Why 28 Barbary Lane?

A few years ago I was introduced to Armistead Maupin’s ‘Tales of the City’ series. I happened to be visiting a friend in Seattle when the PBS series was broadcast. Shortly after that I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand and discovered the entire collection in a second hand bookstore. I became hooked on 28 Barbary Lane, that fictitious address in San Francisco that boasted such a sense of community. There was Anna Madrigal, Mary Ann Singleton, and Michael Tolliver, along with a host of other characters popping in and out of 28 Barbary Lane. I reflected on my own sense of community in Vancouver and had to admit that I found it lacking. Was it me? Was it Vancouver? Probably a bit of both. But I do remember that upon moving to Bangkok I made the conscious decision to do my part to have community. We are fortunate to live in one of the safest cities in the world (yes, even with the current protests). It’s also very quiet and green where we are so I have adopted an open door policy. First thing in the morning, I open the front door onto the planted terrace. It stays that way until bedtime unless I pop out to the market or to run an errand. Unannounced, everyday, neighbors and friends drop in to say hi, have a coffee, inquire about cooking dinner together, ask for a hammer, drop off some cookies, share their successes and their disappointments with me. I can honestly boast of having more sense of community now than I have ever had in the countless cities I have lived in.

And how appropriate this is. One of the things that will impress you about Bangkok is how connected the people are. They know their neighbors, they chat with them, eat noodles with them, work side by side with them on the street. You only have to walk down our soi, Suanplu Soi 8 to know that this is so.

So very often you’ll see Joe promoting BangkokSong as Bangkok’s own 28 Barbary Lane. A real destination peopled with characters that rival anything Maupin invented. My character? Need you ask? It has to be Anna Madrigal. But the secret I hide is nowhere as sensational as Anna’s was.

Looking for a vacation with community. Come to BangkokSong, Bangkok’s own 28 Barbary Lane.

Randall