This week I’ve managed to penetrate into the heart of British interests in Siam, and top end of Bangkok Town.
Last Wednesday cricket training took me to the British Club, established in 1910 as a refuge for the tired British mercantile gentry to escape the locals, drink gin and tonics and pretend they’re in England - that is if England had warm weather and palm trees. It even goes so far as to have little Union Jacks flying around the cricket nets.
Friday night took me to the British Embassy Residence for a poker night. Complete with imported stout, Famous Grouse, and many other typically British produce not available regularly in Thailand and imported for the ambassador and his ambassadorial business. Pictures of the Queen abounded, and I was ever so tempted to steal a teaspoon with the Royal Crest on it. That must be the convict coming out in me (thanks Gramps – ye of the Australian blood). I figured that many other guests to the mansion must have made off with some before, so if it's good enough for ambassadors, it's good enough for me.
Finally on Monday I headed to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club - Polo Grounds, the most exclusive social club in town, to play cricket. The cricket ground was like a bowling green, and surrounded by the horse run so every now and then someone trotted past us - note the warning sign above. There was a full scoreboard (the first time I’ve seen my runs tick over).
The whole facility contained swimming pools, tennis courts, horse stables, and restaurants. Surrounding it is a poor part of town, you have to drive down a typically ramshackle Soi to get there, and overlooking the ground are some slum flats complete with washing hanging on the line. But in that little oasis “you don’t have to worry about those sort of people.”
Somehow without trying I’d ended up walking through the key traditional halls of the scared expat community, those that try to avoid the locals and to turn this new country into the old, and amongst the wealthiest people in Thailand. I’m not quite sure how it happened. The little bit of luxury was nice, but so was going out for Thai food at a street restaurant after leaving training at the British Club.
COUNTS AGAINST JAMES CLAIMING HE’S NOT BECOMING AN UPPERCLASS WANKER: 3 (This Week)
PS – the cricket teams are banned from using the restaurant at the Polo Club. Apparently the members (rich foreigners and richer Thai’s) didn’t like sharing their meals with predominantly South Asian cricketers.
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