Travel these days. Until you get on the plane, you don’t know what’s going to happen. And if you have multiple legs in your trip, then everything’s a crapshoot. And international travel? Pffffft. The odds are not in your favor. But I rolled the dice. I applied for the Thailand test and go pass and got approved back in early December. They shut that entry procedure down to new applicants, but those who did the limbo and got in under the wire were still okay to come in. Then they opened that program up again and changed some of the requirements. I’m expecting the unexpected. This trip was supposed to happen in March, 2020 but we all know how that panned out. 

     I finally got here on a different itinerary after the original one was cancelled due to weather and the second one for lack of crew rest. Once here, I got put into COVID jail until my first PCR test came back negative. Then I enjoyed sweet freedom for four more days until the next PCR test. I’ve been coming to Thailand fairly regularly since 1984 and every time I come, some things are still the same and some things change. The change? You can expect that because c’mon, 28 some years. And things that remain the same are in some ways…comforting, like the Red Bus.

     It has been many, many, many years since I’ve stepped foot into one of these, but when I first came here, there were a few ways of getting around the city. There were taxis, which no self respecting backpacker would ever take, those were for rich people. Then there was the Red Bus and Blue Bus. The Blue Bus had/has a/c. The Blue Bus has since been upgraded and digitized, the Red Bus remains unadulterated. Red was 2 Baht, Blue was 5 Baht, that’s back when the baht was fixed to the dollar at 25:1. I never experienced the delicious iciness of  the Blue Bus’ a/c. On the Red Bus it was crowded, you stood, it was hot and you sweated. But you were also saving that precious 3 Baht. The ticket lady would make her way up and down the aisle with a longish cylinder that she opened and closed with a distinct SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP. SNAP. It was always that pattern - 4 snaps, then 1 sharp snap (Pay up). Give the lady your 2 Baht, and she’d take a ticket and SNAP a piece of the ticket off, indicating you paid. Then she’d go up and down the aisle, SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAPPING as she collected the fares. Who knows what happened on the Blue Bus, because that was for those who had extra Baht to throw around. Traffic has gotten much, much better and Bangkok is easy to get around due to their elevated rail system (BTS) and their subway (MRT), but the roads are still frenetic.

     Many, many other things have changed over the years, but I was particularly interested in what havoc the last two years wreaked. Bumrungrad Hospital was the same, a marvel of modern efficiency. I got a full physical done and visited my dermatologist. If you need to see a specialist after your physical for any reason, they’re available at Bumrungrad…the.same.damn.day. There are heaps of shops that once sold who knows what that are now shuttered. My favorite shawarma stand near Bumrungrad survived and even expanded. Bad Burger, which I only patronized once solely due to it’s ad “We take your money and make you fat” has permanently closed. Still love the honesty in advertising. 

     But one thing that has remained constant over the years is the way Bangkok wakes up, and this has always fascinated me. Street food. Hawkers. Every morning, they start from scratch and set up their stand. Some are really simple rigs, like the fruit sellers. A cart with ice and sliced fruit. 

No tricks. Papaya, watermelon, pineapple and whatever fruits that are in season. But these mobile food stands, which many Thais eat from every day, can be a little more complex. This lady looks like she has a som tam (papaya salad) stand, wheeled in and out every day.

People also cook, sometimes using earthen cookware with charcoal up to complete rigs attached to a motorcycle, cooking with propane. They carry seats and tables to set up as well, like this lady. 

Every night, they break it down. Every morning, they set it up. The food is delicious and with very low fixed costs, the price is right. Here’s a middle man, selling vegetable and herbs to other hawkers for their stands - 

     Street food. I love it, and I’m going to continue noshing on it for the next month. Gwyne is going to come during the last two weeks of this trip to do her physical at Bumrungrad and get in some beach time for a much needed vacation. She’s 50% Japanese, but 100% petrified of germs. When the pandemic hit in 2020, we already had plenty of sanitizer around the house, and a few masks as well. When she comes, if I want to eat with her (and I do), we won’t be eating street food. But the smart money should be betting on me sneaking off for some unobserved snacks.