I had an eye-opening (or ear-opening) language lesson today with one of the teachers whom I normally don’t have. She explained that Thai has a spoken rhythm that is pretty much unvarying across speakers (as well as the rules about tones), unlike in English where rhythm and intonation are more idiosyncratic to the speaker. English speakers aren’t used to these rhythms, so it is hard for us to pick out the important words in a sentence. We also have difficulties understanding spoken Thai because we/learn/to/say/each/Thai/word/in·di·vid·u·al·ly/and/pre·cise·ly insteaddalearningthemthuhwaytheyrackshallypronounstinnasentence.
A few street shots
while I work on other projects.
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Screens
It is very difficult to escape video advertising in Bangkok, on the sides of buildings and especially on public transportation. I hear the warrior from Clash of Clans scream every morning and afternoon at least once, see the very pretty male model sniff the wonderful fragrance of his freshly-laundered shirt as four beautiful women surround him, and watch a bunch of attractive people buy up everything in sight using the “Shopee” app. I’d say everyone else on the train does, too, but half of them have their eyes glued to their own personal screens.
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Tourism 101: Wat Pathum Wanaram
Central Bangkok is densely populated with shopping malls, hotels and office buildings, and during the day the sound of traffic is everywhere. Nevertheless, in the middle of the Siam Paragon, Siam Square and CentralWorld malls, you can find the relative quiet of the Wat Pathum Wanaram temple. Built in 1857 and shielded (somewhat) by high walls, the temple complex includes a main prayer hall; a stupa; an ordination hall, where the holiest of prayers ceremonies are conducted; a memorial hall; and a library and monks’ quarters.
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| The main prayer hall, standing between the stupa and (across the street) CentralWorld mall; building detail; the interior of the prayer hall; detail of the glass, gold leaf and enamel decoration. | |||
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| The ordination hall, the stupa and the main hall, with SiamParagon mall as a backdrop; the interior of the ordination hall; the stupa spire; a multi headed snake stands guard outside the main prayer hall. | |||
Surprisingly, the internet doesn’t have much else to say about the temple, but given how many amazing temples there are in Bangkok, this may be par for the course.
One more about massages
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| This is a thing, apparently. Draw your own conclusions. | |
Despite all of the reflexology charts used to advertise foot massages, the massage places here don’t actually do reflexology; they just do foot massages. Having tried three different spas, I’ve learned that not all foot massages are created equal. Since there are seven different massage spas in the immediate neighborhood – at least six of which seem legit, I’m not so sure about the seventh – I have plenty of opportunities to find one that I like.
Speaking of feet, today I wandered into the backstreets off Sukhumvit (one of the major streets in Bangkok, and the closest to our apartment), and found myself on the grounds of the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly Company. The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly is a state-owned enterprise that, until the conclusion of the ASEAN free trade agreement, had the monopoly on the manufacture and sale of tobacco products in Thailand. Thailand now imports foreign cigarettes as well, but the company is still in business and the air is heavy with the smell of tobacco. That said, the place seemed deserted and there was little to see that wasn’t fenced off or closed up tight, until I came across this bunch of workers playing a feet-and-heads-only version of volleyball.
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| Tattoos are a big deal here. Zoom in for a better look. |
Next: something that isn’t about massages.
Let’s learn Thai!
I’ve taken a few days of Thai lessons now, and I’m already using it to get around town. When I was studying Greek, I complained about how difficult the grammar was, particularly the declensions and conjugations: that the word for “dog,” for example, was either “σκύλος”, “σκύλο”, or “σκύλου” depending on whether I meant “the dog” as a subject, “the dog” as an object, or “the dog” as a possessive noun; and “work” was “δουλεύω,” “δουλεύεις,” “δουλεύει” and so on, depending on whether I work, you work, or he works. Thai has none of those problems: regardless of who is working, the verb is งาน, which is pronounced “tham”, with an aspirated “t”. (The script is complicated, but I’m not learning it yet.) I “tham,” you “tham,” we all “tham.” Also, “I” and “me” are the same word, written in Thai as ผม and pronounced “phŏm.” “Dog” is always หมา regardless of where it is in the sentence.
Where Greek has an advantage, however, is that all the first-person forms of the verbs end is “-ω”, with or without an accent, so it is easy to know which words were verbs: “μπορώ,” “κάνω,” “δουλέυω,” “καταλαβαίνω,” and so on: they all end in an “o” sound. Those same words in phonetic Thai? “Dâay,” “mii,” “thamŋaan,” and “khâwcay.” (“ŋ” is an “ng” sound, and the c is closer to a j.) Worse, the language utilizes tones and elongated vowels, so that “kháw,” “khâaw,” and “khăaw” mean different things – he, she or it; rice; and white. Moreover, “khâaw khăaw” means “white rice,” “klɔ̂ŋ” means “camera,” but “khâawklɔ̂ŋ” means “brown rice” and not “rice camera.”
First impressions
We have been here for a little over a week, and I’ve been slow to start photographing in earnest. Instead of exploring the city with my camera on my own, we have been settling in at the Embassy, we’ve moved to the permanent apartment and begun to set it up, and we’ve done some shopping; meanwhile, I’ve also started Thai language lessons and yoga. Which is not to say that I haven’t photographed at all; in fact, I’ve already joined one of the photography clubs in the city. It’s just that I haven’t photographed a lot yet (and what I have photographed has not necessarily been all that sophisticated. Sometimes I’m still a six-year-old.)
There are a few recurring themes so far. First is the sheer quantity of food vendors. They are everywhere, at all hours of the day, especially in the area where I live.
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| Admittedly, I’m not always sure what the food is. |
The other thing that is everywhere are massages. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a massage parlor in the center of town or anyplace else the tourists frequent.
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Generally, the massage spas are legit, but some of them aren’t. How can you tell? If there is a mix of younger and older ladies in matching shirts sitting outside, and they show you a menu card with items like “foot massage” and “traditional Thai massage,” and you can see people getting massages inside through the front window, you know you’re in good hands.
Conversely, if you can’t see what’s going on inside, and the young girls (always young girls, not older ladies) out front show you a menu card where the first item on the list is “ball massage and hand job“, then it’s best not to go in.
Next: more early impressions.
Arrived in Bangkok
Not much to say today, after 24+ hours of travel. First impressions, leaving the airport. It is the rainy season.
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There will be much more to come …