The Bus Goes Where: Adventures Off the 205
March 23rd, 2009
Thanon Sunthon Kosa (Sunthon Kosa Road or Khet Khlong Toei)
Bangkok, Thailand – The Bangkok bus system is a tangle of routes without a comprehensive map or Web site to assist new commuters. I wouldn’t recommend it as a mode of transportation for new visitors as you have to be able to recognize where to get off and speak a little Thai. Though if you don’t mind the inconvenience or confusion, it can be an interesting way to see parts of the city you might not see otherwise.
Bangkok is no Rome. Many buildings, whose architecture wasn’t that interesting in the first place, are rundown, garbage jams up its khlongs and shanty towns of rusty roofs and tarps are pervasive across this sprawling city. Still when the sun shines bright, the blue sky seems vast and the orange and red flowers, sprouting out of the sides of charmingly crumbled white buildings or highways, catch light and brilliance.
Today I hopped on the 205, planning to grab lunch on a street I’ve passed by many times, and inevitably ended up somewhere completely different. Still I found what I wanted, lunch, specifically a so-so red curry with chicken and a thai iced tea, plus what I really wanted, sights I hadn’t seen before. First I made my way through a covered market with much on display, such as palm sugar custards, arrays of spicy stir-fries, braised pork leg, fluffy coconut cakes, perfume and makeup counters, and more. Then I was out on the street passing friendly vendors doling out grilled bananas and khanom krok (coconut puddings), a few Chinese-y establishments selling steamed buns or fried dough and finally a white colonial-style Christian church. Then I was back on the bus and this time I knew where to get off.
Vendor Pitting Jackfruit
Wok-fried Foods
Khiaw Ka Muu (Braised Pork Leg)
Hot Oil
Chinese Steamed Buns
Banana Coconut Pancakes
Baby Bananas
Fallen Thai Sign
Christian Church
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