Traffic jam

It’s moving time again.

I can’t take the isolation of my current apartment in Chatchuchak. Chatchuchak, beyond the northern terminus of the Skytrain, and home of the famous Weekend Market, is in what could be described as “rural Bangkok.” There are still office buildings, like the strange Elephant Building across the road, but there are also lots of chicken farms. In fact, there is one across the soi from my apartment.

One of my new criteria for Bangkok housing is that there are no chicken farms in the vicinity.

And no construction. There was no construction when I moved in, but there was an unfinished brick building next door, with several families living in it. At first I assumed that these were the people building the building. But after several months of observation (my apartment looks down on them), their main activity seemed to be sleeping.

Then, about a month ago, a bunch of new people, and their families, showed up. Now construction has been kicked into high gear. By hand, with no heavy machinery, they laid the brick, erected bamboo scaffolding, covered the bricks with concrete, painted it, and installed windows. Now it’s starting to look like a modern building, even though it was hand-made.

But they are very noisy, pounding and sawing.

A little Thai food is available in the vicinity of my apartment, but there are no fruit vendors. There are also no Seven-11’s, and no internet cafes (hence the infrequent updates).

The soi itself is particularly boring. It’s essentially an alley, lined with tall walls. If you go past my apartment, the soi branches. Due to the walls, walking down a soi like this is like being a rat in a maze, since you can’t see anything. But you don’t want to walk down it, due to the traffic.

Since the soi is so isolated, various vendors drive up and down it throughout the day. A pickup truck with a loudspeaker loudly proclaims “delicious chicken.” Another truck selling Indian food (to Indians, I don’t think Thais eat Indian food) blasts Indian music. The ice cream man plays an annoying medley of Christmas carols. And, if I try to sleep in, I’m awoken by somebody honking a horn repeatedly every day at 9 am. Maybe it’s the broom-bikemobile.

I’d like nothing more that to sign a lease for a year in a nice condo and settle down for awhile. But, when it comes time to work, I have no idea where I’ll be. Unless your Point A and Point B are right on the Skytrain, which is highly unlikely due to its miniscule coverage, Bangkok is not a city you want to commute in. Traffic does not move.

Motorcycles are the only way to get anywhere fast, since they can drive between cars (making crossing the road dangerous and frustrating), and drive on the sidewalks (making walking on the sidewalk dangerous and frustrating).

I used to assume that motorcycles on sidewalks were illegal, until I was nearly run down by one of Bangkok’s finest.

But motorcycles can only take you so far. If I end up working way the heck out in Pin Klao, or across the river, I would end up with a massive commute every day until my lease was up. You have to live close to work in the Big Mango.

So, I needed something in a more interesting, less isolated area, for only a few months.

When I was apartment hunting the first time, I had the most luck in the Victory Monument area. Not only are there several short-term (no, not hourly) serviced apartments there, it’s an area packed with people, so it’s great for people watching. Plus, it’s right on the Skytrain.

Turns out that most places are full, as usual. VP Tower was OK. For the same amount I’m paying now, 10,500 baht, I lose the kitchenette (which I never used), the sofa (hardly used), and the sort of separate bedroom. But I move up to the 9th floor, with a decent view, and gain some ugly pinkish wallpaper. It’s a real shame about that wallpaper, but the location is great, which is important to me, after living like a hermit in the ‘burbs. Now the bright lights of Sukhumvit, Siam, or Silom are a 5 minute walk to the Skytrain away. I expect my social life to improve dramatically.