February 17, 2011
Hi! I wasn't able to upload the pictures when I wrote this yesterday, but here it is.... I'm now safely in Chiang Mai after a not so restful bus sleep. But restful enough that I went walking and sightseeing all day before chilling this evening.
February 16, 2011
Bangkok keeps giving me flashbacks to NYC - the tall buildings, the grim, the subway (though their's is much nicer), the fashions. But of course it is still a SE Asian city so you see tuk-tuks, Asian style markets, and street vendors selling Thai cuisine. Air conditioning is more common here than elsewhere in the SE Asian countries I've been too, but public buses are still without AC - and my hotel room! One nice surprise has been how friendly people in Bangkok are. I assumed that being a massive city they would be curt or at least ignore strangers. But they've been very friendly and helpful when I've been trying to find my way. One gentlemen was walking the same way I was after giving me directions so we walked and chatted. He told me some about his family and asked about me. Of course, I still used my boyfriend is sick in the room line. He stopped to get himself a drink and kindly bought me one. In the end he did ask if I had a phone number, but when I said no that was that. Others have been helpful on the SkyTrain telling me which way to go. Even just the smiles and interactions in stores is pleasant.
The sights of the city have been wonderful to explore. My first day involved a lot of walking to visit the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), Grand Palace, Wat Pho (wat = temple), and the Vimanmek Teak Mansion. The Emerald Buddha and surrounding gorgeous monastery is adjacent to the Grand Palace complex. Unfortunately, pictures aren't allowed inside, but the Emerald Buddha sat high atop a rough pyramid of gold. He was actually smaller than I expected - and not actually emerald, but jasper. But there was an elegance to the Buddha who has a jasper face, but gold robe and an intricate overlay coming down the shoulders. Apparently, he has different costumes for the different seasons! Worshipers were interspersed amongst the tourists. This wat covers a large area so it took some time to explore the various parts and see the different buildings, murals, and sculpture. The decor was ornate and gold, as you can see, dominated, but is all came together so beautifully. You definitely get a sense of the kingdom's overall prosperity when you see this Wat and the Grand Palace - both built in the late 18th century. Even the artistry and design was highly skilled. Much of the Grand Palace was closed to travelers, but it was impressive to see the grounds. It isn't the present palace, but the night of the coronation ceremony the new king sleeps in the old palace. A nice tradition I thought.
From here I visited the nearby Wat Pho, which is known for it's Buddha. Where the Wat Phra Kaew Buddha is impressive in its small stature, this reclining Buddha is impressive for its 46m length. The lines of this Buddha who attained nirvana are clean and minimalist - except for the feet. Under his feet there are intricate engravings. The rest of the wat was fun to explore and again was impressive in its design and use of color.
My next stop was the Dusit Palace Park, which houses the Vimanmek Teak Mansion (the largest teak structure in the world). Now getting there was tricky given my budget and the sly dealings of the taxi and tuk-tuk drives. No bus seemed to go between the two places and it was too far to walk, which is how I got to the earlier sights. The hotel had told me it should cost 50 baht and the first tuk-tuk driver said 400! I asked others and tried to get taxis, but they wouldn't use their meter and quoted high rates. In the end a tuk-tuk driver accepted 100 baht (~$3.25). Frustrating, but I didn't have much time before the park closed. By the time I got to the park I was starving and it was way past lunch. So I grabbed some quick food and delighted in my Thai ice tea - one of my favorites and I haven't seen it much here. Rejuvenated I joined a tour to see the mansion. It was a lovely, homey palace unlike the stiff austerity of most. It was actually only built as a temporary palace and was only used as such for 5 years! During WWII it was a warehouse!!! It was built by King Rama V in the early 20th century and he was quite interested in Europe and even traveled there a few times. His interest was very evident in the furnishings and ornamentation of the home. Again no photos were allowed inside - this regulation is really helping me conserve memory card space! One thing that surprised me was the palace lacked plumbing - the king used a chair with a chamber pot in it. The king also had separate china for each day of the week - and the color dictated which day. The website of the park offers virtual tours if you're interested. Unfortunately, the park closes at 4pm so I ran out of time to see other exhibits and palaces on the grounds.
I decided to walk to another wat, Wat Bechamabophit. It's main beauty was it's courtyard with Buddha's from throughout history as well as a lovely view back at the temple. I refused to deal with more drivers and decided the exercise would be good for me anyway so from here I walked back. I'm so glad I did because I came across protestors who were camped out on a main street and other walkways. I had heard the Yellow Shirts had had a massive non-violent protest the day before, but didn't realize it was still going on. Even today they are still there. Very determined protestors. I guess the Egyptians have influenced those far and wide. Though all the Thais I've spoken with don't like the protestors. From my understanding they are protesting the arrest of some Thais who allegedly illegally entered Cambodia. I'm sure it's tied to the recent border violence. It was also along this walk that I met the gentleman who bought me a tea. He was funny because he kept saying he wasn't a "joker" meaning he was honest and had no foul intentions. He even showed me his ID card.
In the evenings I've been too wiped out to venture to other parts of Bangkok though it must be a sight. Instead I've walked the backpacker streets and nearby river. There are loads of clothes for sale at night and could replace some of my grubby ones, but can't seem to find anything that works. I did run into a couple that I saw a lot in Laos so that was fun. Actually I was walking and looked up and they were just ahead of me walking in the same direction. We grabbed a drink and chatted the evening away. Yesterday while waiting at a bus stop I ran into a traveler a met in Seoul all those months ago! It isn't unusual in this part of SE Asia to run into people you meet along the way, but South Korea isn't on the backpacker itinerary as often. A fun blast from the past.
My bus arrived and I jumped on and headed to Jim Thompson's House. He is an American who was stationed in Thailand after WWII and fell in love with it. He moved here after his service was over and helped revive the silk cottage industry. Apparently, without his help Thai silk wouldn't be much of an industry anymore. He built a home for himself using the best of traditional Thai architecture and combined six homes to make his. He was also an avid collector and soon people wanted to tour his home so he opened it up. Then mysteriously in 1967 he disappeared in Burma. There has been no trace. A foundation now runs the museum and sells some beautiful silks (no, I was strong and didn't buy). So while King Rama V wanted a home that was more western, Thompson wanted a Thai home. I finally found out why doorways in temples and historical sites have a raised piece that you must step over - the one to Thompson's bedroom was especially large. It is believed that evil travels in a straight line along the floor so the raised piece keeps evil out. The guide also pointed out the practical benefit that babies can't crawl out. He also had an entertainment piece - a house for mice with a glass front. You could watch the mice crawl between rooms and floors! Thompson also kept a few western customs, such as having a dining table and chairs rather than eating on the floor and having an enclosed entry way on the ground level. Traditional Thai homes are raised on stilts and just have the main stairway leading up to the home. This is because of flooding. However, Thompson also build a foyer around the stairs. I was allowed to take pictures while standing outside, but not inside the house. I asked the guide why they had this rule and she said it was so there were no accidents - huh! In all my sightseeing and photographing I've never seen anyone knock things over or fall and damage the site because they were so entranced in their task. Have you? Is this the reason I can't take pictures inside in most of Thailand?! I think better explanations would be that it prolongs the tour/visit or somehow makes the valuables less secure.
After some fun sightseeing I had to get an errand taken care of - visiting the Myanmar Embassy. The place looked like a rundown prison. Embassies are definitely a good sign of the financial well-being of a country and this does not exude confidence. I applied for my visa and in the process met two nice people. One is a Nepalese man who lives and works in Burma, but is forced to exit with his family every 70 days to renew his business visa. Sounds a bit ridiculous. He raved about Myanmar though and said it is so safe, beautiful and friendly. The other person I met is an American woman - shocking another American - and we hung out for the afternoon. She and I headed to a shrine in front of the Hyatt, which is thought to answer your prayers. Sometimes people hire dancers to perform there if their prayers were answered. Unfortunately, we saw no dancers, but it was a nice shrine with lots of activity. Then we just walked the Siam Square area, which is mostly shopping and reminiscent of Singapore. It was about 3pm and I hadn't had lunch yet so my stomach was rumbling. Not the best time to pass a Krispie Kreme! It's like going grocery shopping when you are hungry - bad idea. So in we go and wait in line for at least 20 minutes. We got to the register to learn that we were in the line for glazed donuts only and the other equally long line was for the variety ones. I was about to cry, but the manager made an exception and took our order. I had trouble deciding which to get so I decided to splurge (calorie and money-wise) and get three. Then at the last minute I restrained myself and decided on two. Robin and I were ordering at once and she ordered one she thought I wanted. It wasn't one I had planned to get - glazed with chocolate icing. I had originally planned to get the glazed with chocolate icing with sprinkles (big difference!), but that was the one I had nixed. So I decided to not delay the manager more and that it must be fate that I should eat three so off we went. Now after finished those three an employee walking around the sitting area and gave a free glazed to us. Delicious, but now I'm bordering on having an eating disorder. Didn't help that later my dinner was a crepe like pancake with banana and honey - oh, and he added sweetened condensed milk. I'll be better today!
After parting ways with Robin, I headed to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, which displays contemporary art. The building is a poor knockoff of the Guggenheim in NYC, but it's small exhibit was interesting. I took a long bus ride back to my hotel. Traffic is maybe even worse than in NYC and the buses wander so I had to cover a greater distance than if I were in a taxi.
I spent the evening doing more planning about Myanmar, a 10-day meditation retreat, a homestay with a hill tribe, and such. Knowing I'd pick up my Myanmar visa today, I decided to head to Chiang Mai tonight (north of here). Train tickets sell out and buying at a travel agency costs a hefty commission. So I woke up early and took an hour long bus ride to the train station to only be told the sleepers were sold out. I could pay for a seat though. I pondered and tried to not be my indecisive self and decided to head back to my hotel area and see about a bus. I wasn't up for another hour bus ride and I needed to be checked out of my room by 12 - as long as I had a bus ticket. So I bargained with the tuk-tuk and got it for 100 baht (which is what the hotel said it should be) and 10 minutes (yes, 10 minutes!) later I'm at my hotel. And a few minutes after that I have a sleeping bus ticket. Hopefully, I sleep better than on the last one, but at least I'll be in Chaing Mai tomorrow morning.
Soon I'll pick up my Myanmar visa - and this time I'll take a boat to the SkyTrain just to change things up.
Now, the last picture I included was inside my tuk-tuk this morning. I'm only coming up with one thing that is being prohibited, but it just doesn't make sense. What do you think? There's still so much of Bangkok to see, but there's a lot of Thailand to see so some will have to wait for another trip...
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