Old Bangkok

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2 February

I got up early this morning, determined to get to downtown Bangkok one way or another. Otherwise, it felt like visiting Brooklyn and not going to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. I've done this (both in Brooklyn and France, where I've been three times but never to Paris), but it felt like I was letting the fact of traveling alone keep me from exploring. I'm not especially adventurous, so I had to push myself a little.

The hotel's solution was to take a taxi (they have a taxi desk) to the On-Nut Rd. Skytrain station (the elevated train). This ignores the fact that the Skytrain doesn't go within three miles of the old part of the city. It's an expensive, multi-vehicle transaction. Instead, I caught the hotel's free airport shuttle at 5:30 AM. At the airport, I had a bowl of congee with ground pork and a cup of tea and pondered Lonely Planet's rather confusing suggestions. I then went down to the lower level (this airport has cool sort-of slidewalk, sort-of escalator ramps) and went to the airport express bus desk. I pointed where I wanted to go, she sold me a ticket for 150 baht (under $4.50), and at 7:00 AM I was on the AE2 bus to its terminus, Khao San road, where all the backpackers stay. I was there by about 8:15, got my bearings, and set off on foot.

Reasons not to dip your toes #2: Multiple men espied peeing in the old city moat, a canal that runs along the north-south road to the Grand Palace.

I ran into and attached myself to two Austrian students, both in International Business, both studying in Asia this semester (the pleasant one in South Korea, the disgruntled one in China). we walked together, the one telling me about her travels and the other complaining. We encountered several men who assured us that the Grand Palace wouldn't open until afternoon. The complain-y one kept erupting; I kept saying, “Let's go see for ourselves.” We walked by the Ministry of Defense and the City Pillar Shrine to the Grand Palace and Wat (temple) Phra Kaew. There my sleeves and sandals passed muster, though not my capris; for a 100 baht deposit we were loaned sarongs. I was tired of complain-y woman and did not want to pay 450 baht for entry. I'm assuming I'll be back with Nancy some day, so I deferred seeing the Emerald Buddha, took some exterior photos, and continued on my way to Wat Pho.

Wat Pho, a reasonable walk from the Grand Palace along the street that parallels the Chao Praya River, houses the world's largest reclining Buddha, as well as many other Buddha images. the reclining Buddha is quite spectacular—15 meters high and 46 long, says Lonely Planet. It's extremely offensive to show the soles of your feet in this region, but the Buddha gets a pass; the soles of his feet are covered with mother-of-pearl depictions of the 108 attributes of a Buddha. the walls are covered with paintings that remind one of Persian miniatures. Outside, in addition to a number of stupas and other Buddhas, there's a nice gilded lingam (phallic fertility stone) with a Buddha face incised on it.

On the way back to the bus, I was greeted any number of times with offers of tours to see the Happy Buddha or other sights, all exactly the kind of come-on that the tourism department and tour books warn about. they were balanced, however, by simple hellos, smiles, and “Welcome to Thailand!”s. The bus stop was next to a bookstore, so I had fun buying A Photographic Guide to Birds of Thailand, A Photographic Guide to Birds of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and Merchants of Madness: The Methamphetamine Explosion in the Golden Triangle.

On the junk food trail, the nori potato chips weren't bad at all. However, I've had the misfortune to try something called “Pepsi Green.” It doesn't really taste like cola. It has a sort of fruity wintergreen taste, evoking eating a watermelon candy after brushing one's teeth and failing too rinse well. This was my punishment for buying a soda that wasn't sugar free. You see how karma takes care of itself?

Tomorrow I travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I don't know what my Internet situation will be like there—here, I've had 10 hours of wireless in my room, which has been very convenient.

Becca K.: I thought of you when I saw a '64 two-tone Cortina.

Marcia: Chinese pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus), Little heron (Butorides striatus)--maybe, Asian openbill storks (Anastomus oscitans)--this is breeding season, Red turtle-dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), Large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis), Pied fantail (Rhipidura javanica), plus the usual sparrows, mynas, barn swallows, zebra doves, pigeons, and LBBs. Mighta seen a Scaly-breasted munia, but I can't make a positive ID.

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Photos

Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho
"Reclining" is a euphemism for "dying/passing into Nirvana"

Kitten in a tree, Wat Pho
"Litter" isa good found pun, but only in English

Comments

[Mary]

growth edges!
I am so proud that you decided to really stretch your "growth edges" with this trip and head out on your own! Seeing a city solo can be a lot of fun! Be safe! Keep an eye out for those RAD birds and enjoy your time in the beautiful city!