Bangkok – bustling, gleaming, hot and steamy, this city mix
of old and new is a welcome relief after India and Nepal. It is big, but
relatively clean (in a big city sorta’ way) and easy to navigate. Getting to
the Victory Monument from the airport, with a good set of directions emailed
from our hostel, proved to be the proverbial “piece of cake”, and as our first
introduction to the city set a very good impression. We are ready for a bit of
ease.
We are happy at our hostel, HI Mid-Bangkok (a member of Hostelling
International as are we). It is set back a bit off a main street (thank
goodness as traffic never seems to stop), and our basic room has all the
essentials: clean, white linens, A/C (which we gratefully use), en-suite
bathroom with shower, toast and cereal in the morning. The place exudes calm; I
sit at a small wooden (teak?) table right beside a pool with fountain and
goldfish. Soothing and pleasant. We are right beside a Skytrain station, and
bus station; city travel could not be more accessible. As seems common in Asia,
we are surrounded by street commerce – stalls that set up right on the street,
or sidewalk, selling all manner of stuff. Lots of women’s clothing right
outside my door – short little synthetic skirts, sheer lacy tops, short-shorts (the
younger generation definitely embracing Western styles). Special thanks to the
woman who staffs the hostel desk here every morning. She asks us where we want
to go, consults the map with us, and then sends us off with a slip of paper
containing the place we want to go in English, Thai and a list of the bus
numbers that will take us there. She advices us on which water taxis to take
and areas to avoid because of construction. She has taught us how to say
“thank-you” in Thai.
We’ve been busy. We have been good tourists. We set out
every morning, maps in hand, and basically hit the streets. Public transport
gets us into an area (Skytrain, public bus, and/or boat) and home at night, but
once there we walk. It is the best way to get a feel for geography and people
watch. We spent our first day taking in what must be this city’s most famous
sights, located close to the river in Ratanakosin. By now, we have seen many
palaces and temples, but these were absolutely breath-taking. Located within
one large, walled “compound” the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (housing the
Emerald Buddha) was one of those places (and there have been about 4) where I
have been moved to tears. This is another one of those sites that must be seen
to be appreciated, and one that makes all the hassles of a large city worth
putting up with. Equally impressive was Wat Pho (Wat means temple), home of the
famous, large reclining Buddha. We’ve come from the lands of carved wood,
sandstone and marble to feast upon spectacular, inlay and painting; gold and
Buddhas everywhere. While smaller in the sense of area covered, these landmarks
still loom large; they literally sparkle and are visions of vibrant colour, in
addition to being architecturally significant. Wat Arun at sunset, easily accessed by river
ferry, another must see. (I wish I knew some of the more appropriate names to
better describe these temples. For example – Wat Arun had 1 large very tall
“thing” that sticks up in the middle. It might be called a prang. Its very
steep stairs can be climbed for a fantastic view over the river and city. This
is surrounded by 4 similar sticky-uppy things, but smaller). All the
architectural features that make up this temple are covered with porcelain
inlay. A delightful surprise for me was the Queen Sikirit Museum of Textiles at
the Grand Palace. I love looking at fabrics, and expected to see lots of
hanging cloth as I had at the National Museum in Delhi. Instead we were treated
to a display of the Queen’s royal gowns! Wow, talk about “dress-up” envy. The
story was much more interesting however.
By the mid 1940s Thais had been ordered by their government
to assume Western-style dress. In the 1960s the King and Queen were to
undertake a 7 month state tour of Europe and the US. Determined to represent
Thailand and Thai women abroad the Queen started to research traditional Thai
dress and design, and with the help of some designers (and 2 years of time)
designed 8 specific dress styles. In addition, she travelled to remote villages
and set up programs for poor women to produce and weave the silks she would
need (program called SUPPORT). This woman was beautiful, her gowns were
spectacular, the exhibit informative and so unexpected. By now you may be
tiring of me using the word breath-taking.
As has been the case in Nepal, we’ve travelled into areas
with some political unrest. Thanks to family, who the day before we flew to
Bangkok, alerted us to the civil protests that were taking place in the city.
The media was reporting a general strike for the day we were to arrive (which
did not affect any of our travel, thankfully). As always, the politics of a
city or country, are both interesting and complex. Something a farang (tourist) does not sort out
during their short stay. But Bar and I make an effort to read some local
newspapers, and often check the internet for local news. What we have gathered
so far is that the demonstrations, and they did get violent, were a response to
an amnesty bill proposed by the current Prime Minister (sorry – I forget her
name). This bill would allow her exiled brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, who was accused of corruption (which I think also translates into a
lot of money), ousted from power in a “soft” coup, and I believe sentenced to
jail, back into the country. The leader of the protests is calling for the
current Prime Minister to resign or step down, and to have the current rulers
replaced by some sort of “people’s” government. The closest we got to these
protests was the TV. The area we travelled to on the first day was in a
different part of the city, and by 10 am that same day the protests had been
called off – at least temporarily. Dec 5th was the King’s 86th
birthday and it seems that all parties concerned worked together to stop the
protests, in honour of this auspicious day. If you are on FB – read the article
Barry shared about how this “truce” was reached. Very interesting and says a
lot about this culture.
What a treat to be here at this time. This is a country,
these are a people, who LOVE their king. His birthday is also Father’s Day
(likewise the Queen’s birthday is Mother’s Day, and is the same day as Barry’s
birthday). His picture, often framed in gold, is everywhere in the city and
often looms large. Ratchadamnoen Klang (Street) which travels past the
Government House, Democracy Monument, and the current chief administrative building
was the site of the main protests. We walked through this area the day after
the protests were stopped (en route from the Vimanmek Palace, all built from
golden teak without a single nail, to the Jim Thompson House, another fabulous
teak house and art collection). We could see concrete barriers pushed to the
side, graffiti on some bridges. We passed large areas on the street, laid with
tarps and a sheltering awning. The sides still rimmed by small tents. As we got
closer to the monument itself, it was also clear that preparations for the
birthday celebration were well under way. Flowers, stages with musicians,
street-side stalls selling T-shirts proclaiming “We Love our King”, and ribbons
the colours of the Thai flag. Yesterday, his actual birthday and government
holiday, he gave a speech from the south (he was not in Bangkok because of the
protests) in the morning and by 4ish, the downtown streets were filling with
people in yellow shirts. There would be prayers, a candle lighting, music and
fireworks. The TV showed tearful women holding pictures of their monarch. The
passion in the air was palpable. Even big skyscrapers sported banners, or
electronic signboards, declaring “Long Live the King”. We did not stay downtown
to join the celebrating throngs, but loved watching the stream of Thais flow
into the area, from all directions. We were content to watch on TV in our
hostel lobby.
Yesterday we braved Chinatown and its market. Imagine narrow
streets (people can walk 2 abreast) lined with narrow shops that run deep.
Shops filled with all manner of plastics, fabrics, clothing, jewellery and
other sundry items. The Lonely Planet guide we borrowed form the hostel
described the scene so well I can’t improve on the comparison. To walk these
market is to be in a human river – people pressed so close together, one must
be prepared to truly “go with the flow”. And the flow is slow. It was quite an
act of patience, especially when a motorbike would appear or the tide would
slow even further by the shuffling gate of a blind woman (at least she had a
white cane) tin cup in one hand, amplifier blaring music strapped to her torso.
We started out following the Lonely Planet walking tour, but did abandon ship
before we’d wormed our way through the entire street-market scene. Smells, food
stuffs so foreign looking, but also a great noodle shop (again thanks to our LP
guidebook). We’ve had a couple of noodle, BBQ pork meals. Hot and oppressive
are adequate adjectives, but so are interesting and eye-opening. All good.
It is hot here. Really hot and by mid-afternoon we can both
be feeling the need to sit somewhere, hopefully cool. At these times we look
for AC, espresso or coke (actually if late enough Bar looks for beer).
Yesterday, we’d worked our way free of the clutches of the Chinese markets and
found ourselves down by the river. However, no sign of any refreshment. Maybe
this will sound familiar to some, but there seems to be a point almost daily,
where someone is on edge. For me yesterday, it was at this point in time. Both
of us have to make an extra effort to be patient, and not get too overheated,
literally and figuratively. Almost against my will, as we stood in the heat,
discussing our options, I agreed to follow Barry just a little bit more. He
thought that if we went down the road a bit towards the stall-umbrellas across
the square we would find some kind of shop where we could sit. Looking for a
“needle in a haystack” I said. And where did we end up – in the midst of the
beautiful flower market. All the crush and cheap glitter of the Chinese Market
replaced by cool greenery, natural, colourful, beauty, and spectacular flower
arrangements. Much to my humble surprise, Barry even found the needle – a small
espresso shop with single shots for about 80 cents. Sometimes a pause in the
action (combined with a drug of some sort) is all one needs to set out again,
even laughing. We walked quite a bit after that, down the famous Khoa Shan
Road. We stopped for a beer (well at least Bar did – me Coke, who’d have thunk
it?) in what was the closest thing to a “café” we’ve seen since we arrived. We
listened to American pop tunes, and had moments of homesickness for family and
friends. While this famous backpacker’s denizen, and all its trappings, held
little appeal we had another great little “rest” there (plus a toilet break).
Another travelling truth. We are a bit weary. We go through
periods of really working at travelling. We leave our room in the morning, and
often do not return until after dinner. We feel tired, much like we do when we
return home after a long day at work. We are doubly challenged by making food
choices and our fear around food, although each day we are here we become both
more knowledgeable and more confident. Our Lonely planet guide says that
Thailand is one of the best, cleanest, and safest places to enjoy street food
(don’t worry Marilyn!). Yesterday, for the first time, we bought tasty fresh
pineapple from a vendor. So far so good – today I will look for watermelon.
We’ve been eating in mostly, small, hole-in-the-wall spots that have not much
to offer décor wise (apparently a good sign here) and pictures on the menu. WE choose pretty basic
meals because honestly, some stuff just looks too weird. We are only somewhat
adventurous, although maybe this will change. Meat features hugely here, a
significant change from our 99% vegetarian eating in India. We go with the
flow.
I have loved watching the Thai people. I am impressed by a
few things. They are neat, clean and almost exclusively well-dressed. Men are
frequently in pressed dress shirts (same in India actually). They
are polite and orderly; watching everyone queue up in a single line to get on
the Skytrain is so different from getting on the subway in Toronto. The
Skytrain itself is exceedingly clean; announcements remind people not to eat on
the train and they comply. They give coins to beggars on the street. Monks are
everywhere in orange and red robes (which one is the saffron colour?). Yesterday
Barry asked a woman if we were in the right spot to catch our bus. She was very
reassuring, and I believe waited a fair bit to get on the same bus as us so
that she could help us. She directed us to sit right behind the driver, told us
the fare in English, told the ticket-seller where we needed to get off, gave us
strict advice about pick-pockets and who to trust. In my limited, and soon to
grow, experience these people seem calm and helpful. When I say thank you in
Thai (krob-khan-kaa) they invariably break out into smiles. We are not hassled
in the street, although we are offered tuk-tuk rides that might be scams.
Tonight we catch the overnight bus to Ranong, south and down
to the Andaman Coast. We go to stay on a beach on the island of Ko Phayam, at
the spot Leslie, Jeremy and family stayed. We are ready for a break, some R
& R, some exercise and swimming. Today is a day to get organized, do some
computer work and sort out which bus we need to take, to take the bus. We are
booked for a week, but who knows…..
As always, thanks a lot to everyone who patiently reads these posts (especially
the long ones!) and then sends us little messages of encouragement. It is a
real pleasure to hear from you. Some days we are seeing such incredible sights
we are fuelled with enthusiasm and anticipation of what might come next.
However, as Leslie said to me one time “it won’t all be good”. Hmm, no escaping
life, where ever you are, although we are escaping the snow, and have yet to
miss it. Love to all – stay warm. XOXO
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