Matt's Travel & Living Blog: July 2010

One of the first things I bought in Bangkok was this folding bicycle

One fascinating aspect about large cities is the seemingly continuous flow of people and activity. Unfortunately, most people are too busy trying to get from point A to point B or too zoned-in on their world of daily routine that they miss what's going on around them. It's a shame that we can sometimes be too caught up in our own lives to enjoy life and not be mindful to take the time to experience, or at least observe, what's around us. People watching, especially in a large foreign city, can be quite interesting and revealing. The culture, lifestyle, and social tendencies appear everywhere through observation of people's daily activities. The city of Bangkok is no exception.

Bangkok at night (Lumpini Park in green)

Whether I'm in a taxi, subway, walking, or riding my bicycle there is always something to see in Bangkok - an elephant being led among the traffic, school kids waiting outside for their parents to take them home on the back of a motorbike, a ladyboy (cross-dresser) propositioning tourists, a family setting up a street-side food stall, monks with cameras visiting the city as tourists, a beggar asking for money in front of one of the many posters of the Monarchy, a protester and an armed soldier having a casual conversation, etc. These activities may be everyday occurrences for them, but for me it is a fascinating look into another world.

An elephant attracting the bar drinkers

Ladyboys after a show (yes, these are all men!)

Behind the scenes of a souvenir street shop

Even though I had settled in nicely within the city and had my own daily routine, I restrained from tuning out my environment and continued to observe the city around me. My daily 10 minute bicycle ride to the house of one of my students was a fairly easy and mundane task. One day I decided to take it slower and observe the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. I was amazed to realize how accustomed I was to the once culture-shocking aspects of this place. The shirtless man pushing his cart in the middle of the street didn't raise an eyebrow. The huge rats picking at the trash didn't startle me. The obvious unsanitary conditions of most of the food stalls didn't make me cringe. The traffic and smog filled air didn't make me complain (OK, maybe a little, but not as much as before).

The point is that I was actually part of the city, within the city, and not just a foreigner in an alien land. It was at this moment that I knew I had to record it. First, as evidence that anything in life can happen. Second, to capture the moment so that in the future I can look back and say, "Wow, that's how I used to live. That actually happened!"

Below are videos I took while riding my bicycle from my home to the home of a private student for English lessons and back home again. The videos were taken from my iPhone and I included written annotations to serve as a running commentary throughout the videos.