My walk to the office

My walk to the office starts at my door.

My apartment is on the corner, next to the elevators

Not really a big deal, they are very quiet and so are all the people staying in this apartment complex. Most are Japanese.

I can tell how hot it is outside by walking out my door and getting into the elevator.

The apartment hallways and elevators are not air conditioned. The elevators trap the outside air. It is a good alert for me every morning.

The lobby of the apartment complex seems always like a refrigerator especially after the hot ride from the 8th to the 1st floor.

I turn the corner and face the daunting task of walking outside.

It is a short walk from the building, down the drive to the street Soi 24

Depending upon the time of day, there is a food vendor at the corner which means I have to navigate into the street quickly. This morning it was not too busy.

My goal however is to get on the other side of the street before I reach the intersection. Otherwise I'll have to wait for a long time for the light to be in my favor.

Traffic begins to bunch up as I get closer to the intersection. The addition of food vendors close to the intersection only adds so the mess.

At the intersection I turn the corner and face my daily "tread mill". It was here in previous postings that I saw the Chang (Elephant). Today I only saw the hill. Three sets of steps. 15-16-16. This is the entrance to the Skytrain. I use this to cross over the main road. Otherwise I would be waiting for an incredible amount of time.

At the top of the stairs I saw two ladies hand washing the SkyTrain facility. This is one clean system.

The Skytrain stations are like little shopping centers. This morning it was quiet . In the early morning and late evenings this place is always over crowded.

This particular station also connects to the Emporium Shopping Mall. However Emporium doesn't open until 10. When it is open, I sometimes enter from Soi 24 and take the inside escalators up two stories to reach this portion of the Station.

Here is the view crossing over Sukhumvit Road looking down from Phrom Phom Station.

Just about here is an escalator bringing up passengers from Sukhumvit. On the way home I use the escalator. But on the way to work, I go down the hill again, 16-16-15 steps.

Down 1/2 way and on the right sits the morning beggar with her drugged baby.

Sukhumvit is a main road in Bangkok. Every few hundred feet there are Sois - small roads that sometimes go nowhere. This is Soi Yippun (Japan Soi). It has a number, but we all call it Soi Yippun because on this road you can find everything Japanese.

Looking down Soi Yippun.

Walking down Sukhumvit is a treat. There are so many things to see including regular street

vendors and artists. Of course there are a few beggars. And there is Villa Market which is a landmark grocery story for westerners living in Bangkok.

And the flower shop that sits outside the doors of Villa Market.

Seems when the Thais see me with my camera, they stare hoping I will take their picture.

The closer I get to my office the more food vendors I find.

And more.....

Uh oh, a Lottery saleswoman asleep on the job...

More food vendors....

A few more....

Just one more....

Finally, I am at the driveway of my office building...

A quick walk, by this time I'm starting to get drenched if the weather is hot... "If the weather is hot" When it is not hot. Ok, some days hotter than others.

A left turn and there are the doors holding in all the cold air in the building.

Now comes security. If there is no one in line it is easy. But if there is a rush, I can stand there for 10 min waiting to get thru the "crowd controlling turnstiles"

These have got to be the slowest operating turnstiles ever made.

But they are not as slow as the elevators, of which there are only four to service an 18 story building. Amazing. It has litterally taken me 15 min to wait during the rush times.

There is usually a guard manning the elevator making sure they pack on as many people as humanly possible before taking off on their way. Put an American on the elevator that the max load is significally reduced by number. We occupy 3-4 times the space of a Thai.

Finally I'm at my floor