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Published: December 20th 2020
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25th day
I can’t believe the time went by so fast and it is now the last day of our vacation together. We started the morning intending to take the water shuttle (ferry that operates like a bus) to Wat Arun. It is a beautiful temple that we had seen and admired from the river. We weren’t quick enough disembarking so we went to the National Museum instead. At the museum, the most interesting displays were the Royal Funeral Chariots that carried ashes of members of the royal family from the crematorium to the cheda/stupa where they were placed; so were designed to be carried and others (with my newfound elephant expertise) I recognized as being carried by elephants, the history of Thailand told with dioramas and the book cabinets that were beautifully carved.
Wat Arun was just as beautiful close up as it was from the river. We climbed to the top of the main cheda and views were lovely. The day before, Jack asked our guide why so much wealth was poured into temples honoring Buddha when his message was that worldly possessions mean nothing and what does matter is how well you behave. She replied it made
people feel good to honor Buddha this way. I personally think it was to inspire awe in the general population, just like the medieval cathedrals in Europe.
Next we were off to the amulet market. We both felt the need to acquire amulets, little Buddhas in different poses, to bring us good health. Big surprise, none of the vendors spoke English and there were dozens of different choices. We were directed to a massage parlor (massage parlors aren’t all sleazy) and the young woman there spoke some English. When we explained what we wanted, she called her friend to get a recommendation for the best amulet for this purpose. She wrote it out in Thai and gave us a brochure with the right Buddha and after that it was easy to find what we were looking for. They are tiny, but I’m sure very powerful so we got one for us and for both Josh and Jess.
Since it was our last day we splurged on lunch at a very fancy Thai restaurant. We had a lovely lunch with wine and I received an orchid on the way out (a sure sign that it is expensive). Bangkok is
as expensive as the US if you go to restaurants that cater to tourists. When we ate at the hotel we had a $16 club sandwich and $12 cocktails. Items for locals like street food are cheap - $.75 for six small skewers of grilled meat or 1/3 of a pineapple in chunks.
Our afternoon didn’t work out as planned. We wanted to visit some art galleries. The first had ugly art. The other two galleries were on the University campus. When we got to the campus it was deserted so after wandering around for a while (we are getting really good and wandering) we were told that it was a holiday and the campus, including the galleries was closed. Oh well. At this point we headed back to the hotel so Jack could pack and we could relax for a while including cocktails on a deck overlooking the river. Sitting quietly and simply watching the brightly lit boat pass by was a fitting end to a hectic trip.
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