Monday, April 04, 2016

Cavalock and The Street Life Disposition

When in Bangkok, we tried their most famous detox programme. Within minutes, we were sweating out toxins from our pores like crazy. That's right, we attended the cleansing ritual that is Chatuchak Market on a blazing Saturday morning. The last time I was here was over a decade ago and it has definitely changed a lot since then. Less chaotic, more organised stalls but still almost just as hot. I believe they still sell livestock although I didn't see any but we never walked the entire place so maybe. I could hardly find any more bootleg or counterfeit items for sale and I was gonna give up hope when I stumbled onto this and everything is right in the world again.




If you are looking for food in Chatuchak, forget it. I strongly recommend the famous Or Tor Kor market just across the road for all kinds of fresh and cooked Thai food.

And now this. Sometimes I wish we can experience a kind of old school lawlessness back in our streets. Don't you feel that when the sun goes down and you are walking down Orchard Road or the CBD, it's just people rushing from point A to B. It's incredibly boring. There's often nothing else to see or experience on the way. I mean I been to and seen the nightlife along the streets of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. In the evening, the streets come alive with a sprinkling of unruliness, a hint of chaos, a tinge of temptation but without a sense of danger to anyone. The street hawkers, peddlers and other colorful night denizens are all genuinely there to make a living. I knew they were folks breaking the law just a couple feet away from me but I didn't unsafe at all. I'm not asking for looters or mad bombers roaming the streets at night. And I'm definitely not asking for government sanctioned 'Pedestrian Night' or organised sports events along Orchard Road and Shenton Way. I want something different from the current boring street nightlife, something to stir my senses, something that'll make me pause and do a double take at what that guy is selling from his little makeshift stall. I suppose the closest we have here are the Geylang back alleys but nah, that ain't working for me. I want something more brazen with the chance to be shocked or surprised by what I see on sale. I also believe that's what tourists would like too. Is that too much to ask?

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