Getting Ready for Work

4 Dec

It was perhaps a half hour after sunrise on Sunday morning. It was still cool outside before the day’s heat set in. I decided to take a short walk before starting work as I had a lot to do to prepare for Monday meetings.

The lanes were very quiet with hardly anyone around. She was sitting on a stoop preparing for her day’s work. She had clearly been there for awhile, probably from before sunrise, as her cart was full and seemed ready to go.

Included along with my Spirit House and Fuller Brush obsessions is my interest in hawkers and hawker culture. As much as Bangkok grows and becomes a very tech oriented city, street hawkers still prevail almost everywhere. Everybody, whether rich or poor, buys stuff from hawkers. They are a key part of the city’s infrastructure.

While the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has, at times, tried to eliminate street hawkers in parts of the city, they continue to survive because residents and tourists alike see them as a valuable asset in the city. This style of work also supports a huge number of people who might otherwise be out of a job with out their carts and bikes.

I walked passed her. We smiled at each other. We were both ready for our day ahead.

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