Must See: The train in the Bangkok Market

[malaise]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEqtUANjBeY

Juxtapose this level of poverty with those beach front luxury hotels.

[kurth]

1. Freakin' unbelievable

[paulk]

2. poverty?

that's not poverty, those are businesses. It's the way things are done there.

[malaise]

5. And the two aren't connected?

Do you think anyone in their right mind would be selling in those conditions if they had a choice?

[paulk]

6. I've been to Thailand 8 times in the last 10 years

and, with all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about. Space is at a premium in BK, and just because someone has a street business doesn't mean they're poor.

[mvccd1000]

9. Agreed - I just came back from my 3rd trip. That's normal there.

Just because people are spoiled here and wouldn't choose to live like that, does not mean that they see it as "living in squalor." Thai people have different ideas of what is important in life than we do, and they have VERY different ideas of what constitutes comfortable living conditions than we do.

Most posters here would probably FREAK OUT if they visited Thailand and saw young women driving down the street on motorbikes with their 2-3 year old children sitting on the seat behind them; no helmet, no baby seat, just arms holding mommy. Things that are commonplace there are not so accepted here....

[loudsue]

14. Thank you for the information....

I believe that you are likely correct. I grew up in El Paso, Texas, and near the border crossing downtown, there are a lot of street shops that would shock some people here. And the vendors there mostly do pretty well for themselves. It just doesn't "look" like it from some points of view.

[307 MMS]

15. Thais

I spent a year in Thailand during the 'Nam campaign. Learned to speak the language. Came close to returning to live after my hitch ended. Wonderful people. We have no idea what's important to them or how the Asian mentality works. I got a good look at Buddhism and what it means to the people. This video seemed of the norm to me. Folks in this country would be more educated if they traveled more. Would I have gone to Thailand if it wasn't for the war? No, but I learned an awful lot when I was loading B-52s and when I wasn't at "work". I still have a great Thai friend in Krungtep, that's Thai for Bangkok. Krungtep means "city of Angels". But nothing like our L.A. Sorry for the ramble but it just looked so normal, a minor nuisance, if you will. Goin' back next year...or at least hope to.

[malaise]

16. I live in the developing world

among poor people and believe me I've never seen anything like this.
Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about for real.

[spanone]

17. yea, all these rich people put their offices on the train track....

i agree with you malaise

[mvccd1000]

18. Remember that the Thai culture is one of the oldest on earth.

Buddhists are in the year 2550 (or thereabouts), and they've a very settled, pragmatic people. As a nation, they may not be as developed as the US, but as a people and a culture, they are extremely developed. I really enjoy the culture there, and hope to go back; it is SOOOO different than anything we can comprehend living in the US.

The market in Bangkok is quite famous; it is said that it can take two or three days to go through the whole thing. My friend warned me how crowded it was, so we passed on it (and went to the beach instead). :)

[paulk]

19. the video is from the Chatuchak or "weekend market"

in Bangkok. It's the largest weekend market in the world. It's only open Sat/Sun, so it's just incredibly crowded. And that sort of scene is not unusual for other areas, where "shops" can line both sides of a sidewalk back to back and extend out into the street.

While there is a good deal of poverty, Thailand is not a "developing" country. They just have there own way of doing things. One of the biggest lessons I learned in going to Asia is that it's a mistake to judge eastern cultures from a western POV. It's just different there.

[mrdmk]

3. Talk about cramped for space, this takes the cake n/t

[bridgit]

4. that...is amazing...

:wow:

[ThatsMyBarack]

10. Yes, indeed-o!

:wow:

[Twenty3]

7. That's really amazing!

We're so used to wide open spaces here - just look at the huge (train-size?) aisles in a typical supermarket!

[VP505]

8. Bet there

aren't too many shop keepers snoozing on the job. LOL

[ret5hd]

11. Well, i think that's cooler than hell!

[gateley]

12. K&R! nt

[girl gone mad]

13. It doesn't look like poverty to me.

With all due respect, it appears to be an efficient marketplace in a heavily trafficked locale. As long as the trains don't run way ahead of schedule, they should be alright.

The first time I traveled to London I got to see Elton John's flat and I was amazed at how tiny it was. It was much smaller than the average middle class American home, but I'm sure it was multiple times more expensive. I think we are spoiled with so much open space and low population density outside of places like Manhattan and parts of Chicago.