The following day, my ankle’s very swollen, and now shades of purple and green. I tell myself it’s just bruised and spend 24 hours reading, hobbling to the kitchen and elevating my left leg. But the pain doesn’t go away. After two days, I admit defeat and take a cab to the nearest hospital. It’s a state-run Thai establishment and a teaching hospital so, in my opinion, I’m likely to get good treatment. Since I have travel insurance, the cost is not what’s bothering me…just the diagnosis.
OK, let’s cut to the chase. What’s it like to be out on the streets during Songkran?
Well, to sum up, I’d say that all you can do is adopt a ‘fight or flight’ motto. Essentially, you have to prepare to get drenched. And I mean drenched. Venturing out onto the streets, I quickly realise I’m not properly dressed (yikes, I should have donned a waterproof jacket and wellies!) There are water wars everywhere - both locals and tourists seem to be armed with huge plastic waters guns and no-one is safe…
The park itself is divided into different zones, all offering the visitor a variety of experience, You'll see sculpture and art installations as you walk along, and one particularly area has beautifully-maintained gardens, where trees and flowers native to Thailand all flourish, Even better, benches have been placed - strategically - all along the route, meaning you can rest your weary legs at intervals, or simply sit to pause and reflect….
But the blue one is the longest, and will get you to all kinds of places, for the princely sum of 17-45 baht ($0.50-$1.25) depending on how far you’re going. It’s incredibly modern, super convenient and blessedly air-conditioned (on some days, it’s positively frigid in those carriages!) It’s also clean, comfortable, gives announcements both in Thai and English (spoken and written) and there are seats set aside for the elderly, the disabled, pregnant women and - wait for it - monks. Amazingly, no-one who shouldn’t sits in these seats, even at rush hour…
It’s a treasure trove, a veritable treasure trove of furniture, lighting, prints, sculptures, chinaware, household goods, toys, jewellery…and it’s air conditioned. I am entranced, wandering from booth to booth, staring at statues of Buddhas, china cups, a brass gramophone and a lethal-looking dagger…
I move to a far more residential part of the city, where there are almost no tourist spaces, and end up in a co-working space called Pillow and Bread, which really is a good place to get used to Thailand. I wander the streets aimlessly, stopping in the grocery stores to stare at local products. I eat at night markets, along with all the locals - I point to pictures of dishes that look like (or are marked vegetarian) and seem to end up eating well. …
I don’t have any Baht and rather than stand and queue to make an exchange, I try my luck with the conductor. I offer her two dollar bills (which is more than 60 baht) and she gladly accepts and tucks them into her little purse. The bus fills up and off we go. Almost one hour and 45 minutes later (the traffic is horrendous, not just because it’s Bangkok but also because it’s the morning rush hour) I’m deposited - as Moovit says - right where I should be.
