Wednesday Walk: wandering along New Road and caught a bus to buy next year’s calendar.

I meant to get out early this morning to do errands in town center. But I woke up very late so all the plans have been shifted to a different time scale. I felt as if I had lost half the day by some mysterious accident. Perhaps there was a glitch in the matrix which affected my sense of time and duration. The sky was very grey and full of white haze as a result of all the Chemtrails early in the morning. By the time I went on my trip to New road, the sky became very cloudy and dense with white strands. Hopefully, those heavy metal and chemical particles would remain dangling in those clusters of white patches.

As I walked from the bus stop towards my favourite shopping center, I noticed extra numbers of shoppers and tourists including more traffic along the way. Some energy was attracting people to come out at the same time. The weather seemed to be more humid but I didn’t mind that as long as the day remained dry. Several stalls along the footpath made it possible for working people to buy cheaper food and groceries. I used to buy steamed sweet corns for taking home at the old lady’s stall by the bridge.

I was very tempted to buy a few pieces of Thai sweets called Thai pancakes which had coconut and other sweet ingredients. But I was supposed to lose two kilos in two months, so I had to walk quickly away. The flea market by the side of the Robinson mall began to get busy with customers. The vegetable stall had more than fifty kinds of vegetables and steamed mackerels at very reasonable prices. I often saw local Indians and Afganistans buying vegetables in the evening. The prices in the supermarket inside the mall would be more than double!

To my surprise, something different had happened in front of Robinson. All the small vendors along the footpath disappeared and a security guard was busy clearing the area in front of the mall. There were small groups of staff standing in front of the mall discussing about the mall. I looked up and saw that the old green sign of “Robinson” was gone. A new one was staring at me: “Central”. The area in front of the mall looked very clean and tidy. So, finally the old mall had been taken over by the big chain of super mall.

During the past few weeks, renovations have been ongoing inside the old mall. The new interior and exterior designs had made the mall looking very bright and modern. The lightings has been changed and all sections of displays were redesigned. The mall looked much nice and more expensive. I thought that Robinson mall would never change and stayed a bit shabby with friendly atmosphere forever. This was the mall that working class people in old clothes and sandals could enter with comfortable feeling knowing that the staff would never looked down on them.

I supposed change was inevitable and nothing ever stayed the same. This was a sign for me! It gave me tangible warning that I had better make my move as soon as possible. This was the beginning of more unexpected changes to come in the near future. I knew I had been lazy and procrastinating about packing up my belongings and throwing away old stuff. Letting go of my comfort zone has been excruciating and exhausting. I was still used to walking along this old road and looking at old shops which have been there since my school days.

My old school was five minutes’ walk from this main road. This area was like old friend since my childhood where things changed very slowly. The old wet market was still behind the main road, the old flower shop was still flowers at very cheap prices. Most of these shops were still run by the elderly vendors from grandparents generation. The shops selling things for making merits and offerings at nearby temples were still in business. The continuity of these physical surroundings gave me great comfort and sense of belonging.

But with the drastic change of Robinson mall, I realized that these old shops might disappear in the near future as older people would all passed away one day. The younger generations of vendors would likely sell their properties and moved elsewhere. The old buildings on the opposite side would probably have new owners or be taken up by a big company. Some old areas in Bangkok had been bought up to create big projects of multifunction complexes to attract foreign investors and rich immigrants.

My old friend just told me that so many foreigners were moving to Thailand. The new group of high end consumers would be able to enjoy more luxurious and elegant shops, restaurants and supermarkets. I could never afford to buy stuff in some modern shopping malls full of expensive and elaborate packaging. I preferred banana leaf wrapping or just paper bags for my snacks. Ordinary working people depended on fast food stalls and vendors on wheels to save some money.

I just hoped that this section of New road would change very, very slowly. Lots of people waiting at the bus stop depended on these old shops and street stalls for their daily survival. This New road was the first road built in Bangkok at the requests of foreigners working in Siam. They probably had enough of muddy roads in rainy season. Their suits and big balloon dresses would become muddy and their appearances would look quite funny to the locals who used to walk bare feet. This New road made it possible for these foreigners to have enjoyable carriage rides and horse riding for the first time in Siam. In the future we might see driverless cars along this road and people going shopping with their robot maids. Aliens who migrated to Bangkok could be best customers as they gave big tips!

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay