Bangkok Is a Blast—A Tale Of Two Cities

I love Thailand…..at the passport control in the airport there is a special entry portal for diplomats, pregnant women and senior citizens (70 yrs old). On my first entry and again this time I, of course, took that opportunity to cut long lines and both time the officers questioned my right to be in the special priority line. LOL

Bangkok is a mesmerizing blend of old and new, East and West and dizzying contradictions. Temples and red-light districts, slow flowing canals, a busy river and permanent street gridlock, sidewalk vendors, and 5-star restaurants share the real estate.

Bangkok is a city with 6 million people that swells to 15 million with commuters (Thailand total population is 55 million). It is called “the Venice of the east” because of the canals. You can see skyscrapers every way you look with a lot of buildings going up. This is a view from my room–see the train station on the left and part of this gigantic city in the background. It is very overwhelming and my first day I only ventured out to walk around the block and then planned my attack for the next two days over a yummy dinner of jellyfish and chicken. Check out the “LEGO” building.

I passed Wat Traimit Temple on my walk. The main attraction at this Temple is a solid gold Buddha that was only discovered 40 years ago. It had been covered with stucco and fell from a crane while being moved to a new building–were those workers surprised. 93% of the population of Thailand is Buddhist. There are 450 temples in Bangkok and 3500 in Thailand.

I decided that I would take the public transit boats to my first adventure–a visit to the Grand Place and the Emerald Buddha. I could walk from my hotel to the pier but it was HOT at 9am and I love tuk-tuks. I found the Chao Praya (River of Kings) but finding the water taxi station was a challenge. The trip cost $1.45. The boats were more crowded than the veprettos in Venice but this was “way” faster than traffic-clogged streets and “way” more fun. (not many westerners)

The Emerald Buddha is Thailand’s most sacred image. It is made of one piece of jade and is 31 inches tall. The King is the only one permitted to touch the Buddha and he changes the clothing three times a year– Buddha still has his winter outfit on. The Buddha lives in a giant building within the Grand Place grounds. I circled it on the map. He is high up on a stand and looks very small. My picture is in front of the King’s entrance to the temple. That is the Buddha in a glass case just over my head. No pictures inside this temple.

My next challenge was to navigate the subway to Chatuchak Weekend Market. The subway was air conditioned and easy to figure out. The market—another story. It is only open on weekends and has 8000 stalls over 35 acres…..if you can’t find what you want there you don’t need it! I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the subway. There was a Park next to the market and you could rent a lawn mat to picnic in the shade….so cool.

I topped my day off going to a show and dinner with new friends from Columbia, South America that I met at my hotel. The music and dance were spectacular. We also saw a documentary about the late King and stood for the King’s anthem. There were at least 100 performers and the scene changes were amazing.

My second day started with a one hour foot massage=$6 at the Thai Massage right around the corner from my motel.

After my treatment, I rented a tuk-tuk for the day. We toured Chinatown. I toured the Jim Thomson House. This is a beautiful grouping of teak buildings in which Jim lived from 1958 to 1967. He is responsible for revitalizing the silk business in Thailand in 1945. In 1967 he went on vacation to Malaysia and disappeared–this is still a big mystery.

I ended my adventure with lunch of coconut chicken soup and fish cakes at a restaurant on the river–watching the barges go by. Check out the high rise buildings right next to the temple with the Pagoda.

Bangkok is amazing!!! Two more pics–I love this ad for tissue. It was in the ladies toilets in Saigon and Bangkok. Look how happy you and your family could be…..haha……and I found my first Mc Donald’s in Southeast Asia–it was hidden by plants (there are also Starbucks, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken).