In Search of Bangkok: Epilogue
By YSG
If I were to be asked to put my finger on when the germ of an idea of a study tour to Bangkok was sowed, it would be as precise as October 2003. Then I was invited for a conference in Bangkok, and had decided to arrive a couple of days earlier to check out the famous travellers’ haven of Khao Sarn. Marc Askew’s excellent monograph on the ‘City of Angels’ unravelled the social and political fabric of the city from the multiple perspectives of various sites – Khao Sarn was one of them.
But the transition from an idea to reality took an experimental detour through a study tour to Penang in July 2004. There, we looked primarily at various themes which were to be rehearsed again in Bangkok a year later.
The central idea of most study tours is to examine the familiar through lesser known if not novel perspectives. Here, I propositioned that a creative dialogue might be created if lesser known voices were placed in critical conversation with more familiar voices. In this particular instance, the unfamiliar voices would be those of civil society. Whether this particular cohort of travelers all see and hear the same thing is again part of the adventure, and can only be gleaned from their respective travelogues as found in this collective blog.
Making the study tour a reality required much goodwill from contacts in Bangkok. Here I must thank the singular contribution of Ms Kanokrat Lertchoosakul, lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science in Chulalongkorn University. Without her help in contacting the NGOs and individuals that we had the privilege of having discussions with, and in providing a lively cohort of her own students in guiding us through Bangkok, the trip would have been that much poorer.
Going on a journey together is always fraught with the risks of misadventure. I must also acknowledge the discipline, good spirits and enthusiasm of this particular group of travelers in putting thoughts and experiences to cyberspace for all to read. It is highly probable that they will visit Bangkok many more times in the future. But it is my hope this particular trip would remain particularly special and lasting.
The In Search of Bangkok travelers with in the center, Ms Kanokrat Lertchoosakul (left) and Dr Ubonrat Siriyuvasak (right) at Chulalongkorn University
Most of the In Search of Bangkok travelers on a boat cruise along the Chao Phraya River, on our last night in Bangkok
