The walk home

Left the Thai language class feeling despondent at my lack of any kind of grasp of this language and decided to walk home. In about a mile walked across an entire slice of Bangkok life. 300 yards up Rachadamri I came to the Erewan Shrine, where thai dancers in traditional costume and musicians were performing, and crowds of people were burning incense and buying little cages of sparrows to set free. Then left down to Siam Square where the six lanes of traffic is so heavy the only way of getting around is to walk above it on the elevated walkway. This runs out so you have to walk through the department stores - acres and acres of branded goods in dead air conditioned space. Then right onto Phaya Thai Road. Cross where the road goes over the stinky khlong. I stopped at a canal-side cafe bar which is popular with young trendy Thais - extremely fashionable, talking on their mobile phones. Then on up the road past the Asia Hotel with all the massage girls sitting out front. Another hair-raising traffic intersection to cross at Petburi, and a quick detour to the southern Thai pavement food stalls outside the mosque for some mangoes and sticky rice. Then up through the workaday streets of Ratchathewi - stalls, street food, people threading garlands, motorbikes. Then through the office car park that every one uses as a short cut, over the Skytrain station bridge, and home.