Wed 15th Jul - After a mad day yesterday spent mostly in my worst environment of a
shopping mall, I decided to have a day out sightseeing. As I have been here
many times before, I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't already been, so chose Wat
Arun on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. One of the girls
travelling at the hostel hadn't used the transport system here, so joined me
part way. Onto the BTS Sytrain to Saphan
Taksin and noticed that since I last came, another two stations had been
added on the west bank. I also subsequently heard that the BTS link through to the Airport from the
present last station of On Nut will
be completed soon. I can imagine the impact that will have on the taxi business
that currently shares the route with the Airport Express buses. I can imagine
they will be panicking about the loss of income from it.
Onto the
river taxi for 15 Baht to get to station 8. One thing to mention here is that
they offer arriving tourists a 'Tourist All-day ticket' at 150 Baht. It is on a
nicer boat with some narration, but you pay a lot for it considering the normal
single fare is 15 Baht! Wat Arun is
on the other side of the river, so have to cross on another small boat for 3
Baht that leave every few minutes.
Wat Arun is
awesome, and is really a complex of many temples punctuated by the dominant
peak. The surrounding buildings house some beautiful Buddha statues and artifacts.
Out front the girls can even dress up in traditional costume and have your
photo taken. Ascending the steps up the Wat is a little challenging for some,
as they are very steep. It is amusing to see the antics from people who are
afraid of heights and take each step as if it were their last.
I trekked
around a few other temples in the vicinity for a couple of hours and as always
with this wonderful city, got blown away by the detail and craftsmanship. I
never get tired of seeing it and each visit to Thailand is like a breath of
fuel to the blood. I don't think any other country in the world that I have
been to other than Japan, can compare to Thailand for the design of its
temples. Not even Bali, and that's saying something. In one of the temples the monks were giving their
chanting sermon, filling the chamber with a beautiful haunting melody. This was
soon followed by their lunch being delivered and them sitting in groups in the
main temple hall whilst they ate. Seeing the photographers scramble for that
not so candid shot of a monk eating dinner made me chuckle to myself...like
monkeys in a zoo at feeding time. So I left them to eat in peace….after taking
a few photos myself of course.
On walkabout looking for new things to see, I aimed
northwards around some blockages in the pathways and heard some activities
ahead. Turned out to be graduation day at a college. The Thai girls as I have
said before are amongst the most beautiful on the planet. Dressed in their
graduation robes and pretty make-up, they looked gorgeous. Grrr.... As part of
their celebrations they were carrying bouquets of flowers and brightly coloured
cuddly toys, I couldn't believe my luck with spotting this event.
Further on towards a military academy and a dead end. The
guards wouldn't let me in of course, but I spotted a small boat making its way
across to the adjacent jetty so waited. Thought it was private at first as it
was operated by naval dressed personnel, but they let me on and crossed free of
charge to a jetty near to Wat Po,
home of the reclining Buddha. Had been here before, but thought it worth
another visit. At only 50 Baht entrance, it is excellent value for money.
In the Reclining Buddha temple, worshippers buy pots of 25
cent coins to put into a row of pots around the perimeter wall. In another
temple, a Buddhist teacher was giving a talk to a group of school students.
Time to sit, take a breath, watch and learn.
Next port of call was Hua Lampong railway station to pick up
a set of train timetables for when I move on. It looks ok to walk from Wat Po
on a map, but distances are deceptive here, and it was baking hot, so jumped a Samlor (3-wheeler) for 50 baht. Had
tried to barter with a motorcycle taxi first but he wanted 60 Baht and lost.
They can be found all over. They wear bright vests and can be haggled with for
price.
After quenching my thirst at the railway and armed with the
train timetables, now off to my favourite place in Bangkok (well 2nd favourite
place I think), the peaceful and much needed Lumphini Park. Only 2 stops on the Metro from Hua Lampong, costing
18 Baht. The Metro issues a plastic disc to wave at the entrance barrier. All
very simple and quick. Arriving in Lumphini is like switching to a different channel, with the sound turned down.
Quiet today at nearly 4pm now. Time to sit and write and watch the birds, the
Terrapins, spot some common water monitor
lizards, have your toes sniffed and licked by the cats, and people watch. Grrrowl... Again...sorry!
A
highlight of people watching begins at 5:30pm when the free aerobics session
starts and music pumps out of the loudspeakers. The peace and quiet is broken,
but it is good to see the crowd swell as people join after a day at work before
they go home. There must have been a couple of hundred in the group. Large
groups of folk take to the road around the park to jog. Some use it as a cycle
or roller-skating track, and others do more laid back exercise in groups under
the palm trees. A majority are women, young and old in a pursuit of staying
healthy.
Walked
back to Soi 1 as there isn't a sensible alternative at this time of day. The
traffic is gridlocked at times and not worth struggling to get to the Sky train
with the hoards of people on their way home from work. Passed the Erawan shrine
yet again and paused for a while. Took a shower before heading out for the
evening, which lasts all of 5 seconds once outside and sticky again. Treated
myself to a Thai oil massage as hadn’t had one for so long, and enjoyed it
after a lot of walking today. The problem here of course is what they
offer...guys pay attention! It is almost impossible I guess to avoid the
inevitable offers of more than just a massage. Ask around for recommendations
of a genuine 'no additional service' place to avoid embarrassment, unless you
want extras on top of course! Having been here a few times you sort of know the
good ones from the average to the definitely 'bad'. Prices are reasonable and a
1hour oil massage costs an average of 400 Baht at present. 200 for a foot massage
and 300 for an ordinary thai massage.
At
night all sorts of desirables and 'undesirables' come out of their hiding
places. Bangkok is known for its overdose of Ladyboys. Here as mentioned, it is
very...very...difficult to tell some of them from the girls. The money and
effort they have spent on surgery is astonishing, but the results incredible.
The show I will see tomorrow is the epitome of this. Walking a few hundred metres is an ordeal,
although an amusing one, of approaches and come-ons from all sorts of shapes
and sizes. Many are a double-take with a questioning stare of 'are you male or
female'?
Another,
less fortunate side of the nightly street scene is the beggars. Limbless guys
crawl along the pavements pushing bowls ahead of them to collect donations.
Kids no more than a few years old are pushed by their mothers to rush at you
and beg for dollar. All very disturbing and a non-changing part of this city I
see every time I come here.
Oh,
and there's the Elephants. Yes, there are a few of them around herded by their
mahouts and aimed at getting paid to feed them bananas. So what if nobody buys
them bananas? They will still eat as their owners feed them anyway. Why people
insist on aiding these people I don't know. Novelty I guess. Not something you
expect to see in a busy workaholic metropolitan city like this.
Thu 16th Jul - Today is marked by the launch of the Harry Potter latest
movie. Seems like everyone is talking about it. The already colourful buses in
Bangkok have been sign-written with adverts for it; everyone around the hostel
is talking about it. It's just a movie, but what a lot of hype is being
attached to it!
I
booked online for the Calypso show
tonight at the Asia Hotel on Ratchedewi. Thought it worth going to collect my
ticket and then go for some more retail therapy at the MBK. Will tell more
about the show later. Got some nice Thai style clothing that I specifically
wanted, so happy about that. It is ironic with most countries nowadays how
difficult it is to get the very practical and stylish traditional stuff.
Everyone favours the westernised styles as I have commented in many countries
in Asia. Bangkok is a very stylish city. Workers and shoppers alike, are very
style conscious. Girls are aiming to impress with their impeccable couture. It
does make for an attractive place to visit as the people are what make a
country. And here they are beautiful.
One
thing I haven't mentioned so far is the scare going on here about the H1N1
virus outbreak. There have been many recent cases and some schools and colleges
have closed following advice from the BMA medical authority. A high proportion
of people in the streets, trains, buses and shops are wearing face masks as a
precaution.
Dressed
up in my new thai clothing...off to the show. Calypso is an institution. And
since the timely and inevitable demise of the 'Mambo' show, it is the only one
of its kind here. This is my second time to see it and an absolute must I
think. Lady boys (or Toys as they are
called here) at their finest state of transformation into ....i really cannot
tell what you are...male / female...I dunno!
It
is a fast paced razzamatazz of vaudeville and kitsch costumes and music. The
highlight for the show must be the tune ‘I am what I am’, which culminates in
them all being naked, well appears to be but they are wearing body-stockings
although bare-breasted. A thoroughly excellent show that only lasts about an
hour, but is well worth it.
Fri 17th Jul – The Zen centre is another shopping mall close by, with
its stylish architecture, pristine shops with no shoppers as usual. Lots of
people window shopping, but nobody buying. A rather funky twisting lattice
ribbon descending from the top of the atrium. They are presently hosting an
outdoor Ocean Planet display of the most awesome underwater photographs I think
I have ever seen. They all aim to make a statement about the ecology of the
deep, and the effect that mankind is having on it.
At
the end of the pedestrianised fountain strip is another open air shrine with an
elephant theme but not so busy as at Erawan.
Visited
the Pantip centre which I remembered
as good for technology, and bought a new camera lens. A few thousand Baht
cheaper than MBK and only 2% credit card charge as opposed to 3% at MBK. Happy
that I had now sorted this out, off to take some photos to try out my new lens.
Very pleased with the results and worth the money.
Diverted
into the Siam Paragon centre to check
out the prices for Oceanworld. Got accosted by a tourist survey and spent 15
minutes answering questions. Ended up with not much time left so picked up the
information leaflets and moved on, to return another day. I was due to meet up
with a mate from the UK who was on vacation with his wife. Met at the 'Huntsman
Basement' by the Landmark hotel for a couple of beers and some catching up,
then a meal in a bar on one of the soi's. After an aborted attempt to find a
karaoke bar we ended up in the 'Londoner' pub. Took the urge and had a dance
with the lead singer of the band. Very cute lady. Sorry, I have to
growwwlll…again.
Sat Jul 18th - Dropped into Lumpini park for some more photography with
my new lens and saw the usual water monitor lizards and a few water snakes. A group
of older folk doing Tai Chi under one of the gazebos is all of what makes
Lumpini a treasure trove for me.
Late
lunch at a restaurant in the Night Bazaar area and then jumped on the Metro to
Hua Lamphong to buy my ticket to Lampang for tomorrow night.
That
sorted, on the way back to Ploen Chit I spotted something going on at the Siam
centre, so exited rather than carrying on the train. It turned out to be a bizarre
event. Coca-cola were sponsoring a record for the longest chain of bowls of
noodles, with each bowl, 1000 in total, was a glass of coke of course. The bizarre
thing was that after the record had been filmed and officially recorded, they
threw it all away. All was not lost though as everyone who queued up got a few free
glasses of coke and plenty of free food. The TV crews were there as a stage had
been set up for a nationally acclaimed pop band to perform. They were promoting
the brand of course, not the noodle record!
What
were also great apart from the stunning babes in red posing for the cameras,
and lovely announcers, were the street performers. Conjurers, plate twirlers,
magicians and mime artists were intermingling with the crowd creating a lively
buzz. Great photo opportunities now that I had my new lens and flashgun to play
with.
Back
to the hostel for a catch-up on the net and then out for the little of the
evening that was left. While I was having a meal in an open air eatery, I could
hear a good quality band playing overhead, so went to investigate. The Gazebo bar is accessible by lift and
there was a super band playing with a bouncy lead vocalist and talented instrumentalists.
It was a lucky find, and a nice finish to the day.
Sun 19th Jul - With my train leaving Hua Lamphong at 19:30pm and feeling
tired from doing too much recently, I stayed in bed until 10am, with only a few
disturbances during the night. The cook was having a day off and so I went out
for breakfast to a nice little restaurant in the Nana Entertainment area. A
widescreen TV was showing my favourite programme ‘Animal Planet’. A silly guy
taking a mud bath decided to try and eat some and promptly threw up. So what
did he expect?
Will
write again from somewhere in northern Thailand.
Bye
for now folks
