25 Walks in Myanmar
Kenneth Barrett has been a journalist for his entire career—at various times specializing in travel, food, media criticism, humor, business and industry. He has edited numerous magazines and business newspapers and is also a photographer who has been on assignment to over 60 countries, predominantly in Asia but also to parts of the Middle East and South America.
An interview with author Kenneth Barrett
Q: Hi Ken. Congratulations on your recent publication, 22 Walks in Bangkok: Exploring the City's Historic Back Lanes and Byways. Before getting in to the details of the book, please tell us a little about yourself and how you got interested in Bangkok.
A: I was a journalist and editor working out of London and covering the Middle East. When the company I worked for set up a new division covering Southeast Asia, they put me in charge of editorial. I had never set foot in the region before, and it changed my life. It seemed like a different world—so full of colour and action, and always with a feeling of adventure in the air. Later, another company offered me a contract in Bangkok, and I moved here for two years before going on to Singapore, and then to Hong Kong. Eventually I returned to Bangkok.
I have always felt particularly attracted to Bangkok because it seems to represent the East: to me, there has always been something mysterious about the city, a mystique that cannot quite be grasped.
Q: Why did you write this? And, what makes it different from guidebooks already on the market?
A: Bangkok is a difficult city to understand. To anyone arriving here for the first time, it is an immense sprawl, and probably not what they were expecting. Tourists will be taken to the big set-piece sights, but many of the most intriguing places are tucked away, and not easily found. The guidebooks will only give an outline to the main sites, and there really isn't much information on the city that is easily available. There is nothing that brings the city to life by explaining how it was formed and built, and by describing people and events that place the historic districts and buildings into context. This is my own personal interest and so I put everything into the research, which wasn't easy because the information is so fragmented. Ultimately, it came down to shoe leather— walking the districts.
The walks in general follow the chronological order in which the city was built, to make the whole place easier to understand. The walks themselves are linear, but they are not walking-by-numbers in style. The style is more of an exploration guide.
Q: Is this book intended for first time visitors or for those that frequent Bangkok?
A: Both! First-time visitors will find walks that take them around the big landmarks, putting the places into historical context. There are also walks that will take visitors along the old moat, or into specific areas of Chinatown—interesting places and easy walks that anyone will enjoy, even when their time is limited. For frequent visitors, or those living here, the book will prove an in-depth guide to areas that are full of historic interest but are more obscure, such as the old harbour district, or Bang Krachao, a jungled island in the middle of the city that few people know about.
Q: This book contains 22 places to visit. Of those, which is your favorite? Why?
A: I would say Walk 6, along the inner moat. The way is surprisingly peaceful, with the canal clean and quiet, and big shade trees overhanging the water. The historic sites are beautiful, and full of interest. And it's not a long walk— two hours at an easy stroll.
Q: Did you learn anything while compiling the text that was surprising or new to you?
A: I kept unearthing fascinating little stories! I would find a name or a vague mention of an event, and following it up would come upon something that was completely new. Or I would follow a path or an alley, and find a mansion, or a temple, or a neighbourhood that was unknown to me.
Amongst my favourites: Wat Kanikapon, built by a Chinatown madame, its windows and doors decorated by stylised wooden curtains; the Christian villages founded by Khmers and Vietnamese at Samsen Road; a Japanese temple tucked into the compound of Wat Liab, which has a colourful history; the royal execution stone at Wat Sampeng, and its grim history; the Temple of the Angels, the only temple in Thailand honouring bhikkhunis, or female monks; the mysterious structure outside the British Embassy, which is actually an old boundary marker and led to the story of a most interesting man; and the image of footballer David Beckham, who appears as one of the deities at the foot of the Buddha image at Wat Pariwat.
