On Nut Fair, Sukumvit, Bangkok (I)

On Nut is a hub of activity 24-7. On the one side of the Sukumvit Road is a huge Tesco/Lotus mall complex while on the other there is a jumble of food courts and stalls churning out food for a never ending stream of passers-by and a market with a plethora of booths crammed in. The main road, one of the key arteries that runs straight into the heart of Bangkok, is always a sea of traffic while buses and taxis queuing up to pick up or drop-off passengers. All of this happens in the shadow of On Nut BTS station, a towering edifice created out of giant slabs of concrete that straddles the action, majestically imposing itself with haughty distain above all the frenetic activity below and every few minutes disgoring a sea of passengers that cascasde down its flowing staircases; particularly busy as this is the last stop on the BTS line (for now) which slices its way through Bangkok and is the quickest and most reliable way to get from A-to-B. The pavements are packed and made even tighter to navigate as hopeful traders set up blankets piled with items to sell, citizens queues snake out from the taxi ranks and bus stops while a smattering of beggars proffer cups to collect baht. Humanity is always on the move in On Nut. Everytime I walk to the end of Soi 81 I am thrust straight into this cauldron of people and action. Into this melting pot has come the fair. Camped out on the gravel and mud strewn carpark behind the food court and market, its never ending noise and frantically flashing neon lights are adding to the overpowering of the senses in this already chaotic location. Barely a fair by normal standards it basically consists of an ancient bumper car pavillion (the kiosk announces this as the "U.S.A. Bump Car" ride) with even more ancient stalls, mostly involving bursting ballons with darts to win a shoddily-made cuddly toy (the much honoured format of the fair since time began), hem it in. There is also a kids' carousel and train ride, a bingo, fish tank, hamsters and rabbits, and other typical amusements. And its music, blaring through crackly speakers, echoes around On Nut. The fair has a beat, a morass of lights and sounds it has seeped into the underpinnings of On Nut and for the week it is here it is part of daily life, it is in the bloodstream, it sets a new pace. It is somewhere to drop into for a few minutes and step out of the pace of the day and at night its neon lighting flashes and its music plays, an even faster beat than usual is drumming in this hub of activity.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• on
• nut
• fair
• bangkok
• thailand
• onnut
• dodgem
• cars
• merry
• go
• round
• prizes
• cuddly
• toys
• games
• bingo
• sukumvit