The decade's top 10 head-scratching moments
To the outsider looking in, Bangkok is a hodgepodge of oddness, a city full of curiosities lurking around every corner. But the less things make sense to befuddled outsiders, the more normal they appear to locals. It’s been an eventful decade in Thailand, so join us as we look back at 10 of the strangest moments.
The rise of Mr Bun, Papa Roti, Roti Boy and Baker’s Boy
There was a time when on any given afternoon you’d see thousands of Thais queuing for hours outside one of Bangkok’s many bun shops. Curious foreigners who braved the queues to see what all the fuss was about were in for a resounding disappointment. There were no surprises or hidden extras, just buns. Bangkok became so obsessed with the baked goodies that black-market buns were sold on street corners to buyers who wanted to avoid waiting in line.
Shirts every color under the sun
To the bemused visitor, the sight of a sea of people going about their business in yellow shorts was an instant curiosity. When people started wearing yellow shirts on Mondays in 2006 to show their love for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 60th anniversary of his ascension to the throne, nobody could have predicted the shirty shenanigans that were to follow.
Soon enough, shirts all colors of the spectrum were used to represent every political faction under the sun. The shirt-sellers, meanwhile, were laughing all the way to the bank.
Fun protests
While there have been a few Bangkok protests that turned ugly, there have been far more that seemed to fall on the jovial side of standing up, or sitting down, for your rights. On fine sunny days some of Bangkok’s protests, attended at times by tens of thousands of people, were more like family days out with picnics and concerts and party hats. Protests became so fashionable that eventually everyone was staging them.
The coup of 2006
It was a Tuesday evening much like any other on September 19, 2006. The wave of opposition towards Thaksin had been growing for some time, but then the story took a twist as tanks rolled out onto the street and there was a political coup. Confused foreigners raced home in fear of a civil war erupting on the streets, but then nothing happened.
Small children beamed smiles while having their photos snapped with armed soldiers and coyote girls jiggled and jangled next to the tanks. Crafty street-sellers brought out lines of coup memorabilia and, finally, everyone went back to work.
Thaksin Shinawatra in general
He was always a bit of a sneaky devil, but nobody could have predicted the post-coup actions of the quadrangle-faced former prime minister. From buying Manchester City football club and then selling it a year later to the song and dance he made about “quitting” politics, Thaksin never shied away from making headlines around the world.
Divorcing his wife of 32 years was another eyebrow-raiser and his most recent actions in Cambodia have left the world wondering what antics he might get up to next.
Aerobics classes
All over Bangkok in the early-morning and post-work hours bamboozled passers-by are treated to the sights and sounds of the city’s many outdoor public aerobics classes. There’s nothing quite like lazing about in a park as an energetic workout gets underway nearby to the sound of ear-bleed cheesy techno.
Lin Ping the panda
Little Lin Ping became the world’s most famous panda after her birth in Chiang Mai on May 27 this year. Lin Ping captured the hearts of the nation and people went nuts for the little furball, even going so far as to form fan clubs. Some 13.2 million votes were cast to give the mite a name and then it all went “Big Brother” with the launch of Panda Live TV, which gave diehard fans round-the-clock access to Lin Ping’s variety of daily activities, including eating, rolling around and pooping.
Venus Flytrap
In 2005 they looked like Thailand’s answers to the Spice Girls and, some might argue, they were a lot prettier. But they weren’t girls at all. Thailand’s first all-ladyboy pop group, Venus Flytrap caused a stir when Sony BMG put together a huge PR campaign and unleashed the vixens on an unsuspecting public. A series of ultra-sexy photo shoots left many a straight man questioning his judgment.
Songkran
Thailand’s New Year celebrations have become an annual highlight for travelers from all over the world. Without stopping to question why, the whole country descends into chaos for three days every April for the world’s biggest water fight, a phenomena that has exploded over the last decade. It wouldn’t work anywhere else but in Thailand, which makes it all the more intriguing to visitors. Especially those who arrive unprepared for the inevitable onslaught. No matter how many times you experience Songkran, it never fails to surprise.
Skin-whitening products
To the pasty-faced foreigner many Thais have wonderfully tanned skin, which makes it difficult to understand the popularity of skin-whitening products. No amount of reassurance from the outside seems to quash the widespread desire to do the impossible and change a person’s skin color. The billion-baht business of whitening lotions, creams and deodorants that rose to new heights this decade is as frightening as it is bizarre.
