Opinion divert left or right when walking , so as to avoid oncoming pedestrians . He concluded that — unlike in the U . S . where people tend to veer to the right — there was no common standard here . Instead , each situation demanded a new response . Strangely , this “ new response ” phenomenon extends to escalators . On my way to House RCA , I noticed that ascending escalators alternate between left and right , as you travel up the three floors to the movie theater .
Adhocracy is ‘ the art of living and doing things ad-hoc — tackling problems at once … rather than waiting for the perfect moment …’
7 . Pedestrians are often seen sipping icy drinks from plastic bags . To the uninitiated , this seems like a neon soda disaster waiting to happen . But there ’ s a hidden reason : Using leftover plastics keeps chilled contents away from sweaty palms in hot weather , so drinks stay cold . A refreshing concept .
8 . Sometimes , adhocracy borders on the absurd , like when I saw a gardener drilling fake green plant leaves onto a real plant trunk . Talk about hyperreal .
9 . Away from congested streets , movement and life still flow along the canals . Once , by Bo Bai market , I saw a piece of concrete , seemingly intended as a light post , aligned across the mouth of the water as an impromptu bridge .
10 . And who can forget the dangling tangle of electrical wires overhead almost anywhere you are in Bangkok ? Strung time and again , year after year , the thick black conglomerate of wires nearly blot out the sky . When I asked a Thai friend why , the response was that new wires were hung without taking down the old . When wires went bad , why take them down ? No problem was solved by that .
GOING WITH THE FLOW
In Bangkok , this free-flow style of space is under threat . Despite ( or perhaps because of ) being named the best place for street food on the planet by CNN , Bangkok ’ s food stalls are on the cusp of extinction . The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority ’ s decision to remove vendors and eradicate chaos on the streets , serves a distinct purpose beyond traffic regulation . Aside from being a concept in design , adhocracy is also a type of political organization . In many ways , what ’ s at stake in the smoothing out of Bangkok ’ s streets is a gloriously rambunctious way of living and , perhaps even , a sense of independence itself .
As Bangkok races to normalize , formalize , and structure itself after global models like Singapore , I ’ m reminded of a nightmare proposed by anthropologist , Margaret Mead . She prophesied that eventually all cultures would “ melt into one fetid homogeny .” Mead predicts that , one day , we will “ lose sense of who we are as humans , and our capacity as people ;” all that will be left is a “ generic culture ” — just “ a single intellectual and spiritual modality .”
As my days in Bangkok wound down , I began to understand the uncoordinated beauty in the chaos of the city . This is a spectacularly different way of seeing the world , but it is one that is uniquely important in a 21 st century global economy . Far from being frustrated , I now recognize the Bangkok streets as a manifestation of the city ’ s powerful specialness and the opportunities it presents for growth , influence and adaptability .
With the right attitude , maneuvering the city ’ s obstacles can actually be a beguiling and liberating experience , and perhaps the powers-that-be might be wise to celebrate the cacophony of life on the street as a competitive advantage . As travelers who at times crave the comforts of perfect organization , we must be careful what we wish for . Otherwise , we may miss Bangkok altogether , before it ’ s sacrificed on the altar of progress by the dull razor of sameness .
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