Bangkok: living in the village

Trip Summary

Whether you are in the center or way out in the burbs near the airport, it is hard not to be struck by coexistence of the old and new worlds in Bangkok. We are spending our last night and day out near the Suvarnabhumi Airport in order to avoid some of the transportation chaos caused by the protests in the center. Wherever you are in the world, hotels near airports are soulless modern buildings plunked down beside expressways in vast commercial wastelands. Our hotel is one of these, but with a notable exception. Yes, it is right next to, or almost under an expressway, and it would be easier to buy a car than a coffee out here. It is, however, also in a village. Tucked in behind the main modern thoroughfares, cut off from all but local traffic by a series of canals, is a Thai village. With a temple pig, wonderful street food,  and winding paths that reveal Bangkok's floating canal life.