Week 4: An excursion to Bangkok
My Work
This week was a pretty normal week of desk research. I have been able to communicate with some potential interviewees and set up times, which to be honest, I am thrilled to have received any responses at all. In the meantime, ODC suggested that they host a workshop surrounding technology and small-to-midsize enterprises (SMEs). I would be able to communicate my research thus far and engage in a communication with some of the attendees. While they would not be interviews, I would still have conversations from the businesses to support any conclusions I may find. Part of this week was spent drafting up the invitations and putting together the event. The event will be held in two weeks, which one thing about Cambodia is that events and meetings pop up out of nowhere. It keeps me on my toes, and I am lucky to receive more than a few minutes notice about certain meetings in the office. But I hope that two weeks time can be enough to gain meaningful attendance.
My Travels
A Cambodia visa only lasts 30 days and there are two ways of going about renewing it: 1) find, what I would assume is the Cambodian international version of the DMV or 2) leave and come back. So, Friday evening, I landed in Bangkok, Thailand to visit Courtney, a fellow William & Mary law student interning in the city. Getting off the plane, I knew that even though I had only flown an hour, I was in a very different place. For one, there was not a single tuk tuk in sight. My Cambodia phone network is a simple one, and while they had advertised an international plan in many of the southeast Asian countries, I was not confident I would have cell service there. Turns out I was right but was able to navigate to where I was staying without too many issues.
After a quick drop and go of my things, we headed out to Khaosan Road where many young backpackers can experience a road lined with bars, deafening music, and….scorpions? Even though it is apparently a classic must-have in Thailand, scorpions never made it on the menu during my stay. I loved the opportunity to be out and about with a fellow traveler and catch up on our lives in southeast Asia thus far. Plus it was a joy to see that travelers from all backgrounds love to sing and dance to America’s top hits from the 2010s.
Even after a late night, we wasted no time on Saturday morning. We were off to see the weekend Chatuchak market. Lines and lines of clothing, trinket, food, shoes, and jewelry stalls made for hours of fun and cheap shopping. My favorite purchase of the day was a decorative battery powered clock that will go right on my nightstand back home in Virginia. Even though cheaper items usually mean lesser quality, the clock seemed genuinely well made, and I think I would have bought it even if it never works a day in its life. Unfortunately, I have no picture to show as it has been neatly placed in bubble wrap and packaged to be safely stuffed in my suitcase for the plane ride home at the end of the summer. Our next stop was dinner in Chinatown, a place famous for their food vendors. There is even a Michelin star food stall that creates a line of people every evening. Although it was an early dinner and street vendors were just setting up, that meant we had the opportunity to get the first batch of food. Of course, a trip to Thailand would have felt wrong without eating pad Thai.
With miles under our feet, we rested back at Courtney’s place. Whenever I travel to a different city for a weekend, resting always seems like a waste of time but after hours of being on our feet, it is hard to say no to A/C. We were able to pull ourselves together to visit a nook close by with bars and restaurants. They even had pool tables in a couple of the bars where many expats were attempting to play – although I am sure calling what they were doing “playing” might offend anyone who is decent at the game.
On Sunday, we visited two temples: Wat Arun and Wat Pho. My normal travel routines consist of tuk tuk rides and walking, but Thailand offers a range of transportation to get across the city. And this tour of transportation has so far consisted of cars, subways, and trains. In order to get to Wat Arun, we added ferry to this list! Being out on the water offered a wonderful view of the city and a nice breeze to go along with it.
Compared to the temples in Cambodia, these temples were the most intricate and colorful that I have seen. Pictures never do it justice. Having a travel buddy helps with a lot of aspects of exploring, but one of my favorite things is that you do not have to scope out a trustworthy person to snap a quick picture of you. It was fun to take selfies and pictures together. Wat Arun is relatively small in area but was a good place to hang out. Wat Pho is most known for the giant reclining Buddha that takes up the whole building. It was almost impossible to get a good picture that encompassed his head all the way down to his feet.
To end the weekend, we spent the evening on top of the 46th floor of a rooftop bar. It was the first time I could see all of the city, not to mention the lights of the city at night. We sat for a few hours just looking at the view, and if I did not have an early flight home in the morning, I could have stared at the jellyfish/Avatar-esque lights all night. It is also a great place for people watching since many were trying to capture the best picture for their social media accounts.
Even after an exciting weekend with Courtney, I am excited to get back to my tuk tuks in Cambodia.