"Wat" Not

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Geo: 13.7308, 100.521

DAY TWENTY-ONE (1/23/13) — Bangkok, The Peninsula
"Wat" Not A temple in Thailand is referred to as a “wat”. We have seen many temples in our three-week stay but we know we have some of the most famous in the world ahead of us.

Following breakfast at The Peninsula (by far the best breakfast buffet we have encountered, and the others haven't been shabby), we head to the lobby to meet our guide. Much to our surprise, and extreme delight, we have a new guide: Banyat. The email I wrote last night did not land on deaf ears. When Carol Pine, our agent, got to the office in Boston, she contacted her suppliers in SE Asia and voila! a new guide. He tells us he got the call at 11 pm and stayed up until 1 am rearranging our days. He tells us our day had been in disarray and would have resulted in 2-3 hours in traffic. We are grateful for his intercession.

We understand his English; he understands ours, and he understands how unhappy we were. He has completely rearranged our day to reduce time in Bangkok traffic. We are doing the happy dance.

First thing: we cross the river on The Peninsula shuttle so we don't have to fight traffic to get to get to the heart of Bangkok. Before our 3.5 days are over, we will use the shuttle at least a dozen times.

Next up: The Golden Buddha, which is truly gold. It is 18k gold through and through; it's 10' high and weighs 5½ tons. This inspiring statue was first installed in Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital. Covered in plaster for protection during the Burmese invasions, the statue's original composition was forgotten for centuries, and rediscovered only in the 1950s when the statue was transferred to Bangkok.

With ice water in hand (it is blazing hot – maybe 95°F and 95% humidity), we move to the Grand Palace, built in 1782 by King Rama I. The capital had been located in Thonburi, where The Peninsula is located (across the river), but it was hard to defend the city from the Burmese on that side.

We don't really tour the palace, rather many of the Temples on the property. It is everything you think of when you think of Thailand and Bangkok … glitter and gold. I am wild about the Demon Guardians that are the glitzy version of the palace guard.

There are 40,000 temples in Thailand, 400 in Bangkok. This seems disproportionate since 20% of Thailand's 65MM people live here Bangkok. But I guess the countryside is laden with temples – essential to the Buddhist way of life. It seems at least 1000 are on the Grand Palace grounds.

Now we head to one of the world's most famous: Emerald Buddha, made of green jadeite (rather than emerald) and clothed in gold … dating back to the 14th Century.

We wander over to catch a view of the mansion on the Grand Palace grounds, which for 150 years was the home of the Thai King. It's a French-looking building (Rama V was educated at Oxford and traveled Europe for many years so he brought many Western things (including architecture) to Thailand. The residence is called Barom Piman Mansion.

Bangkok's other famous resident is the Reclining Buddha, definitely worth seeing. Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is the largest temple in Bangkok and famed for its huge and majestic reclining Buddha (151' long and 49' tall and covered in gold leaf).But I don't get why they would put a Buddha this big in such a small space. It deserves a reception hall of its own.

DRESS CODE: A strict dress code applies. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves. With sandals or flip-flops, you must wear socks (in other words, no bare feet.) Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. If you show up at the front gate improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entrance that can provide clothes to cover you up. No hats inside. And of course, shoes must be removed before entering so socks are actually a good idea.

Lunch is aboard River Side Bangkok ship – a buffet which is handy but not necessarily noteworthy. But it's air-conditioned, which is a big plus in the neighborhood of 200-year-old buildings.

Speaking of ancient buildings, many have toilets that do not allow you to throw toilet paper in them. There is a separate container to put used TP in. It's odd, but I get over it.

After lunch we visit the almost new National Discovery Museum, a high tech “discovery” museum which seems to be designed for middle and secondary school children. There is a lot of information presented in a play-learning style (videos, games, interactive demos). We spend our time in the Museum of Siam, which is a bit sophomoric for senior travelers but I would think it would be worthwhile if you're traveling with youths.

By now all the walking and the heat have gotten to us. Our guide is planning on taking us on a Klong Tour (longboats down the Chao Phraya River and the Bangkok canals) but the trip isn't scheduled for another 45 minutes. So we waste time in the produce market and the Bangkok Floral Market. The second looks prettier and smells a lot better than the former.

We collapse into the boat and let the driver do the work. The canals are very filthy (Styrofoam and trash everywhere). There are metal shanties but there are also elegant homes along the river and the canals. A woman in a canoe pulls up to our boat in an attempt to sell us cheap souvenirs (we aren't takers) and another fellow sells our guide fresh bread for us to tear up and toss to the catfish in the canals. It creates an amusing frenzy. It's a relaxing way to see more attractions without having to do any work. It's cool and breezy on the water and we are pleased with our guide's choice.

The longboat drops us off at The Peninsula Hotel pier and we are anxious for a shower and some air-conditioning.

Dinner tonight is at Breeze Restaurant across the river at the State Tower. The view is amazing. So are the prices. The restaurant is on the 52nd floor – an outdoor venue that provides some incredible views of the city. Food is good. But not as good as the $100-150 per person price tag. But it's our farewell dinner with Gundlachs, so we splurge.

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Photos

Angkor Wat model
Model of the ancient temples at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Bangkok Six at State Tower
Gundlachs, Us, Morleys

Comments

[cdnski12]

January is the "COOL" month in BKK! A private cruise on the Chao Phraya River c/w a nice cold Chang Beer ... Priceless!