A Stranger in a Familiar Land

My first order of business on the first full day in Bangkok was to take a Covid test so that I could return home to the United States. The testing center I chose - Huanji Gene Technology - was close to Ratchadapisek station, five stops north of my hotel. Exiting the station, I bought a sandwich from a street vendor and made my way to the testing center just before they opened at 8.30 a.m. I was fourth in line, and I was out of the center within 15 minutes. I got my negative result the same day at 4.00 p.m.

Since I was already in the northern part of the city, I decided to take a trip down memory lane by visiting my old neighborhood. I worked in Bangkok (specifically, Don Muang Airport) in 1994-95. Back then, the metro system hadn't been built, and only a small fraction of today's vast network of elevated expressways had been built. Traffic was horrendous. It would have probably taken me up to two hours to get from my hotel in Makkasan to my old neighborhood near Kasetsart University. Because of the traffic, I was severely constrained by geography. Foreigner friendly accommodations and facilities were scarce in the areas surrounding the airport, so I had few options on where to live. When I settled into my accommodation, I very quickly learned that very little English was spoken in the area. That said, my condo building had enough of a critical mass of foreign expats that one restaurant nearby created an English menu. Regardless, I had to adapt quickly. I learned enough Thai to conduct transactions, and I got to know the street vendors so I didn't have to always eat at the one slightly overpriced restaurant with the English menu.

26 years on, taking the Bangkok Sky Train to my old neighborhood, I marveled at the ease of movement. I also marveled at how the traffic actually moved. Don't get me wrong; there were still a lot of vehicles, but they weren't stalled bumper to bumper inching their way forward. Walking from the Sena Nikhom station (where I disembarked) to my old neighborhood, I saw that Ngamwongwan Road had been widened, and the intersection with Phahon Yothin now featured an overpass and an underpass for traffic, which explains why the traffic actually moved now. I also noticed much more English signage, and many new eateries featuring different international cuisines had sprung up. A number of luxury developments had also sprung up.

But, many things had not changed. My condo building was still standing, although it was showing its age. The 7-11 where the male and female staff conspired to figure out who I would be interested in was still on the corner. Back in the day, my closeted self would avoid eye contact, pay them, and make a quick exit. The dentist who did my root canal and put a crown on the remains of the tooth still appeared to be in business. 26 years on, the crown is still intact. The Chinese temple and the half dozen or so gold shops were still around. I never figured out why there were so many Chinese businesses in the area. The dinghy food court in the corner was still there. If I had visited in the evening, I would have tried to look for my favorite street food vendors, in particular the khao tom (rice soup) lady who was so kind to me. My other favorite street food vendors included a man who ran a wonton noodle stall and the Hainanese chicken rice man. If I ate breakfast out, I usually bought sweetened sticky rice with banana or taro, or fresh soybean milk. My friends back in Singapore were horrified that I was eating food on the street, but eating nothing but food from that one restaurant with the English menu was, well, not very exciting.

I walked around the area snapping photos. People politely ignored the foreigner taking photos. Although I have long moved on, it felt great to be back in the area that shaped much of what I am today. Even when I was a teenager, I knew my life path would take me away from Singapore. Bangkok was my first stop. Living abroad for the first time, I learned many things that could not be taught in a classroom. I learned how to adapt, and I learned how to interact in appropriate ways with people with whom one does not share a common background. Most importantly, I learned from the many mistakes I made along the way.

After wandering the area, I made my way to Central Plaza Lat Phrao, a nearby mall where I spent many of my days off when I didn't want to deal with traffic. This mall was somewhat foreigner friendly in the 1990s. There, one could buy cereals and cheeses. There was also a multiplex that would screen at least one English language movie at any one time. I watched a number of movies there, including some that required specific cultural or historical context such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Forrest Gump. It was surreal watching those movies and being the only person who understood the references.

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