The Journey to School, Bangkok Edition
In my last months living and working in Budapest I wrote a post about my morning commute. Back then, I drove thirty minutes to school in my red Mini Cooper while listening to podcasts. Now, that I am almost two years into my life in Bangkok, I thought I’d share how my morning journey to school has changed.
My hope for living in Bangkok was that I would find a place within walking distance of school so that I could avoid the notorious traffic here, and I managed to do just that! I can actually see the school from my balcony, but because I am on the other side of the Khlong (canal), I am actually in a different neighborhood and feel removed enough from the school. My total travel time to school is now under 15 minutes!
The journey starts when I exit my building and step out into the sauna that is Bangkok on most days of the year. My apartment building is a high rise on a really busy street, but usually I don’t notice that because my apartment faces the back of the building.
Most mornings the sidewalk is packed with people on their own morning commute and most of them are stopping at one of the many street vendors to get their breakfast and/or lunch. Depending on how late I’ve left my house, I sometimes have to dodge people just to make it to the corner.
After I turn the corner, I need to cross the Khlong. Last year I used to cross the bridge and then walk along the Khlong to get to school. This year I decided to try taking the Khlong boat. I only have to take it one stop (and I CAN easily walk!), but by hopping on the boat, I can both cross the Khlong and zip right down to Soi 15 where my school is in one easy step. On weekdays, the boat comes so frequently, that I almost never have to wait. And, as a bonus, I arrive at school much drier than I would when it’s rainy or super steamy from humidity. 🙂 The ride costs 12 THB ($0.33).
Once I hop off the boat (and you do have to move quickly as the boat waits for no one!), I just have to walk down this little stretch of road before I arrive on campus. On the left you can see a white building which is our newest building on campus and opened a year ago.
And then I’m at school! I take the escalator up one floor (hello, new building) and tap in through the gates. Today I arrived at the exact time that the King’s Anthem was playing (7:50 a.m.), so I had to stand still with everyone else until it was over. Luckily, it’s just a shortened version, so it only lasts a few seconds!
Love a short commute!
The Present Perfect 
I love this! I definitely want to see more of your days. 🙂
Thanks, Steph! I definitely want to write more about daily life (and that’s what I also like looking back on the best) but sometimes I forget what would be considered interesting about daily life here. It starts to feel routine after a while. 🙂