Every morning, I take one of two paths to my ride to work. The first is a calm walk through a zigzag of alleyways. This feels like a small neighborhood tucked away into the city. These alleys close in so tightly at some spots that there is not enough room for the ever-present Bangkok motorbikes to get around.
The other route is following the main streets to the intersection of two of the major roads in Bangkok. Under construction for 2 years before I ever arrived in this city, this crossing was dubbed the “Intersection of Death” by several coworkers. Traffic backups and unpredictability lent a lot of truth to this title.
Recently, the construction of an underpass beneath the intersection has relieved the vast majority of traffic in all directions and made crossing a much more feasible and safe option. Enough so that these wicker men felt comfortable wheeling themselves straight through the Intersection of Death.
