Bangkok
29-30 May, 2004 (First leg of Thailand trip)
Checked into a small, no-frills (read: non a/c, shared bathrooms) but
comfortable guest house room overlooking the Wat (temple) Chana
Songkram complex in the heart of the old Rattanakosin part of Bangkok.
Had planned to go to the Youth Hostel initially but it's a bit out of
the way and the airport bus didn't go there directly. This guesthouse
was recommended by an Australian on her way back from Germany who had
stayed here on her way out. This G H is right behind the Wat, and in
front of it is Khao San road - the favored backpacker haunt. Walking
down Khao San road the first evening was very fun. Apart from the usual
clothes, food, and souvenir stalls, there were several guys who take
your picture and make you a perfect replica of an international student
card, drivers permit or press card for 150B (~Rs 150/$3.5). Just walked
around in the neighborhood the first evening.
The room key has a long obloid plastic attachment that has to be
inserted into a holder before the room lights come on. All the guest
houses I've seen so far have had this system to prevent people from
leaving the lights on when they leave the room.
The G H had this helpful sign near the entrance. The picture above is a
caricature of the owners.. Bangkok was hot and sticky, but in a
perverse sort of way a non A/C room was better because you don't feel
like stepping out of air-conditioning, so I would have never walked as
much or seen as much as I did.
Hua Lum Phong railway station, from where the night train leaves for
Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand). I came here early in the day to buy a
ticket.
My first Tuk Tuk ride back from the station. Tuk Tuks are a lot like
auto-rickshaws - but bigger and with more leg room (and more garishly
painted on the outside). You decide the fare with the driver before
getting on so sometimes Tuk Tuk rides end up being more expensive than
metered Taxis.
Most parts of Bangkok reminded me a lot of Delhi (the bigger streets,
chaotic fast moving traffic, etc), while some of the winding back
alleys had more of a Kolkata feel.
Even modern buildings like this university have small Buddhist shrines
outside them.
A street next to the Amulet market, where dozens of vendors sold the
SAME kinds of amulets (or at least they all looked the same to me - I
saw several men studying some of the amulets intently using magnifying
glasses so there must have been some difference). The Amulet market was
a larger, covered version of this street, where you could buy Buddhas
in all sizes from 5 mm to 1.5 m. Had lunch at this place inside the
market that had no English signs so I asked for Pad Kee Mauw
(desperately trying to recall something other than Pad Thai from the
different Thai menus I have seen in the past). Thailand is a very
different experience from other places I have been to because not only
do I not know ANY of the language, I can't read the script at all, so I
can't even guess at what some of the terms mean... I probably should
not have the iced tea in that shop after having seen the way the ice
was being crushed two shops away but I was really thirsty and am still
ok 4 days later, so hopefully all will be well. (Am carrying bottled
water everywhere now).
Street opposite the Grand Palace.
Entrance to the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace. The newspapers I
read on the flight had predicted rain for the entire weekend but I was
in luck and got cloudy but blue skies.
The Golden Chedi (spire that houses Buddha's relics) in the Grand
Palace complex.
The dress code looked really strict (and I thought it was quite cool
that they offered a free change of clothes) but several young Thai
ladies who were allowed in seemed to be stretching the limits to
breaking point :-)
The statue of the Hermit Doctor (Buddha's physician and the father of
Thai Herbal Medicine) is the first sight you see as you enter Wat Phra
Kaew (temple of the Emerald Buddha).
The confusion of magnificent styles inside the complex is a result of
each Thai king trying to contribute something outstanding to the
Emerald Buddha temple.
The story of the Ramakien (Ramayan) is told in murals painted in the
cloisters that surround the temple complex. Each scene describes the
verses inscribed in marble on the pillars on the left. I still haven't
figured out the big connection between Buddha and the Ramakien, and why
demons from the epic protect Buddhist temples.
Six pairs of enormous demons protect the temple. No two are alike -
each is a different color and has a different head dress.
The buildings in the background are different memorials, mausoleums and
other structures housing relics and statues of the Buddha and the Thai
kings.
A Bodhi tree descended from the one in Gaya under which the Budhha
attained enlightenment.
One of the Thai kings decided that all his subjects should be able to
see the magnificence of the Angkor Wat temple so he had a scale model
built of it.
Incredibly detailed tiles and statues on the outsides of the buildings:
"Please don't poke out the elephants' eyes using your thumb"
Am pretty sure this is Kumbhakaran from the Ramayan.
Making merit (offerings) outside the main Emerald Buddha hall (no
offerings may be made inside it, so most people light incense sticks,
offer flowers etc at this shrine to the Goddess Kun Lam (Goddess of
Mercy) right outside the main shrine.
No photography was allowed inside the main shrine, so here are some pix
of the outside:
Hundreds of Garudas hold Nagas (snakes) in both hands as they prop up
the main temple of teh Emerald Buddha.
The main shrine (the large building on the right). The smaller huts
were meant for people to sit in and listen to sermons by monks.
The temple complex looks as splendid as it does thanks to regular
maintenance by these people:
The temple exit leads to the Grand Palace:
The Barom Phiman hall was a former royal residence but is now used for
visiting royalty and heads of state (Queen Elizabeth IIand Bill Clinton
have both stayed here)
I may have misheard the audio guide but according to it these Chinese
figures are just big heavy statues that were used as ballast on Chinese
trade ships.
Changing of the guard. This part of the palace looks very european
(except for the elephant :-))
The european style base is topped by a very Thai canopy, giving this
palace a very interesting look.
Can't really imagine ever living in a building where each window looks
like this!
Had fresh coconut water at a rip-off price inside the grand palace
complex.
Young boy monks on their way out after seeing the temple and the grand
palace.
After coming out of the temple and palace, I turned towards the pier
and decided to take a ferry down the Chao Phraya river till the
southernmost elevated rail station.
Two long boats (snake tailed boats) and a speedboat jostle for space
near Tha (pier) Chang:
A long boat basically has an outboard motor attached to a long (3 m)
pole with a propeller at the end.
Whipping up the water in front of Wat Rakhang Khositaram.
Ferries like this one are the cheapest way to travel the length of
Bangkok. The monks don't pay am sure (they are not supposed to have
money) but I was puzzled (still am to some extent) by some monks
carrying Pepsi cans, digital cameras, and even a cellphone (this was in
Chiang Mai, later in the trip). Perhaps they can use anything as long
as it is given as alms and they dont ask for it, but a cellphone
service has to be renewed every month or at least fairly often...
Further down the river the buildings and hotels get taller and more
opulent.
Resting place at the Sathorn pier where I got off. Bangkok (and Chiang
Mai) were both full of dogs that looked like strays, except that a few
had collars like this one. They're generally friendly and barely even
bark (except at dogs on a leash).
Red shared taxis which are basically converted Toyota pick-ups.
The BTS skytrain looks very similar in design to the Delhi Metro Rail
pictures that I have seen. Probably the same manufacturer.
The crowd entering the skytrain was a completely different slice of
Bangkok life from the one I had been seeing all day. Very young and
affluent looking and just about everyone whipped out their cellphones
when the train started.
The skytrain goes as high as 10-15 storeys above the ground at some
points (not this one) with one line crossing over another.
Was a long but fascinating day. Took the train out to Chiang Mai later
that night.
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