Thailand: "You're Not in Kansas Anymore"

by Richard Simms
posted March 6, 2011

Photo by Richard Simms The author's daughter, Tiffany, leaps into the incredibly clear waters of the Andaman Sea.

Bright pink or green & yellow taxis and motorbikes buzzed along Suhkumvit like an angry mob of bees. The white lines denoting traffic lanes were meerly "suggestions" as drivers and bike riders frequently turned the three-lane road into a six-lane boulevard. Barbara and I squeezed together in the back seat, holding our breath as we depended on our daughter Tiffany, using very strange words, to direct the taxi driver to our destination. That's when I realized, "Richard, you're not in Kansas anymore."

We were in Bangkok and it was pretty much like the streets of New York City, with one huge exception. In Bangkok nobody speaks English and a pair of Southerners from the USA were clearly out of their element.

Complete Photo Gallery below

Fortunately Barbara and I had a guide of sorts. Our youngest daughter Tiffany now calls Bangkok home. She is a Humanities teacher at The New International School of Thailand (NIST, www.nist.ac.th). Tiffany thrives on exotic places and experiences. For an American, Thailand clearly qualifies.

Of course wherever I go in the world, I'm always looking for something to hunt or fish for. Fortunately my family indulges me, and even enjoys the outdoor life as well. In researching places to fish near Bangkok, one spot kept appearing in my Google searches... Bungsamran Lake.


Tiffany Simms struggles to show off a hefty Mekong Catfish.

Bungsamran is a pay lake in the city limits of Bangkok. You may have seen it on TV ... Jeremy Wade of "River Monsters" has been here (although he didn't tell you it's a pay lake). You sort of feel like you're at Lake Winnepesauka except it's Mekong Cats swimming around rather than carp. But I figured, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

And it is still "fishing," waiting & hoping for the "big bite," even if you are fishing from your own private bungalow. And it really feels like fishing when you hook one of these beasts... and then try to muscle him hard enough to keep from running under a dock. Take a 50-pound Tennessee River blue cat and put him on steroids ... that is a Mekong Catfish fight. Catch two or three and you are ready to say "Uncle." Check out this video of one particular grueling fight between Tiffany and a Mekong catfish.

It was a grand experience. We were fishing with Eddy Mounce of Fish Thailand. http://www.fishthailand.co.uk/ He's a great guy and runs a great operation.