One of the benefits of spending a summer in Southeast Asia is that there is a plethora of places close by to explore. While it would take four hours to travel from Georgetown to New York by car, trips to destinations such as Singapore and Malaysia are, at the most, three hours away from where I’m staying in Yangon.
One of my favorite destinations is Bangkok. Due to its proximity to Yangon — Bangkok is only a one-hour flight — this vibrant city has become a favorite vacation get-away for many Burmese people, including my family. Whenever we can all manage to end up together in Myanmar, it has become a tradition for us to take a week-long trip to Bangkok.
In many ways, this trip, which we’ve ended up taking about every two years, doesn’t change much. If anything, we strive for consistency: We stay in the same hotel around the same time of year and usually frequent the same shopping malls and landmarks. However, despite our tested and perfected routine, the city itself is almost unrecognizable each time we return. Every time I visit, there are new, modern buildings dotting the landscape or old buildings undergoing large-scale renovations. An empty lot next to our hotel had now become a high-rise apartment complex.. One of my favorite malls was closed, much to my chagrin, for another renovation. This constant change is indicative of how Bangkok is growing into a cosmopolitan hub and will maintain its status as one of the leading cities in Southeast Asia.
However, in spite of what seems like steady waves of unstoppable change, Bangkok — and Thailand as a whole — still maintains much of its tradition and culture. This is, in part due, how, when Myanmar and other countries fell into the hands of foreign powers, Thailand remained unconquered. As a result, the kings of Thailand succeeded in both preserving Thailand’s historic culture while investing in its future. This is not limited to the history books; the juxtaposition between past and present, and the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between the two, is even apparent in one of the trendiest districts. There are a multitude of large shopping centers brimming with designer stores, ranging from Prada to Hermès. However, situated between two of these mega shopping malls is one block of land on which a four-faced statue of a celestial being rests. Hundreds of people wander in and out of this space for the opportunity to pray for a few minutes and buy flowers and incense from the vendors floating around to offer in exchange for good luck in business ventures. Just a few blocks away is another one of these sacred areas, right in front of another large shopping center. Bangkok’s ability to incorporate both of these worlds into such a metropolitan area is one of my favorite parts of the city.
My second favorite aspect of the city is the food. Not only is it mouth-wateringly delicious, but it’s also more than affordable. On almost all of the sidewalks, there are a myriad of food vendors. These women and men sit all day in makeshift stalls selling delicacies ranging from cut-up mango with packs of sugar to plastic bags filled with fish ball soup. My family and I love to come to these vendors at night; instead of buying dinner at a fancy restaurant, we prefer to scour the streets for some fried fish, papaya salad and tom yum soup. The highlight of searching for whatever we’re craving is procuring the dessert. Thailand offers the most decadent and enticing desserts possible. You know it’s a good evening when your most difficult decision is choosing between mango with sticky rice, the delectabledurian — large coconuts filled with coconut juice and succulent coconut flesh or ripe, exoticmangosteen, a sweet tangy fruit.
As per tradition, I left Bangkok feeling like I had just explored an entirely new city. No matter how many times I visit, I know each time will be a different and exciting adventure and I look forward to my next opportunity to discover an unfamiliar Bangkok.
Eng Gin Moe is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. THE GOLDEN LAND appears online every other week in the guide.
