Well it would seem that I have fallen off the blogger wagon since taking a break in Goa and wow do I ever need to get back on because there is much to be said about Bangkok!
We arrived fairly exhausted since we caught the red eye from Goa. The strangest thing was when we arrived in Mumbai and were told to stay on the plane while others disembarked and just as suddenly we were being shuffled off the plane as well. We were told we had an hour so we thought we would try and spend the last of our rupees but just as we were about to take our first sip of coffee, people are running down the halls yelling, "Bangkok! Bangkok!" and again, suddenly, we are being shuffled to a gate and then escorted into a vehicle! At this point I am feeling a little mission-impossible-esque and am not quite sure what to make of it as we drive all over the tarmac to find our plane. Eventually we board and to our surprise we are the last ones on and everyone is giving us that smug, "oh, so we were waiting for you look." It was all very confusing but definitely an accurate last experience in India!
The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Bangkok is that everything was very organized and efficient and this translated into easy. I don't mean to sound negative about India but it was a treat to have so much simplicity laid at our feet when we had virtually no sleep. We arrived at our guesthouse with no trouble and fell in love with it instantly (Focal Local); the best part was that it was in a local area so we don't recreate another Istanbul experience (where we stayed in the tourist district) which can really make you cringe at the thought of big cities afterwards.
Bangkok was great to navigate around since it was perfectly equipped with a sky train and a metro station. We felt pretty grimy since we couldn't check into a room yet to freshen up but we took on our first day with zest regardless of our odors. Being fatigued, we simply took the sky train downtown to Siam Center and just poked around. They have huge plaza shopping malls with stores way out of my league like DKNY or Fendi but there are also cute back-alley type markets with clothing and knick knacks at a good price although I don't want to have to ship anything else home!
We had amazing Thai food at the street stalls and it was so liberating (and inexpensive!) to eat so freely. I had Thai noodle soup which was a fun dish because you add your own spices to create your perfect balance of spicy, sweet, salty, and bitter using chili flakes, sweet chilies, sugar, peanuts, and fish sauce. We will have to be careful in Thailand though because the food is too delicious and some dishes are unexpectedly deep fried (fried chicken with cashews anyone? Yum).
The next day we took in some main attractions in the Old City. Unfortunately the ferry was closed because the King had something important going on so we had to take a back route way to get there (interestingly enough it is illegal to make any disparaging comments about the King so you didn't hear us complaining!). As we entered the tourist area we were instantly pleased that we had chosen to stay outside of it since we were immediately engulfed by traffic, crowds, and hawkers.
Our first sight was the Grand Palace which was built in 1792 and was continuously modified with buildings being added and renovated until 1925 when it was no longer the primary residence of the royal family. The palace was very interesting because the buildings are all very different and unique and there was a lack of cohesiveness; the absence of symmetry and organization holds a certain charm. Grand buildings covered in gold leaf paint stand beside a mini Ankor Wat which stands next to huge statues of gargoyle faced clowns. Along several outer walls are murals which are spectacular with scenes of Buddhas life and it was neat to see the artists touching some areas up. Colored glass pieces were embedded into almost every surface giving an almost gaudy but regal look to the entire complex. I prefer pure white marble myself but to each their own.
Afterwards we visited my favorite sight of the day, Wat Pho or the Temple of Reclining Buddha. Inside lay a massive golden Buddha measuring 56 meters long and 15 meters tall; he was almost too large for his enclosure! The reclining position signifies his entry into nirvana which is the perfect peace or highest happiness someone can attain. This temple was also the birthplace of Thai massage and symbolizes education since it was heavily involved in that endeavor as well.
Ah, Thai massage. This was one of the first things we tried since we were so fatigued the first day and it was amazing! This type of massage focuses a lot on stretching and they use their bodies to push on pressure points to relieve tension. I heard more than my fair share of audible cracks! They literally use their feet or wrap their bodies around yours to help you get into a proper stretch. Occasionally it
could feel fairly comical and I had to restrain myself from giggling. I have never had such a great massage though and being so reasonable, I will definitely try it again!
In the evening we went to check out Kho San road which is a popular tourist street full of bars and sidewalk shops. It was fun to be out and about but the street itself was nothing special and we had hawkers coming by every two seconds while we were having a drink (no, I don't really want to buy a bracelet that says "I heart ladyboy" on it!). Nonetheless, it was fun to feel in the thick of things for a couple of hours and to listen to the live music wafting out of every pub.
Today was an interesting day as well. Having done a lot of touristy things the day before we decided to go to a local weekend market called Taling Chan where boats float up to sell food and traditional Thai music or karaoke was heard depending on where you were seated. We had the most amazing food and we sampled almost everything from spring rolls to spicy sausage to a sweet shrimp mixture wrapped in a banana leaf. Everything was delectable and we left with happy stomachs. The atmosphere was really heart warming with all the families out for the weekend and it was fun to watch everyone feed this massive pile of fish hunks of bread that they would all fight over. Definitely an enjoyable experience.
The only issue with the market was transportation because it was off the beaten path. Although we had no problem getting there by ferry and tuk tuk, we soon realized it would not be that easy to get back. We teamed up with an Indian woman named Sunita and her father to help with the price of a taxi (there were no tuk tuks to be had!) and we were all laughing hysterically by the time the tenth taxi refused us and Josh was like, "can you take us anywhere? Anywhere at all ?"! I think the language barrier was an issue and although we eventually got a taxi, we had no idea where he was taking us or for what price! The taxi driver kept handing Josh a cell phone with an English speaker on the other end and although we explained clearly where we wanted to go, the taxi driver took us to a private docking station and wanted to charge us 500 baht per person for an hour (the ferry is 15 baht per person!). Obviously we ditched him but then continued to struggle to find yet another taxi and the whole process took over two hours with traffic but being with Sunita and her father was enjoyable as we were able to relay our travels through India and share our thoughts and in turn we received a great education on the political system. We will definitely stick to the sky train as much as possible from now on.
After our traffic debacle, we ended up at Terminal 21 which is a popular plaza with each level being a theme like Istanbul, Tokyo, London, etc. Although we didn't really shop, we really enjoyed the plaza for its quirkiness. The Tokyo level was my favorite because the shops were all boutique style and the clothes were beautiful. I have noticed in general that Thai women can be exceptionally well dressed and they really take femininity to a new level with the amount of floral prints, lace, and high heels they wear. It's a far cry from Victoria where you are more likely to see people decked out in jogging gear or alternative clothing.
Currently we are en route to Chiang Mai and are excited to see north Thailand. We were a bit nervous to arrive at the airport because there was a complication with booking online and we weren't convinced our reservation worked. However because Thailand is so efficient and easy going, we were able to clear it up in no time at all and get on the flight. This is the most significant thing to me traveling here after having been to India. Perhaps this is the ultimate gift of India, providing you with an endless appreciation for the simple things in life and I really hope this is a gift that keeps on giving when we return to regular life. It is so easy to become wrapped up in North American culture and to lose sight of what things we should value and find important and which are trivial. The concept that someone waiting 20 minutes for a prescription can become agitated and bored with waiting is laughable to me and I think it would be essential for their cultural education to gain some perspective. Perspective is everything and I hope that I continue to mold a healthy perspective on situations for the rest of my life and if that is the only lesson I take away from this trip, then I am already a better person.
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