Walk about to the Amulet market and mile zero

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Hello again my blogging buddies, I can report all is well here under the emergency decree.So far I have not noticed any escalation of activities on either side of the conflict as the days count down to the February 2nd election.There are advance polls tomorrow and the embassy warns me that things could get out of hand around the polls.Not knowing where these polls are the warning is of little value to me, and I am certainly not hiding out in Thonburi.

I have been wandering about the last few days and it is time for me to catch you all up on what I have seen.The Lonely Planet guide book is always my source of information on these trips and I am always amazed how thorough and precise they really are.Often they simply highlight a district and suggest a walking tour, which is what I did the other day, taking the Ko Ratanakosin Stroll.

The stroll starts out in the throngs outside Wat Phra Kaew but instead of heading through gates to the temples and the palace it leads you to the left along Th Maha Rat.There are a lot of streets and areas with Rat in their name but I have no idea what it means, sorry. The street was busy with students, attending Silpakorn University, Thailands premier fine arts university.Also present were many monks in their saffron robes, attending Wat Mahathat, one of Thailands most respected Buddist Universities.

The sidewalks as always, were blocked with food vendors but as I wandered further along the food was replaced with tables of amulets and amulet magazines.The trade is based around small talismans, highly prized by collectors, monks, taxi drivers and people in dangerous professions as the Lonely Planet says!

Mostly men seem to be involved in the trade sifting through the amulets on tables, examining them carefully with magnifying glasses to identify hidden meaning and if they are lucky hidden value.They bargain hard on a price to "rent" their finds, a way of getting around the prohibition of selling an image of Buddah.

From the amulet market I headed towards Sanam Luang, the royal field.It sounds grander than it is really, A huge field of mostly dried grass sorrouded by a walkway , homeless people and pigeons.At one time it was a rice field and now apparently they do have some royal ceremonies here, such as a crown prince presiding over the ploughing ceremony to mark the start of the growing season, also held here are kite festivals which must be fun to see but not at this time of the year.

Crossing the wide road from the Royal Field, I went to pay my respects at Lak Meuang, the home of Bangkok's city spirit.This shrine has both historical and religious signicance as it is here that Rama I, erected a wooden pillar in 1782 to represent the founding of the new Bangkok capital.It is from this point distances are measured to all other city shrines in the counry.The pillars importance doesn't stop there, the pillar is endowed with a spirit, Phra Sayam Thewathirat ( Venerable Siam Deity of the State ) considered the cities guardian.

After paying my respects to the pillar and all it represents I was drawn to some music coming from a corner of the temple grounds.There I found musicians performing accompaniment to a female actor/singer.I sat down, the only one there almost, and listened and watched this amazing show.I have no idea what the story line was or if it was tragic or happy but the music was superb, played by old guys sitting on the floor playing traditional instruments and she sang beautifully and delivered her lines with certainty and force! At one point she exited stage left and out came a young man, also singing and delivering lines incomprehensible to me but equally fascinating. It was another example of the beauty of travel without a plan, the serendipity of this moment made my day.

From Lak Meuang I walked past the Ministry of Defence, circled by accordian razor wire and soldiers at the entrances.I assumed due to the political struggle going on here.I kept walking, with a couple of quick photos quietly taken of the ugly beauty of razor wire.Crossing the road by the Minisrty of the Interior I stopped to consult my map and drew the attention of a soldier standing nearby.He walked over and in very good english offered his assistance.All he needed was my favourable response and I had a friend for life who immediately started to tell me about things to see and where to go.He drew circles on my map and wrote Thai phrases he thought would be useful to me.We had a grand time there on the corner and I thanked him with a handshake and a smile and was again on my way back towards the river and the ferry boat home.Another super day in Bangkok.

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Photos

The amulet market
closely examining each amulet