in a tiny quadrangle made up of two condo buildings facing each other in one direction, and a private residence and another condo building facing each other in the other direction. The area in the middle is actually a car park, but functions for all the world as a village square. As I write in mid-afternoon, there are countless small children playing and laughing, and various residents outside visiting each other. Sometimes I go out when an ice cream vendor comes inside our little square -- more to buy treats for one of my neighbor's little boys than for myself. Almost daily, another neighbor's little girl will come to my door and stand quietly until I notice her. Once she has my attention, she smales, wais me, (To wai is to greet someone by placing your hands in front of your face by your chin and nose, then to nod, or even bow, depending on the perceived different social status -- the deeper you wai, the more respect you show.) She is absolutely fascinated by my computer, and loves to come in and quietly stand at my side to watch me typing, surfing the Internet -- whatever I'm doing at the moment.
And the adults are just as wonderful as the Wee Ones. Virtually everyone smiles at me -- Thais are [rightly] world-famous for their friendly smiles -- some even giving me a wai when I leave home daily.
A couple months ago I tripped and fell, fairly badly banging up one of my lower legs in the process. For about a week, I couldn't walk unaided -- and was unable to get a walker or cane until the following day. Word spread, and people stopped by in drove to offer to get me something to drink or eat, or to get me whatever I needed. One neighbor, who herself is the chief reason I moved here (she's my best friend), spent hours on end for days on end with me just to be on hand should I needed anything at all.
I sometimes stroll slowly along the sub-sois just soaking up the sheer vitality around me. The vendors shouting and their bells ringing, people visiting and laughing, or maybe eating some of the wonderful street food from the many vendros -- they all add to the feeling of a non-stop but pleasantly low-key street party. But we don't think of it as partying at all, since it's everyday life for us. There's a Thai word for "work" -- but it also means "play."
And that's very much the Thai outlook on life. You see this especially in the Thai dining customs of old. They didn't eat set meals, as we do in the West, instead snacking throughout the day, walking in from the fields whenever they got hungry to where food was always on the fire. they would eat a little, chatting with whoever was around for a few minutes, then wander back to work. Of course, modernization has taken away some of that -- a factory can't operate on such a basis, for instance -- but not in my neighborhood!
If you visit Thailand, or even if you live here but live in a major area, such as Sukhumvit Road's well-known "Foreigners' Ghetto," and if you've never wandered the small sois, give some thought to doing so. It really doesn't matter where in Bangkok you do it, for the most part -- the streetlife in such back ways is the same in about all of them. And bask in the life.
Mekhong Kurt, Webmaster
[http://BangkokAtoZ.com] Bangkok's Voice On The Web
A website about Bangkok, Thailand (mostly), organized around a "dictionary" of information. There are also photo galleries, audio files, and LOTS of articles. I write a weekly column called "The Rounds" (always linked near the top of the homepage) with a variety of articles. I also review submissions for possible publication.
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