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Published: November 25th 2007
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Bangkok, a population of 12 million and growing. Where there is a fascinating mix of ancient temples, soaring skyscrapers, ultra cool cafes and restaurants surrounded by simple street stalls. It was actually a culture shock for me to come back to pave roads and neon signs after being in Nepal for six weeks, but also a bit refreshing.
A little history of Bangkok. The capital of Thailand was established at Bangkok in 1782. But the nickname, Bangkok, was given by foreigners and refers to a small village within a larger blast. The Thais call their capital "Krung Thep", or City of Angles. This city is heavily devoted to their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej. His name means "Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power". Having reigned since June 9, 1946, he is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history. Although Bhumibol is a constitutional monarch, he has several times made decisive interventions in Thai politics, including the 2005-2006 Thai political crisis. He was credited with facilitating Thailand's transition to democracy in the 1990s, although in earlier periods of his reign he supported military regimes. A billionaire and one of the wealthiest men in the world, Bhumibol
used part of his great wealth to fund development projects, particularly in rural areas. He is immensely popular in Thailand, and is revered as a semi-divine figure by many Thais.
When in Bangkok, the place for all backpackers to stay is the renowned Khao San Road. Khao san means 'raw rice' in Thai. Before it became a tourist hotspot, the street was a major rice market for Bangkok. Khaosan road has in recent years also become popular among local people, especially artists and art students. The road has many of pubs and bars, where people of many nationalities meet and discuss their travels. Here, anything can be purchased from crafts, paintings, clothes, pirate CDs, DVDs, fake educational diplomas, fake driver's licenses, food (including fried insects, yummy) and second hand books. Most backpackers just pass through Bangkok on their way to head up North to visit the hill tribe villages or head south to lounge on the beaches.
After settling into my guesthouse off the Khaosan, I decided to do some exploring. Getting around Bangkok is very easy. You can take a tuk-tuk, local bus, river taxi, subway or the Sky Train. These were all a nice change from
my micro-bus experience in Nepal. I decided to mainly get around by tuk-tuk. You can make a good deal with a driver to take you around to all the major sites for a cheap price. I was able to see a few temples, along with some famous shopping centers and the well-known Chinatown. In Chinatown, the food stalls sell some wild foods. Along with trying as many interesting things as I could off the street, I was mostly interested to have the famous Bird's Nest Soup. Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup. When dissolved in water, the bird's nests have a gelatinous texture used for soup. The most heavily harvested nests are from the Edible-nest Swiftlet, White-nest Swiftlet and the Black-nest Swiftlet. The white nests and the “red blood” nests are supposedly rich in nutrients which are traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido, improving the voice, alleviating asthma, increasing concentration, and an overall benefit to the immune system. The nests are built during the breeding season by
Fried insects
Okay, so you got your grasshoppers, your water bugs, your centerpedes, your bamboo worms...take your pick! the male swiftlet over a period of 35 days. They take the shape of a shallow cup stuck to the cave wall. The nests are composed of interwoven strands of salivary laminae cement. Both nests have high levels of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. The nests are traditionally harvested from high up on cave walls. Over the past twenty years, the demand, the price, and the overexploitation of these nests have increased. Many harvesters break the law and collect more nests than allowed, causing the swiftlet population to drop and putting swiftlets on the protected species list. Knowing this information, I still really wanted to try it. The soup can be served hot or cold. I had it the white one, chilled. It actually doesn't have too much of a flavor. It is sweetened with a lot of sugar so that is basically all you taste. I personally thought it tasted quite good.
Later on, I was lucky enough to meet up with a local Thai through a friend who has traveled to Bangkok before. He gave me the real insides to Bangkok and even had me trying bamboo worms off the street. I asked him to take me
to Patpong. This is internationally known as the most popular red light district at the heart of Bangkok's sex industry. I knew it had to be seen and did not want to do it alone. There is a nice night market you can leisurley stroll through the before being attacked by people trying to get you into the bars to see the girls perform shows. They are basically like strip clubs but it has become such a tourist trap over the past few years that it's more comical than it is dirty. The bar are filled with a high number of couples and backpackers, taking a peak of these famous shows.
Bangkok is also a very religious country. Roughly 95% of the population practises Buddhism. Alongside the Thai national flag flies the yellow flag of Buddhism. Thais follow Theravada Buddhism, as opposed to the Mahayana schools found in East Asia and the Himalayas. Country, family and daily life are all married to religion. Every Thai male is expected to become a monk for a short period in his life, since a family earns great merit when a son "takes robe and bowl". Traditoinally, the length of time spend in
a wat (temple) is three months, during the Buddhist lent (phansaa), which begins around July. Thais also have spirit houses (phra phuum), that replicate tiny wats, constructed outside buildings and homes to encourage the spirits to live independently from the family, but to remain comfortable so as to bring good fortune to the site. The spirit houses are typically ornate wat-like structures set on a pedestal in a prominent section of the yard. Food, drink and furniture are all offered to the spirits to smooth daily life.
On an international scale, Thailand has probably distinguished itself more in the traditional religious sculpture than any other art form. Thailand's most famous sculptural output has been its bronze Buddha images. However, architecture is considered the highest art form in traditional Thai society. Temple architecture symbolises elements of the religion. A steeply pitched roof system tiled in green, gold and red, and often constructed in tiered seres of three levels, represents the Buddha (the Teacher), the Dhamma (the Teaching) and the Sangha (the fellowship of followers of the Teaching). It is incredible how may different wats there are to visit while in Bangkok. Even though I saw many, I feel I only
scratched the surface.
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