A Trip to the Far East - 1980
By Bo Jeansson - BGS 21.


Hong Kong-Bangkok

I returned to Bangkok after two interesting weeks in Hong Kong and Canton. It was just the same as I remembered it. Just as busy and varied. I visited a couple of temples, some restaurants and a few nightclubs.

One afternoon I went on a trip to Rose Garden. This is a big park an hour’s car ride from Bangkok. There they have a show with scenes from Thai village life. Beautiful Thai girls danced traditional dances, there was Thai boxing, cockfighting, elephant dance and a traditional wedding. Quite an experience. The park was beautiful. Masses of flowers and trees. Streams and pools too. And luckily some shady and cool places.

In the evening I went to that wonderful seafood restaurant again - Sea Food Market on Sukumvit Road.

The next day was spent looking at gold and precious stones. There are many very good shops, which sell mostly to tourists...

On my last day in Bangkok I went to a five hour trip to the outskirts of the city to see how ordinary Thai people live. Here, life flows along calmly and peacefully. Happiness, sorrow and daily problems just like everywhere else.

Incredible how quickly the time went in Bangkok, as it always does when you are seeing new things and meeting new people and enjoying yourself.


(Note: Since this first visit, I have been fortunate to be able to visit Bangkok and other places in Thailand 16 times)