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Well, if you’ve been keeping up, this is my second time in Bangkok on this trip. I arrived during the New Year’s Eve – water celebrations the first time and am now back to a “normal” Bangkok except for the exceptionally hot and humid weather. Yes, I got back just in time for a heat wave!!
I don’t know what it is about this city but I feel at home. I guess since I’d already spent a week here five years ago and more or less know my way around I used this as a getting back into the “western world” kind of stop. What does that mean? Well, I got my hair washed, cut and blow dried, had a pedicure, a manicure, a Thai massage (3 actually), a full leg wax and I mailed all of my warm clothes home and got all of my laundry washed. You have no idea how tired I am of wearing the same clothes so of course; I bought some clothes which I will never wear back home. I finally got myself a pair of fisherman’s pants. For those of you that have travelled to Asia, you know exactly what they are. They’re
the Indian sari version of pants. You start by wrapping them around your waist and they fall to your knees about 3 times before you finally figure out how to keep them tied up and around your waist. I’m getting better at it with practice. I went back to one of my favourite restaurants called The Joy Luck Club. The food is superb and the owner/chef is a lovely Thai/Chinese lady whose restaurant is so fascinating in itself with all of her kitsch collection of interesting artifacts housed on all of the walls.
I stayed in Banglamphu, an area of Bangkok known for its backpacker district, restaurants, markets, fresh fruit and pad thai carts galore. All the sights are within walking distance and also close by is the Klorng (canal boats). They’re fantastic for 15 to 30baht ($1), you can go for a beautiful scenic ride along the canal to some of the most visited tourist spots in Bangkok. Apparently, there are plans to revive these water routes and encourage more of the people of Bangkok to take these as car traffic has become unbearable. Of course, I also took one of Thailand’s most recognized modes of transportation the
Tuk Tuk, a three wheeled vehicle, even though they are way too small for most foreigners to see anything beyond the low roof. These drivers have a knack of hustling you out of more money than the trip is worth and I got caught paying double for a 5 minute trip which I thought would be about 20 minutes. Oh well, I was out of pocket about $1.50 which is less than what we’d pay just stepping into a taxi at home.
Although over the past 20 years Thailand has modernized and replaced many of its canals with roads, and boats with motorcycles and cars; there are still some floating markets that cater to tourists. It was worth a trip for me and off I went to one, the Damnoen Saduak floating market. Once I arrived it was evident that it was nothing more than a souvenir market catering to tourists. Never the less, it was a sentimental piece of the past. It was colourful and interesting with its wooden canoes laden with multicoloured fruits and vegetables, paddled by women wearing wide-brimmed straw hats.
Although I skipped most of the tourist sights of Bangkok and just basically pampered
myself and indulged in the fabulous food, I didn’t miss out on visiting Wat Pho once again. It’s one of Bangkok’s biggest temples; it has to be since it houses the almost too big for its shelter Reclining Buddha. The figure is molded out of plaster around a brick core and is finished in gold leaf. It comes in at 46m long and 15m high, the pose shows the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet of this Reclining Buddha display 108 different auspicious lak-sa-na (characteristics of a Buddha) in mother of pearl inlay. This temple, not only houses this enormous Reclining Buddha but also 394 gilded Buddha images in four other chapels. Wat Pho is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage. There is a famous massage school located right there within the temple grounds. The whole grounds cover 8 hectares!
On another day I was off to Ayuthaya. It was once a vibrant capital and packed with hundreds of temples; today there are only a few remnants that remain of this once former glorious capital of Siam (1350 and 1767). It was a major trading port during
the time of the trade winds where international merchants once visited. It had 33 kings who participated in more than 70 wars combined and was never ruled by a Western power. The last of the empire’s battles was in 1767, when an invading Burmese army sacked the city, taking with them most of its treasures. In 1991 Ayuthaya’s ruins were designated a Unesco World Heritage Site and last year’s flood in the areas has placed many of its temples in danger once again. Restoration work was actively underway when I visited.
The other thing I did in Bangkok that I didn’t get a chance to do last time was see the Calypso Cabaret Show. What is this you ask? Well basically, it’s a drag performance like no other you’ve seen, besides Priscilla Queen of the Desert but this was live. These lady boys were some of the most stunning “women” I’ve ever seen! You be the judge…
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anonymous
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Somebody Really Should Consider Renaming the Capital
Love all those Buddha pictures! Especially the big one at Wat Po...size really is everything!