3 days in Bangkok

The gradual loss of keys is a wonderful symbol for the approach of travel. Over the past month I have slowly been passing on keys I once depended on. Keys to my classroom, keys to the mysterious back room in my classroom, keys to my flat, keys to my church, keys to my parent's house, and finally, keys to my car. My final act in New Zealand was to play one final gig with my band at Parachute. The gig felt slightly unusual, as each band member had a 10 metre radius around them separating them from the other members on what felt like a stage built for a gigantic brass band, but the weekend was a blast. Nothing has given me a more profound feeling of departure than times when I have said goodbye to friends and family over my final week in New Zealand. Saying goodbye to my parachute buddies felt far more significant than boarding the plane at the airport.

Bangkok is a fascinating place to visit. Cars, motorbikes, cyclists and pedestrians compete for the road, each person trying to get from A to B as quickly as possible by weaving round everybody else. Drivers thus spend a majority of their time changing lanes, convinced that the grass is greener in the lane next to them. As a pedestrian I have considerably more rights here than in New Zealand. In New Zealand I must bow down in homage to the mighty automobile, but here I can say "enough" and boldly march out in front of traffic with my hand upraised like Jim Carey in The Truman Show. Motorbikes amaze me the most, or rather what people manage to carry on motorbikes. I am also struck by the way females casually sit on the back of motorbike taxis, both legs swung to one side, some seemingly not holding on to anything at all. I am amazed at this because I was the poler opposite of such glamour, holding on for dear life on my fleeting but fun trip down the road. 

    

Me in front of a statue in a temple. 

I have been fortunate enough to have my aunt and uncle living here whom I could visit. They have been looking after me considerably. Anne has shown me round the town like a pro, and both she and her husband Dave have given me the low down on the political situation here. I am a long way from being an expert, but the protests have basically been in opposition to the current ruling party, or more specifically the Shinawatra siblings within the current ruling party. Yingluck Shinawatra is the current Prime Minister here, however, she took over her brother Thaksin after he was overthrown and charged with corruption. Thaksin avoided the prison sentence by fleeing the country, and has since lived in a variety of places such as Dubai. The thing is, Yingluck and the other members of the ruling party still consult Thaksin on how to run the country, so he is essentially still the biggest player in town. More recently, the Pheu Thai Party sought to push through an amnesty bill that would allow Thaksin to return to Bangkok a free man. Some of the public decided they had had enough, and so the protests began. The protesters are demanding that the Shinawatra siblings step down, and they have no interest in participating in the upcoming elections, which they believe will not change a thing. Their appeal is to rewrite the constitution in a hope of stamping out corruption, and for a temporary government to be put in power for 18 months while this rewriting takes place, after which new elections would take place. The leader of the protests has kindly volunteered himself to be leader of this temporary government, which many are none to happy about. On top of all this you have an urban and rural population who view things differently, and a neighbouring Cambodia who wants the current government to stay. In other words, things are not going to be resolved in the foreseeable future. I have no idea how this will be resolved, just like I have no idea how the situation in Egypt will be resolved. Both seem to promise a long future of protests and tension.      

Anti-government karaoke style solo act. 

Anti-government billboads and shoes. 

Tonight I fly out to Tel Aviv. It has been a great 3 days in Bangkok. Thanks Anne and Dave!