Commuting nightmare

Every time I walk on the streets and pavements of Bangkok, I cringed at the thought that one fine day, heels or no heels; I might just trip-up, fall flat on my face and break my ankles.

Me being a major klutz aside, the sidewalks of Bangkok are not too friendly for pedestrians on foot. With uneven pathways, pot holes and weird things sticking out of nowhere, Bangkok is certainly not very stroller-friendly . Considering the existing condition of these sidewalks, being out and about with a stroller can be quite a feat.

Add that to the fact that all BTS stations here were not constructed in the most efficient way for commuters as escalators were poorly installed. As such, anyone who is wheel-chair bound can expect a very cumbersome commuting experience. Imagine the sheer difficulty of trying to negotiate your way when all BTS stations tend to have only ONE escalator for each direction and always only going UP. While ascending to the station will not be a problem, descending crazy flights of steps with a stroller can be a sheer nightmare!

We found that out the hard way when we brought our stroller while trying to commute by BTS. It was frustratingly idiotic as we both had to haul the stroller down many, many flight of steps once we get out of the train to exit the stations. What baffled me was the fact that only Siam station is installed with an elevator! O.N.E (or probably two as I thought I saw an elevator at Asok's station) measly station and then you will be shit out of luck when you get out of the other stations as they don’t have any elevators around. Help is also not easy to find since most people would already throng their way out of the stations as quickly and as far away from you as they can! I was thinking then that there is no way I can manage the stroller and a baby on my own if I were to take the BTS to get around! That being said, I really cannot imagine for a second what life would be like with a baby and without the baby carriers!

It already is hard for people with babies with strollers. Can you imagine how difficult it is then for the wheel-chair bound? It really is a shame that there is certainly almost no room for the wheel-chair bound to navigate their way around the public transportation system in this city.

Funny how we started thinking of these when we now have a baby on-board.