Bangkok: The Paradoxial City
Bangkok, city of mystique and of madness, is an enigma, even to the people who are born and bred there. Exuding charm and charisma along with an air of mystery, she is a very complex and sophisticated lady indeed. Her flip side runs even deeper.
For visitors who care to journey beyond the comfort of a luxurious hotel and high end shopping malls, an amazing hodge-podge of pulsating and flamboyant life exists, intermingled with what many might call, squalor. But amongst such squalor a vibrant and active lifeblood thrives, where the inhabitants are busy carving out their own livelihood which impacts positively as well as negatively on the city as a whole. A lower education can still bring rewards and a sense of belonging. These are the communities that are the nuts and bolts of a bigger picture, cramped along railway tracks, construction sites, numerous canals that criss-cross the city and around the “slum” markets that sprawl on the outer fringes of metropolitan Bangkok.
In between, a vast middle class completes the patchwork, an engine room that runs at high speed during daylight hours while continuing to churn like clockwork under cover of darkness.
What does this mean for the two-day tourist, the lengthy leisure traveller or busy businessman? The short answer is almost everything, as each of the groups mentioned, contribute significantly to the particular type of stay each individual will have, whether it be enjoyable, adventurous or otherwise. These groups will also ensure the kind of memories each traveller will take home, either mystique, madness or somewhere in between.
And the “players” in the “game” are counted as just one aspect that contribute to the image of building this sophisticated lady we call Bangkok. Known as the city of angels, it is often the devil, the dark, demon side of her that draws so many millions to observe, see, smell, hear, touch and feel what makes her stand out from the crowd. What has created this aura and made her so famous, so attractive, that visitors from all age groups from all over the world, need to experience her? That leads us into another realm.
The players, “Bangkokians,” just love to have fun. Smiling is second nature, so therein lies a clue. Work and play are normal activities anywhere, but it is in the attitude of an almost carefree “never mind” way of thinking, a deep seated mind-set. Work is fun and a social environment for the majority. When it is time to party, the whole city is just one big fun-house. The diversity of entertainment is virtually endless, from road side eateries where small and large groups congregate and simply have fun, or the full-on classy venues, lounges, dance clubs and nightclubs to the colourful and seedy side, it’s still all about having a great time.
People and places, venues and faces, characterise what stands for such a vibrant city. Religion and spirituality, festivals, architecture and sheer devotion to their monarch are serious factors determining day to day life. Politics is mostly a monster that the majority would prefer to simply go away, but it still yields an influence, however, at the end of the day, considered opinion tends to ignore it rather than give it much credence, lest it weigh down thoughts of just wanting to be a part of a society that knows how to have fun. That is the charm of this wonderful lady Bangkok, a little chaotic, but also one who knows how to retain her mystique and yet still be admired for the madness she has to offer.
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