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Published: April 9th 2011
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On our first morning in Bangkok we took the Chao Phraya River Ferry to Wat Pho. The journey is an experience in itself as the boat glides past temples, churches, and everyday Thai life before bumping into the next pier on it's route. An absolute bargain at 14 Baht (Around 25 pence).
At the temple we got a guide to show us around. He had a mouth full of little black stumps and was hard to understand at times but still informative. It also helped us to slow out visit down and take things in. He thought that Dad was the 'Father of All', brilliant as he's the youngest after me.
We saw the Reclining Buddha and put coins in the one hundred alms bowls for luck, as well as looking around the other buildings and stupas in the temple complex. It made us realise once again what a bright, colourful religion Buddhism is. Unfortuanately, after a good tour, the guide (an official guide from the temple) spoiled himself by trying the hard sell on some lucky charms and trying to change the price of the tour.
By now it was getting very hot, around 34 degress celsius, and
we needed a drink stop. On the way Mam and Julie made even more luck by releasing caged birds, although Julie's birds weren't particularly lucky as she shook the cage until they came tumbling out.
The plan was then to visit The Grand Palace. However, today is apparently a national holiday and the royal family were partaking in some kind of ceremony so the palace was closed (officialy closed, not just on the say so of the tuk-tuk drivers who tell you that 365 days a year). If we had known we could have gone there first but it had not been announced until late that morning.
As the heat soared I spent the afternoon relaxing while the others went for a stroll. Somehow they managed to end up in the Patpong red light area, much to Mam and Julie's disgust.
In the evening we went back on the river ferry, not realising that it would now drop us on the opposite side of the river. Not so bad until it meant that we would have to cross a four lane motorway. Thai roads are not the easiest to cross at the best of time but this
really was dicing with death, much to the delight of a row of taxi drivers on the other side. Somehow we arrived in one piece at our destination, Khao San Road.
I've never visited Khao San Road before, thinking it far too touristy. To be fair, it was, but I have to admit that I liked it. We walked around the shops and stalls, all the while being implored to go to 'ping-pong show' and 'ell traction show'. We did escape the streets for a while for a massage, a well spent £3.
All that was left at the end of the night was to barter for a tuk-tuk back to the hostel. It was no ordinary journey though as our two tuk-tuks raced each other through the streets of Bangkok, running red lights and generally causing havoc. Our driver was even trying to do wheelies, which were more like little bunny hops.
The next day we were collected early by a private mini-bus for a trip out of Bangkok. On our way out of the city we passed large areas where sea salt is harvested from evaporating water. Stall after stall sold bags of salt as we headed
for our first stop, the floating market at Damnoen Saduak.
We arrived before the majority of tourists and climbed into a longboat - Mam at the front followed by Dad, Julie and Pete, me and finally our guide, Tan. We were on a paddle boat, not one of the noisier motor boats which would occassionally plough by.
It soon became clear that a seat at the back had been a good choice as each stall that we floated up to would pass Mam things to look at and try to cajole her into buying something. At the back I could look at leisure, as well as having Tan to tell me if the prices were about right. Lots of what was on sale was actually quite nice and we made a few purchases, including bags of saffron and some more spices to get through the customs at Bangkok airport.
For breakfast we pulled alongside a boat selling noddle soup and had a deliciously spicy bowl of Tom Yam. The lady was very impressed that we ate with chopsticks rather than than asking for a fork.
From there we glided (is that a word?) under trees laden
Stupas at Wat Pho
Basically a giant urn for one person's ashes. with different fruits to an area where the flowers of coconut trees are tapped to make palm sugar. We sampled the sickly sweet sugar syrup, as well as the deep flavour of the sugar itself, before climbing back aboard the boat.
As we passed back along the narrow canals we became thankful for having got there early. Boats were now squashed in, jostling for space and bumping each other along. It was a far cry from the serene experience we had experienced.
Back on the minibus we enjoyed our day of luxury as we reclined to almost vertical on the soft leather seats and caught up on some much needed sleep, waking just in time to appreciate the views as we headed into the lush green mountains. This Thailand is a far cry from the busy modern streets of Bangkok. The three and a half hour journey ended up being just over two hours thanks to our excellent/crazy driver.
We grabbed a quick lunch at one of the stalls clsoe to Erawan Falls before setting out for some walking and swimming.
Erawan Falls is just as beautiful, if not more so, than I remember. Seven tiers
of water cascade through thick jungle, creating large pools of emerald green. At the second tier we took our first dip. Diving into the cool water instantly made me forget about the hot, humid air and we spent ages swimming and climbing the waterfall itself. The pool was full of fish, some small, some big, and they had a filling meal that day as they nibbled on Mam and Julie's feet. The original fish pedicure. Whenever I put my foot onto one of the slippery rocks a fish would try to suck it, making me jump at the tickle and fall either into or out of the water.
The next tier of the waterfall is surrounded by high cliffs. A monkey climbed through the trees overhead as we swam around a tropical paradise.
By the fourth tier the fish seemed to be getting bigger and bigger but this pool has one big draw....a natural waterslide. It doesn't look much from the bottom but, after a scramble up the rocks, the slide down was steeper, faster and more exciting than expected.
On the way back to Bangkok we went on a slight detour through Kanchanaburi to the
bridge over the River Kwai, a famous World War II site. We walked on the bridge which has had more safety devices implemented over recent years after a man fell to his death between the tracks. Ou brief tour of this part of Thailand has only made me want to return once again in the future, to revisit places already seen and others still undiscovered.
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Grandma Prawn
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Fishy feet
Really enjoying your stories from Thailand. Thanks for keeping us up to date Anth & Ally