Bangkok life makes you say weird things
A couple of funny things people have said recently. A friend of mine commenting on a financial gift from a church in Australia to help purchase a building from the Thai mafia which will be used for a church. "He (the pastor of the donor church) is kind of conservative. He's apprehensive about getting involved with the Thai mafia!" - I guess the boundary lines for conservative and liberal have changed! :)
Another great quote. A mom who is new to Bangkok was seeking advice. Her teenage son (16) wants to go to Pattaya with friends overnight to celebrate the end of the school year. Pattaya is known for its vices (prostitution primarily). And she was hesitant to let him go. One of the others in the conversation asked, "Are there any girls going with the group? I'd make sure the group has girls going with them." Try explaining that to your conservative friends. "I demanded my son take his girlfriend with him to the beach for an overnight. I'm just protecting him from temptation!" :)
One more thought and then I'm done for the day.
I was walking out of Klong Toey slum recently. I crossed a footbridge under the expressway. The walkway to the bridge is a three foot wide narrow path between two houses. What's going on inside the houses is only separated from the public footpath by a thin layer of plywood. I always feel a little like I'm invading the people's privacy as I walk to the bridge. Weird thing happened today though. As I stepped off the bridge I was greeted by a group of 10 european tourists on bicycles heading down the foot path! :)
They were pausing to take photos along the way. I'd heard of this kind of "slum tour" before. I've even seen them riding through a poor part of my own neighborhood which is just across the main road from Klong Toey. I wonder how I would feel if people were paying big bucks to tour and take photos of my poverty. I guess on the upside these tours are exposing people to a side of Bangkok most foreigners don't ever see. It still make me uneasy.
Another great quote. A mom who is new to Bangkok was seeking advice. Her teenage son (16) wants to go to Pattaya with friends overnight to celebrate the end of the school year. Pattaya is known for its vices (prostitution primarily). And she was hesitant to let him go. One of the others in the conversation asked, "Are there any girls going with the group? I'd make sure the group has girls going with them." Try explaining that to your conservative friends. "I demanded my son take his girlfriend with him to the beach for an overnight. I'm just protecting him from temptation!" :)
One more thought and then I'm done for the day.
I was walking out of Klong Toey slum recently. I crossed a footbridge under the expressway. The walkway to the bridge is a three foot wide narrow path between two houses. What's going on inside the houses is only separated from the public footpath by a thin layer of plywood. I always feel a little like I'm invading the people's privacy as I walk to the bridge. Weird thing happened today though. As I stepped off the bridge I was greeted by a group of 10 european tourists on bicycles heading down the foot path! :)
They were pausing to take photos along the way. I'd heard of this kind of "slum tour" before. I've even seen them riding through a poor part of my own neighborhood which is just across the main road from Klong Toey. I wonder how I would feel if people were paying big bucks to tour and take photos of my poverty. I guess on the upside these tours are exposing people to a side of Bangkok most foreigners don't ever see. It still make me uneasy.
