Sidewalks

In November, I was chatting with a Peace Corps staff member about his trip to Washington, DC several years ago for a conference. He described being impressed by the width of the sidewalks and how easy it was to walk around the city on them. I hadn't consciously thought about Bangkok's sidewalk widths before that conversation, but now I notice it often!

In Bangkok -- and in most of Thailand, as far as I have seen -- a sidewalk wide enough to safely walk on is a rarity. In the event that a sidewalk is more than 24 inches wide, it is probably then largely taken over by vendors of various types: iced coffee mixers, noodle makers, fruit choppers, and sellers of sequined clothing, jewelry, flower garlands, and other assorted items spread out on tables and blankets. As you walk down the street you must dodge not only the vendors and their carts, but also their customers, neighbors and friends out for a chat, and any random motorcyclists who happen to be taking a shortcut.

There are times when the endless vendors provide great distraction for walking through the heat and smog. Today, as we traversed the space between our guest house and the Peace Corps office, we passed by a school that had just closed for the day (summer session). It was a sight to behold all the snacks and treats lined up outside the gates, waiting to be eaten by hungry kids after a long day's study. Meat on skewers, popsicles, green jelly sandwiches on white bread, gelatinous sugary blobs... So interesting, in fact, that I didn't even notice the sweat dripping down my back until many blocks later.

We're spending this evening in the air-conditioned PC lounge, ordering pizza and watching a video. Kind of like a night at home, almost, in a way...