Bangkok Sojourn

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November 10 - November 11

It was my first time flying Emirates. Check-in was smooth and we managed to get an aisle and window seat together in economy class which was good, since the flight was full. The seats were very comfy and ergonomically designed with a good seat pitch on one of their newer 777-300s. Great personal ICE system with over 1000 programs on a crystal clear 14 inch LCD monitor including a make your own playlist selection. Got caught up with movies like Angels and Demons and Julia and Julie. The food was quite good. They had a choice of western style and Indian food. I went with Indian food each time and it was beautifully presented with real silverware. They also served wine, beer and spirits on request. The crew was international and they spoke over 12 languages between them. While the service was quite efficient, it lacked the friendliness of crew personnel that you find on the Asian carriers.

The 12 hours to Dubai passed surprisingly quick. On final approach into the airport, we got a bird’s eye view of the skyline with the new Burj Tower, the Burj al Arab hotel and the world islands development. The airport is brand new and filled with designer duty free shopping and restaurants. We did some souvenir shopping in the airport, surfed the free wi-fi at the gate and then boarded our connecting flight. This plane was also a 777, but an older model. The ICE system was still good, but not as extensive a selection, no personal playlist option and the typical 10 inch square monitor. Seats also were not as comfortable. Luckily flight was only 5 hours.

We arrived at Bangkok and cleared immigration in about 30 minutes. We waited on bags for another 15 to 20 minutes. The new terminal is well designed and well marked to find city express buses and taxis. We hopped in a metered taxi and got to the hotel in about 30 minutes. The fare was 450 Baht with tolls (Approx $14.00 USD).

The Westin Grande Sukhumvit was a welcome sight. We were greeted with the traditional Khmer greeting (head bowed with hands together touching lips) and ushered into the beautiful marble lobby with reflecting pool. We took an elevator to the 7th floor reception area for a quick check-in. The bellman whisked us up to our room on the 19th floor where we were impressed with the recently refurbished hallways with teak wood walls and plush carpeting. Our room was large with big windows, minimalist design furniture and Westin’s signature Heavenly Beds.

We were still full from all the food they fed us on the plane (when was the last time anyone told you that?), so we opted to shower and hit the hay early to recover from our long flight.

November 12

We woke up refreshed after a good night’s sleep. I enjoyed a delicious cup of pressed coffee from the in-room coffee maker before heading out to start our day. We skipped the $15.00 breakfast buffet at the hotel and grabbed some coffee, juice, scrambled eggs and sausage biscuit next door at McDonald’s for about $6.00 total.

The BTS skytrain was just up the street from the hotel, so armed with a map and directions from the concierge, we ventured to use the public transportation system. You buy a ticket from a coin vending machine and pay based on the zone your station is in. It is very similar to the method used on the Washington, D.C. metro.

We doubled back a couple of times getting mixed up between Silom and Siam stops when asking directions (both pronounced very similar by the locals). We finally figured it out and arrived at our final destination, Taksim station about 20 minutes later. You put your ticket in the turnstile to gain exit. This is when we found out we only paid a fare for the first zone where we changed trains. We had to pay the difference in the fare, so our total fare was 40 baht per person (approx. $1.20 USD). Overall the system was clean, efficient and fairly easy to use once you get familiar with the process.

We followed the crowd from the station one block to the water. We hopped on the Chaopraya River Express Boat to take it upriver to Tha Ton stop. This was a sight and sound filled experience with all the locals milling about and the fare collector shaking coins inside a metal tube to get your attention. You pay the fare on the boat and the amount is based on the distance you travel. For us it was 13 baht per person (about 40 cents). We arrived at Tha Ton 15 minutes later.

The boat dock was lined with elevated boards and rice bags to step on, that reminded us this section of Bangkok was under water just two weeks ago during the flood season. Today is was sunny and humid to the tune of a balmy 95 degree 95% humidity day.

We walked past several local food stalls on the way up the street to Wat Pho Temple (Po Tree temple - similar to a Banyan Tree). The walled complex houses several chedi and the reclining Buddha. We hired a private licensed guide just inside the gates. The tickets were 150 baht per person plus 300 baht for the guide (about $19.00 USD total). The temple complex is a beautiful mixture of Thai, Hindu and Khmer design. Each of the chedis were elaborately decorated with gold leaf and porcelain. Chedis are towers built to hold cremated remains; the more elaborate and closer to the temple, the higher your wealth and status in society. Thailand is 95% Buddhist and they believe in reincarnation and that you will live up to 260 lives, with each life bringing you closer to enlightenment and nirvana.

There are several Chinese style statues at the entrances to all the temples. The guide explained that these statues served as ballast when ships would transport goods back and forth between China. Each entrance had a pair of a happy and sad lion (ying and yang). This purpose was to keep balance.

The main temple here houses the 61 meter long reclining Buddha. The guide explained to us the different meanings of the Buddha’s positions and how each position also is associated with a certain day of the week. After touring the temples, Ashley wanted to have her palm read and her numerology chart made by the fortune teller. Our guide stayed with us to take notes and translate if necessary. It was a fixed fee of $20 USD per person. He was pretty accurate in describing Ashley’s personality and proceeded to give her a break down of what to expect at certain ages during her life time. Most of it was general information about what you could expect as age appropriate. He also told her what numbers and colors were good luck for her.

From here we headed past the multiple Buddha statues to the famous Wat Pho massage school. We signed up for the 30 minute Thai massage for about $7.00 per person. The massage area is quite interesting with several mattresses lying on the floor side by side. Thai massage is done while you are dressed. The therapist hops up on the mattress with you and applies pressure to certain chakra points on your back and extremities in order to open the channels. They also stretch your shoulders and hips. While it is not as relaxing as a Swedish massage, I did feel quite refreshed at the end. The kink in my neck from jet lag also disappeared. I’d say it was money well spent.

From here, we set off down the street to the Grand Palace complex. This was a more expensive venture. It cost 350 baht per person entrance plus 450 baht for the guide (About $35.00 Total). The complex was used by the royal family as their primary residence until the current king Rama IX came to power 61 years ago. He decided to open up the palace complex to the people as a museum of sorts. The king and his family are well loved by the Thai people. The king’s picture is found everywhere. At the entrance to the palace there were several folding tables set up with papers and pens. Our guide explained that this is where people can come to write a letter to the king and send him get well wishes, because he has been in the hospital for the last couple of months. What I found interesting, is that military personnel oversee this process. It is a crime to say anything bad to or about the king. So, I guess their presence assures that the king will only receive good wishes and praise.

Our guide explained the history of Thailand and how kings in the 19th century prevented Siam from being colonized by the British or French, like so many of the surrounding countries. This is why the country is now named Thailand. Thai is the word for freedom in the Siamese language.

The temple complex here contains the famous emerald Buddha. This is a small Buddha, but it is made of solid jade. It was found by accident when being moved from Ayutthaya in the north. It was covered in plaster to hide it from the Burmese army during the invasion in the 1800s. When it accidentally got dropped, the plaster cracked and revealed the jade inside.

Several different chedi were erected around the palace temple complex. All were very elaborate. We moved through the temple into the palace grounds. We were able to see the European style home where Rama VIII used to live. It is now used to house visiting dignitaries, such as Queen Elizabeth and Bill Clinton when they visited.

The main palace courtyard was beautiful, with lots of gold leaf decoration. Unfortunately, these buildings are closed to the public, so we could only view the exteriors.

We bid our guide farewell, and headed across the street to Au Bon Pain for a ham sandwich on a bagel and a cold drink. The air conditioned restaurant with the comfy wicker chairs was just the ticket to cool off for a bit.

A 15 minute walk from here took us through a maze of stalls where the locals do their shopping. We arrived back at the river and took the 3 baht ferry across to the Thonburi side of Bangkok. Our next destination was Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). This was a Khmer style temple decorated in pieces of Chinese porcelain, including pieces of broken plates. It was quite interesting looking. We were able to climb the very steep steps of the temple providing magnificent views of the river skyline. It took a toll on the knees and the nerves.

We bought some fans made of scented balsa wood to try and wave some heat away. They do a great job of moving air around, but boy, do they stink. I’m hoping the scent dies down quickly.

We caught the ferry and did the commute in reverse; this time like pros. We looked so confident, people were actually asking us for help in navigating the system.

We were happy to enter our air conditioned room where we had a cold drink and relaxed for a while. We stayed local for dinner and walked over to Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant for some good Thai food. The restaurant has a lovely outdoor beer garden area and an airy inside section. I had delicious Pad Thai and some stir fried vegetables. We also tried a favorite local Thai appetizer made of pandanus leaves, shrimp, chilis and toasted coconut. It was quite delicuious. Dinner with drinks cost about $10.00 per person.

Cabbages and Condoms was the brainchild of a philanthropic organization, who was very proactive in educating Thai people about the benefits of safe sex. An odd combination put together with a restaurant concept. What was really funny, is that at the end of the meal, they give you a condom, instead of a mint; quite the conversation starter. There are also several condom sculptures and lights strewn around the courtyard. They also had the mandatory gift shop selling postcards and t-shirts. All proceeds from the restaurant and store go towards the safe sex education program.

We turned in after that because we had an early start the next day.

November 13, 2009
We were up and at ‘em early this morning and ready for pickup at 6:30 AM. We were taken to a meeting area by van where we boarded our big bus for the day trip to Ayutthaya and Ba Po In Summer Palace. Our guide Peter gave us some historical background on the way about the ancient city of Ayutthaya. This used to be an early Thai kingdom, but was destroyed by the Burmese in the 1860s during the invasion.

We arrived at BaPo In summer palace after a 1 hour drive via a modern highway.

I had on a sleeveless shirt, so had to borrow an ugly tropic style pink shirt from the palace guards, in order to tour the palace grounds. It is mandatory that knees and shoulders be covered.

The buildings and lanscaping were a mix of European, Thai and Chinese design (to win over large Chinese population in Thailand). A large observation tower was built to look like a lighthouse. Next to thios was a beautiful Chinese style house with hand carved wood furniture.

We drove another 30 minutes to the Ayutthaya complex. There are four main sets of temples that were constructed under Khmer rule. Our first stop was the site with the famous Buddha head sculpture in tree in the midst of the temple ruins.

The second site was the UNESCO designated area with the temple housing the 60 meter tall Buddha and three chedi towers built by Rama V. This area also had an interesting taxi stand area for elephant rides.

After some time on our own to explore the area, we drove another 30 minutes to reach the boat cruise. It was a lovely river boat with large tables and chairs to enjoy a delicious Thai food buffet with coffee and tea. Any other drinks were quite expensive including beer, wine and soft drinks. The cruise was nice but very long. The boat ambled along past lots of temples and stilt houses, before finally reaching Bangkok's city limits 3 hours later.

We arrived River City at 4 PM, but the van transfer back to hotel took 1 ¼ hours due to Friday night rush hour traffic. We were exhausted and still full from lunch when we got back to the hotel, so we crashed early.

November 14
We woke up at 4 AM, since we passed out around 7 PM last night (Can you say jetlag?). We walked next door to the 24 hour McDonald’s to split a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage sandwich and hash browns with juice and coffee for just under $5 USD.

We met our guide and driver at 6:30 AM and set off for Damnosouek Floating Market located about 80 km. from downtown Bangkok. We made a stop on the way at an orchid farm that had lovely gardens and sampled some sugar cane made from coconut palm stalks. They heat up the stalks and drain the sap and then boil off the water. The cane sugar is left behind. It tasted like vanilla maple fudge.

We arrived at one of the river villages upstream from Damnosouek and hopped in a longtail boat for the 30 minute ride to the market. We passed some temples and several houses of various designs, including basic bamboo, wood and modern construction with glass and steel. Rich mix in with the poor all along the river front.

When we arrived at the village, we hopped in a small row boat and paddled into the massive boat traffic jam to battle our way through to see the wares offered by different vendors. This used to be a locals market where residents would trade and buy fruits, vegetables, meats and household supplies. However, these days it is overrun with tourists and the merchants now vie to get your attention for souvenirs. Ashley got a kick out of bargaining for designer knock off handbags. I was amazed at the good quality of some of the items.

After spending an hour of floating and haggling, we were picked up by our van and headed for the Khmer furniture shop where we watched artisans painstakingly hand carve elaborate pieces of art into mahogany furniture. There were several beautiful pieces, some taking as long as 6 months to complete. I was especially fond of a rolling bar that folded up into a beautiful cabinet.

We headed back to Bangkok and sat in the expected traffic jam for about an hour. We made a quick change at the hotel and hopped on the BTK skytrain to Mo Chit (the northern terminus) to go to the largest market in Thailand called Chatuchak Weekend Market, where they sell everything under in the sun in over 18,000 stalls. We arrived just in time as the sky opened up with a torrential thunderstorm. We managed to stay dry as we shopped for handmade silks, handbags and designer clothing. We managed to find the items we were looking for at a good price in just under 3 hours.

We took the train back to Sukhumvit and went to Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant to get some more delicious Thai food. Tonight we tried deep fried fresh water prawns with spicy mango sauce and corn cups filled with corn and shredded chicken, which tasted remarkably like chicken nachos. I also had another order of their outstanding shrimp pad thai.

We went back to the hotel to pack up, since we have another ungodly early start tomorrow as we make our way to Chiang Mai.

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