CITY OF ANGELS
Few
cities fire the traveler's imaginations with as many exotic images as Bangkok does.
Golden temple spires, palm-shaded canals, costumed classical dancers with fingers bent
back at impossible angles, brilliant smiles, all the evocative images that look out from
postcards and picture books of the City of Angels.
Yet Bangkok is more than a treat for the eyes. It is a sensual feast that
envelopes you from the moment you set foot in it: Tiny temple chimes set tinkling by a
breeze, an April sky filled with brightly colored kites, the aroma of chicken being
roasted by a sidewalk vendor, fragrant garlands, orchids in rainbow colors, pungent
incense smoke spiraling out of a Chinese shrine, saffron-robed monks chanting ancient
sutras in the pale morning light and, above all, the Thai smile and gracious manner.
All these are Bangkok, one of the few Asian cities that has retained its
"Asianess" in a rapidly changing world.
Not that its charms are immediately apparent. The sights that greet the
first-time visitor are hardly likely to enchant him. Ribbons of concrete plunge like
daggers through the city's heart, tall buildings dwarf the Buddhist stupas, the sounds of
a gentle people are lost beneath the road of traffic.
On first encounter, it seems to be a city strangling in the throes of development. Except
for a few sections, it looks very much like any other modern city. Plucked down in a busy
thoroughfare hemmed by tall buildings, one is hard put to know where he is; only the curly
lettering on the signs tells him he isn't in Los Angeles or some other Western metropolis.
In 1902, intrepid traveler J.G.D. Cambell expressed feelings that are
just as appropriate today: "The expectant visitor...will probably derive much
disappointment from his first experience of Bangkok.
His earliest acquaintance will most probably be with a long, dingy, squalid road running
for several miles lined on both sides with third rate Chinese shops and throng with
Asiatic of every hue and costume, a perfect bedlam... (Yet) with further knowledge,
Bangkok will win his affections." Not a lot has changed in the years since, including
the postscript which reveals the author's ultimate feelings and sums up Bangkok for most
visitors.
As Mr. Campbell discovered, Bangkok is not a philosopher's city, it is a
realm of the senses. Those who surrender to their senses, who ignore the surface and
thereby pass through walls, are rewarded by a wealth of sensations Its layout, its
edifices ancient and modern, its activities and makes exploring a journey of sweet
anticipation.
The mundane facts reveal little about Bangkok. It covers an area of
1,565.2 square km and has a population of 5,468,915 souls (1986 statistics). Located 14
degrees north of the equator, it lies on the same latitude as Madras, Khartoum, Guatemala
City, Guam and manila, Like them, its climate ranges from tepid to torrid.
The sun in its eternal peregrination is the single most important element
shaping the moods and modes of its people and daily life. Since 1782, Bangkok has been
Thailand's capital.
However, these facts tell you little. Bangkok is a city of extremes and superlatives, a
city you do not react to indifferently. Recently declared the world's hottest city by the
World Meteorological Organization, it also boasts the world's longest
name-Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin
mahintar-ayudhya-amaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasatarn-amorn-pimarn-avatar-satit-sakattiya-visanukam.
Not surprisingly, only a handful of Thais can remember such a mouthful, although the
abbreviated translation of the whole is a relatively brief "Jeweled city of the god
Indra." However, most Thais simply refer to it as Krung Thep, City Angels.
Bangkok is unique among Thai towns. It is as far removed from the rest of
Thailand as, say, New York City is from Dubuque, Iowa. It is an island in a sea of green
rice fields; a Monk St. Michel surrounded by hinterlands. Understanding it will help
little in understanding the rest of Thailand.
If Thailand is shaped like an elephant's head, then Bangkok is the beasts gold tooth. It
is figuratively and laterally the epicenter of the nation. With a population 50 times
greater than the country's second largest city, it dominates all political, commercial,
religious and social activity in Thailand. Few capital cities enjoy such primacy.
The seasons run from hot (March-June), to monsoon (July-November) to
blissfully cool (December-February). The air is perpetually humid but its hothouse climate
makes possible its lush plant life and the flowers that perfume the night air.
Its warmth makes pleasant an evening in a garden restaurant, suffuses the
golden temples with glowing beauty and permeates the sunny dispositions of its people.
What is it about Bangkok that fascinates visitors? Its color, its chaos, its contrasts. It
is the highs of temple architecture and graceful dances, the lows of the rawest forms of
nightlife. It is the fabulous variety of food and the appealing differences between a
Rowdy City and gentle people.
Bangkok explodes around you, challenging each of your senses, involving
you in a way that few cities can. You are never at a lost for things to do in it. It is a
hedonist delight that can be explored on a number of levels, from the exalted to the
mundane. It is a city of rich and poor people, of fragrances, flowers and the fetid stench
of stagnant canals. It is the pleasure of an afternoon by the pool and the discomfort of
the searing heat that burns the air and bakes the pavements.
In short, it is an experience you cannot ignore. Mr. Campbell was right on target all
those years ago-Bangkok is a city that doesn't rally try to, but ultimately wins your
affections nevertheless. And, as you discover long after you have returned home, the
feeling pervades your very being, its heart becoming your heart.
02. December 2004