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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Cabbages
and Condoms by Tina Hammond Living in Australia, I find myself returning to the same place more than once (there are, after all, less than a dozen major cities in the whole country!), and thought it may be of assistance to SIG members if I wrote an article on public transport - often the only way of getting around if holidaying on a budget in the capital cities of each state. Incidentally, I spent four days in Bangkok last September/October: but with a difference: this time my trip coincided with a period when one of my friends from London was living there, so I stayed with him. As anybody who has been to Bangkok knows, it is a filthy, congested place, with little to see except the Grand Palace and the street markets (unless one ventures outside the metropolis to the floating markets, rose garden etc), and I was somewhat dubious of Dick's claims that there was ample room for my husband and me at his flat. I need not have worried; the lounge/diner was as large as three or four average British lounges and each bedroom was twice the size of two master bedrooms - each with its own en suite bathroom: bath, toilet, shower. Again, each of these rooms were larger than your average bathroom! In addition to this, there was a toilet/shower for general use while sipping an ice cold beer when sitting in the lounge (I actually had to wear socks and trousers, so effective was the air conditioning!), as well as a kitchen off the other side of the lounge/diner, which was used exclusively by his Thai maid. She, in turn, had her own bedroom and toilet/shower off the kitchen! At each far end of the lounge was a balcony, one of which overlooked more flats, and the other a lovely lake (another surprise!) Dick was working at the British Embassy in Bangkok, which is only one mile drive in the morning, and two miles back in the evening, due to the one-way system there! I actually walked it on my first day and took just under half an hour in the heat. It takes Dick this time to drive to work and normally longer to drive home; in fact, when I was there, he phoned to say he was leaving at 4.55: and arrived home at 7.45! That was not so bad however; three and a half hours is his record to date. Curious at this self-torture, I enquired why he did not walk; the simple reason was that it was so humid that by the time you had walked there, your clothes are sweaty, and you would only feel like showering and resting for a while, whereas, in the car, you put on the air con, a few tapes and just sit there! I was also intrigued by the 'soi' parts of addresses that I have come across on my previous couple of trips there. Dick lives in 'Sukhumvit soi 12' which, upon close examination, turned out to be the sixth soi from Bangkok city centre on the 'evens' side of the road. Amazingly enough, the soi's get well into their 70's - I know this because a high numbered soi was flooded under three feet of water while we were there - these are a long way from the city centre, though. On Dick's first trip back to London after moving out there, he told me there was a pub called CABBAGES AND CONDOMS near him. I scarcely believed it and was certainly taken aback when it turned out to be his nearest: also in soi 12! We had a few drinks in the Condom Beer Garden, followed by a meal, and were delighted to be presented with a condom each, instead of an after-dinner mint! Certainly worth a look, if only for curiosity value. We went to the Grand Palace by river boat: what a difference in prices! The private boat costs Baht 150 and the public B6 each! We went on the public boat, which was standing room only, and recommended only if you are not in a hurry. We were on the way back, so went privately! One thing
to be on your guard against are taxi drivers. The procedure is to book
a cab with the company in front of the airport, and you will be given
a sheet of duplicated paper with your destination and the standard fare
written on it (about B500). The driver has to abide by this contract.
However, there is a toll-road between the airport and the city, and some
drivers ask if you wish to go the long way round, or pay the B30 for the
toll. They normally go the toll road anyway, but still ask for the money.
DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM. It is included in the agreed fare. Should you
need to get a cab around town, ALWAYS agree on a price before starting
out on the journey. It is not a good idea to go by the meter because of
the traffic congestion. Once a fare has been agreed the driver will keep
his side of the bargain, and bill you only for that. Look out for your
change: if you have agreed on B250, make sure he gives you B250 and not
B200, in exchange for a B500 note. A doorman at the Orient told me that
this is a common trick amongst cabbies. Incidentally,
to give you an idea of values and prices in Bangkok, Dick pays his maid
B5,000 a month (which is very good: the average is B4,500). Bear in mind
this includes all her food, bed and a more comfortable house than her
family would live in, soil is quite a sought after job. He pays the security
guard at the block of flats B300 a month to wash, wax and polish his car
EVERY MORNING. We had to leave for the airport at 6.30 our last day there:
and the car was already done! The exchange rate is about B37 to £1
(as at September 1994). First published in issue 16 (April 1995) |