Bangkok is Alive

That little tree growing in Brookline has nothing on Bangkok. Everything grows in Bangkok. In this large dirty cement covered city, plants grow everywhere and in everything. While the average American city dweller struggles with a Boston fern or an African Violet every dirty side walk in Bangkok has a potted plant flourishing. Greenery adorns every window ledge, roof top or crack in the cement. One feels like if the keepers of the cement went on vacation for a day the plants would take over this hot sunny city.

When a Honolulu dweller decides to try growing a lotus they find an old bathtub and decide that a few days of blooming beauty in their front yard will make up for the fact that they have plumbing rubbish littering their yards for the rest of the year. The Thais on the other hand will use a decorative ceramic planter and viola a blooming lotus!

Pak Klong Talaat (Wholesale Flower Market)

Thailand 2009

It goes without saying that the Bangkok Sky Train and its underground transportation partner, the MRT system are the epitome of modern transportation models. Fast, easy, clean; the whole big deal. Yes, 20 minutes on the Sky Train would take over an hour by Taxi. Yes Tuk Tuks are slow and dangerous, yes, the pollution on the streets is goes beyond appalling and moves on to amazing, everything about Bangkok transportation is almost a cliché, however, it is what can be purchased at the stations that makes the whole thing the coolist. We have been here a day and a half and my list of purchaseable goods and services is as follows:

Fresh squeezed juice
Freshly brewed herbal remedies
Cut, color, style
Cupcakes
Cakes
Pastries
Cell Phones
Coffee
Ice Cream
Ice Cream with sprinkles
A gym membership
River boat tours

As for the MRT—
They have a little underground mall where the materialistic frenzy dwarfs the Sky Train’s mere convenience kiosks. Again so far on day one and a half:

Iphones
Spa Treatments, in addition to cut, color, style
Gym bags
Coffee
Massage
Internet Café (check your email before you get on the train)
Cakes, pastries, confectionary
Complete over-the-counter drug store

After we checked email we went and got on the train so we only got half way through the underground mall.