Lazy Sunday afternoon

Every week it comes back. And every week there is that same question. What to do on a Sunday afternoon? You could stay indoors and listen to Small Faces songs or go outside and enjoy. Well, seeing that Bangkok is not the same as Europe, there is always something to do. All shops are open and the city is loaded with events. But there are other things one can do in this City of Angels. One of the funnier things is to go to a place which has escalators, like big shopping malls or the underground and skytrain stations. Upon arrival, look for a nice spot where you can see people getting on and off the escalators. In my opinion it looks like Thai people always get on these things for the first time in their life. Almost falling over, leaning backwards, never smooth like it should be. This can cause some trouble during rush hour, people trampling on each other, scared to make the move and waiting for the next piece of escalator to appear and hopping on like a cow suffering Parkinson's. This activity can be funny for about 15 minutes. So it's on to the next one.

Go to the park and watch people jogging. Mind you, it is about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and 35°C. Who in his right mind would go jogging? Just sit on a bench with a big bottle of water and maintain that courteous smile on your face. Don't let it turn into a grin, because then you're just offending people. Just enjoy your cold water and watch people die of dehydration as they jog along.

One of the big tourist attractions in Bangkok is the Chatuchak weekend market. As the name implies, this takes place during Saturdays and Sundays. It is a huge area where you can buy just about anything for a decent price, the haggling is up to you of course. This place is featured in lonely planet, the rough guide, frommer's, just about every travel guide on the planet. So this means just about every tourist wants to come here. Big mistake. You see, most of the market is indoors with very narrow walkways. Take into account an outside temperature of 35°C, thousands of people and the smell of dried fish, Chinese concoctions, beggars and sweat. I just love how some farang try to make it back outside where they are met by the scorching heat. Watching people go crazy and mental, don't you just love it.

So if you're bored on a Sunday afternoon in Bangkok, just do one of these three activities, or all of them. And they are free of charge.