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Published: January 15th 2008
Bangkok: Monday, Jan 14th
Grand Palace
Checking out of the Asha Guesthouse was no heartbreak having been woken up roughly 18 times by the horny cats and new neighbours down the hall who seemed to think that the door could only be properly closed by slamming it....at 2:30 am. Plus, Kim has been getting bitten by bedbugs. (Hmmm....I think I'll start wearing underwear in bed...I thought it was just the heat that was making me itchy.)
We've booked our room in Chaing Mai already and we have a double bed, which to some may seem like a good thing, but we're getting used to the Ozzie & Harriet setup. Single beds are good in such humid weather.
We catch a cab down to the Hulongphong train station (the "Grand Central Station" of Bangkok) to store our bags while we spend the afternoon at the Grand Palace.
A note about transportation in Bangkok
As a farang, you're sure to get screwed around on the price for transportation in this city. Surprisingly (for a Torontonian, at least), cabs are the way to go. They're air-conditioned and they're by far the most cost-effective way to travel. The average trip seems to be in the 100 baht ($3.30) range. Give or take 20-30 baht depending on where you're going. But still, this is the way to travel.
Buses are hot and crowded (and who the hell understands where they're going to take you anyway?)
Tuk-tuks are for shorter trips and the drivers will almost always inflate the opening price for foreigners.
You can always ask the front desk to write your destination in Thai to avoid "confusion". As well, once the sun goes down...the meters go off and prices go up. We've learned to get out of a cab if the driver refuses to turn on the meter. I'd say it's about a 50/50 chance of the driver letting you go. Fact is: they can just sit and wait for another farang to hop in the cab and pay the quoted price.
Holding out for a meter always pays off.
Apologies...and now...the Grand Palace
The tour for The Grand Palace & The Emerald Buddha's Temple is just about the most stunning thing we've ever seen...anywhere. I know that I said Jim Thompson's house was a "must see" (it is), but if you have to choose between the two....Grand Palace, hands down.
Wow. I'll admit, up until this trip, I had always viewed Thai art and culture to be somewhat garish, but that's purely because I didn't understand the historical context. When you pull up to the grounds of the Grand Palace, you know that you're in for an experience.
The admission cost 250 baht ($8.60) per person and we opted for renting the audio device that guides you through. We each took an earpiece and just followed the map.
When you enter the first half (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha), you enter in the line that says, "Foreigner". The other line is for Thais, who get in for free.
Having already visited Wat Pho, we knew that the temples were very ornate and beautiful, but what sets this temple apart from the rest is that it is purely a temple with no lodgings for the buddhist monks. They don't live at this particular temple. They come to perform ceremonies, but that's it.
Each King since Rama I adds something to the grounds, be it a building or some sort of structure. Words can barely express the beauty and richness that is found in the gold and jeweled structures. We'll be getting pictures up as soon as possible, but I won't be surprised if they pale in comparison to what you see in person.
I've never seen a gold building before. The detail that is put into the exterior of the temple and the various statues and buildings inside are just unbelievable. Mirrors, gold, porcelain and ceramic tiles are everywhere and literally reach to the sky.
The audio guide tells you which King built what, and for what reason and is totally worth renting. In fact, I can't imagine doing the tour without it.
The highlight of the temple ground is the Emerald Buddha. No picture taking is allowed and you must sit quietly while observing. As well, you can't point your feet at the Buddha. The interior of the temple that contains the Emerald Buddha is astonishing. The paintings on every wall tell the tale of the life of Lord Buddha. Uh...I couldn't understand it, but the jist is this - he's the man. They even have the tree in the yard under which Buddha gained his enlightenment. I'll warn you now, when I get back home, I may be able to read your mind.
No, really...I'm getting to The Grand Palace...
Once you leave the temple grounds, you can't re-enter and you find yourself right in front of the Palace. Again, it's just stunning in size and style.
We couldn't tour about half of the buildings because just prior to our arrival in Thailand, the Princess (the King's elder sister) passed away and was lying in state. Although it was disappointing not to be able to tour these buildings, we considered it an honour to be able to witness all of the Thai people (who were allowed in for viewing and prayers) making their way in all dressed in black. There was a military procession and we were able to hear the chanting of buddhist monks, who I read will be doing this for 100 days as part of the mourning period.
The grounds of the Grand Palace are impressive and huge, though it is not the official residence for the Royal Family. It's used primarily for visiting heads of state and state functions.
Train to Chaing Mai
Before hopping the train up to Chaing Mai, we went to a park by the Chao Praya river which runs right through the heart of Bangkok. Kim was determined to get a picture of one of the bridges lit up at night, just before we left.
We sat and read and watched the locals do their thing. This also means that we watched a bunch older American gents taking their Thai girlfriends out for a walk. You do the math....
At 6:00 pm, what sounded-like the Thai national anthem came pouring out of speakers I hadn't seen yet, and everyone stopped what they were doing to stand up. Seriously, we had no idea that this was going to happen, but nothing is too out of the ordinary here, and we're just going with the flow.
Once the anthem finished, a bunch of Thai people in excercise gear crowded in front of us and were led through a good aerobic workout to more of that crazy music.
Awesome. I took video of it.
A wee note about the "shitters" in Bangkok
I know that I've already mentioned the crazy squat toilets (with which I thankfully have little experience), but...
I couldn't wait to use the bathroom on the train, so I had to go pee in the train station bathroom. This cost only 2 baht ($0.06), which I handed to a lovely lady attending the booth at the entrance of the men's room.
Another lovely lady attended to the turnstile that you have to pass through, which is right by the "high-tech" urinal trough. (Constant running water keeps it fresh smelling). This woman is in complete view of all your business and watches over you with a protective smile. Comforting...
As weird as this is, I figured that, this is her job and she's seen it all before. The weird part came when another lovely woman came walking by me as I relieved myself into the trough with a welcoming: ""Sawatdee Kaa"!!
The train left at about 8:00 pm and we met a really nice couple from Vancouver (Peter and Patsy), who we chatted with for the entire journey to Chaing Mai (save, of course, the time when we were sleeping).
The sleeper bunks are a bit crazy. We could only get upper berths, so that means that once dinner was finished and people were getting ready for bed, the attendant came around and pulled down what would otherwise appear to be a luggage compartment and - presto! - there's your bed.
The ride is about 14 hours long. It's not so bad, but the bathrooms are just nasty. Kim looked a bit grey after brushing her teeth and taunted me to go see for myself. While taking a leak in the bathroom, I could see the tracks zooming by below.....so that's where it all goes....one hand hanging on for dear life, the other hanging on to....
We slept surprisingly well and are now in downtown Chaing Mai. We're going to book a cooking course for two days at an organic farm just outside of Chaing Mai. After that, we're going to take a zip-line eco-adventure tour (zero carbon footprint!!) and waterfall tour.
But, that's for tomorrow's installment....
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Pam Gregory
non-member comment
Great to hear from you!
Wow it sounds like you guys are having a fabulous experience. It is absolutely wonderful that you are taking the time with your blog. I feel like I'm right there with you - except I tune out on the "shitter commentary" lol Looking forward to reading more and seeing pictures. Aunt Pam