Erawan Shrine – December 5, 2010

Erarwan Shrine is one of the busiest shrines in Bangkok. Its location certainly helps - it’s at the center of the Ratchaprasong commercial district in Bangkok, where two major roads come together, the two Skytrain lines intersect, and immediately in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

The story goes that, when the original hotel was being built, there were a number of accidents and delays and the developers were advised to build a shrine to garner divine support. After they built the shrine, the rest of the development went off without a hitch, so the shrine became a popular spot, particularly for people praying for commercial success.

I went today and it certainly is popular, even if many of the devotees are carrying shopping bags from the surrounding high-end malls.

From what I could tell, the process seems to be:

First, you buy flowers, joss sticks, and candles from the vendor in the corner.

You light the joss sticks and candles, shake them several times, and then raise them to your forehead.

After a few silent prayers, you plant the sticks and candles in a container filled with sand.

People also place the flowers on the altar.

Once you’re done, there is a small tub of water in the far corner. People rinse their hands there and also sprinkle some of the water on their heads.


To make a more significant offering, you can also pay to have dancers do a traditional dance. It’s all very organized, with the rates spelled out according to the duration of the dance and the number of dancers.

Or, you can choose to buy some sparrows in small cages and then set them free. For Thais, setting animals free is seen as an act of kindness and a way of honoring the gods.

Because it’s all pretty quick – in and out in less than five minutes – there is a fair amount of “recycling” going on. Attendants - in pith helmets, no less - constantly circle the shrine, plucking out the burning candles and joss sticks, and picking up the flower garlands.

They cart these back over to the vendor, where they are sold again. Given that we’re at the center of the shopping district, there’s a certain appropriateness to keeping the shelves stocked and the customers buying.

Election Day

A little slice o’ Bangkok daily life:

This weekend, Colin and Anna had a “house-warming/holiday” party. (The irony of having a house “warming” party when it’s 92 degrees outside wasn’t lost on anyone.) They had actually moved into their new place a few months ago, but Anna has been traveling a lot for business, Colin was in the US for a few weeks, and they were waiting for their sea shipment of stuff from the States to arrive.

My plan was to buy some wine to bring. Well… it turns out that this weekend was Election Day. (Not sure how election “day” can actually be all day Saturday and Sunday, but there you have it.) And it turns out that you cannot buy liquor on an election day. So, no liquor all weekend long – not in a store, a restaurant, or a bar. (I learned later that this is a carryover from when politicians used to hold parties on Election Day as a way of getting the attendees to have a good time and then vote for them.) So, no wine to be had. By the way, here’s a photo of the one election poster I saw in this neighborhood.


On to plan B – I ended up buying an amaryllis instead. So, there I was, walking down Sukhumvit Road at 8:30 PM on a Saturday night, carrying an amaryllis. Definitely made me stand out from the crowd. Felt a little like a celebrity, with people pointing and smiling. There are a number of massage places along Sukhumvit and the “working girls” are usually out front, calling out “massaaaaaaaaage, suuuuuuh” as you walk by. But last night, I heard a lot of “for me, suuuuuuuuh” and “sua, mahk-mahk” (very pretty). Very funny.

Lumphini Park

Lumphini Park is Bangkok’s Central Park – a big, green space in the middle of the city.

Unlike the deserted walkway that I took to get there, the park itself is crowded. Even at 7:30 AM on a Saturday. Lots of Thai and Chinese people out. Some runners, but mostly walkers. (Makes sense, given the heat -- even at 7:30 AM.)

Also, some people out doing yoga on the grass and lots of people doing tai chi – some in organized classes with matching outfits, and some that seem to be just a group of random people who all decided to exercise together for a little while.

These women were dancing with fans, which they would snap open with a cracking sound.

Even a large group of people doing aerobics, following along – more or less – in front of an instructor up on a stage.

But also lots of families having meals – large groups sitting at tables, eating. Seems odd because it’s so early in the morning. I can understand showing up at 10:00 AM and getting set up for lunch. But it’s 7:30 AM and they look like they’ve been here for a while. In fact, some of them seem like they’re done and getting ready to pack up and leave.


And even though I am so over the heat and humidity, I have to admit that it is great for the flowers.

There were also several “monk panels” – groups of monks sitting at a long table. Not sure what they were doing, though I did see a person or two kneel down in front to pray.

And because I was there at 8:00, the national anthem was played over loudspeakers. And, as is required, everyone stopped and stood at attention as the anthem played. Still amuses me to see every time.

Khlong Toei Walkway

I’ve been meaning to get to Lumphini Park at some point and, with time running out here in Bangkok, I decided that I better go this weekend. Lumphini Park is sort of Bangkok’s Central Park – a big, green space in the middle of the city, where people go to walk and run, have picnics, and to just relax and enjoy the (relatively) fresh air.

There is a subway stop at the park, but it’s also possible to walk from CentrePoint. There is a canal –Khlong Toei - just behind the apartments, with a walkway along the canal. (If we stick with the NYC motif, the walkway is sort of Bangkok’s answer to the High Line.) I went this way this morning and it turned out that the walkway was interesting in its own right.

To get there, first you cross a little wooden bridge right behind CentrePoint – avoiding the motorcycles, of course.

The walkway starts out pretty close to the canal, which, pictures notwithstanding, is not the nicest water around. In fact, it’s pretty stagnant and nasty. You can certainly smell it, which may be one of the reasons why there are rarely other people on the walkway.

The walkway goes up and over the Mahanakorn Expressway and then stays up high so when it crosses into a neighborhood next, you’re at rooftop level.

You get an interesting glimpse of Bangkok daily life – a look at what the houses in town must have looked like before high rises took over.

Most of the homes are old and wooden – probably the original canal homes.

Because this is the King’s Birthday weekend, some of the streets have yellow flags flying.

And out of nowhere, there was a mosque sticking up from the middle of all those wooden homes.

Eventually, the walkway crosses over one more main road – Wireless Road – and then you can head down into Lumphini Park - which I'll write about next.

Som Tam

On my way back from lunch today, I ran into Charlie – the CFO of LMG Thailand – in the elevator. (Charlie is half Thai, half Australian which is why he has a name like Charlie and not Boonsong or Pomphet.) I was carrying a small bag of fresh pineapple. I buy pineapple almost every day from the same street vendor – you can’t go wrong for 10 baht (about 30 cents). Charlie pointed to the pineapple and asked, “So, you can eat food from the street vendors?” I thought, “C’mon Charlie, I’ve been here for over 5 months. If my stomach hasn’t adapted by now, it’s never going to.” But, instead I just smiled and said, “Yes. I buy street food regularly.”

That is one thing I will miss when I am back in Boston – the street vendors. They’re not all selling food I want to eat – or can even identify – but it’s still fascinating to see. And it’s all informal – people just seem to wheel a cart into a spot on the sidewalk, fire up a charcoal grill, and start cooking and selling. Maybe it’s grilled fish or chicken, maybe it’s curry, or noodles, or corn on the cob. (For some reason, corn on the cob is popular here.)


Tonight, on my way home, I stopped to buy a “som tam” from a street vendor. This guy is in the same spot every evening and he makes a really good som tam. Some times he makes it and some times it’s a woman who I think might be his wife. I’ve gone there enough that he knows how I like my som tam. That’s one of the advantages of being a foreigner here – you stand out from the crowd and the vendors remember you pretty quickly. (Som tam is a salad of green (unripe) papaya, fish paste, tomatoes, and peanuts in a chili/lime sauce. You get to pick how many chilies you want in your som tam, or how much fish paste, or a little sugar or none. I usually go for one or two chilies at most, but I noticed the woman in front of me tonight asked for four. Yikes!)

So, while he was making my som tam, I decided to snap a few photos – of his cart and the grilled chicken and fish he also sells – but also the other vendors immediately nearby.

It’s hard to convey in words and pictures how many vendors there are and how many people are out buying food on the streets – all day long, not just in the evening. I took these photos without moving more than about three feet. (Okay, so one guy is selling flowers on the steps of the 7-11 and not food.) And this is just one short stretch of one street along the way home. It’s just incredible how many places to eat there are on the street.

As for not getting sick, the trick is to pick the vendors who are doing brisk business. That way, you know the food is turning over quickly and is (relatively) safe. It’s worked so far – knock wood.

And here is what a som tam looks like on a plate.

They give you some cabbage and some green beans to go with it. (Obviously I am not a food stylist, but it sure is tasty!)

One thing that gives me a laugh whenever I buy a som tam from this guy is that, after he’s done making the salad and putting it into a plastic bag, he rinses his hands in a bucket of water that’s sitting on the sidewalk before he grabs the green beans and puts them in the bag. Very fastidious but seriously… is that really helping?!