the horror, the horror > travels in indochina

Bangkok: Where you going?

Posted by Sara

As part of the perils of coming to South East Asia in hot season, the air in Bangkok is clogged with humidity, and we have had to spend much of our time flopped like cats under the fan in our room. There have also been thunderstorms that last for hours and rain for even longer. The storms can interrupt sightseeing plans, but they do cool things down and also add to the atmosphere of the city.

Not that Bangkok is light on atmosphere. Everywhere you look in this city something is happening. Stray dogs chase tuk tuks down the street like maniacs; food stalls and makeshift restaurants spill onto the roads, the gourmet chefs shouting out what’s on offer; and every back alley you look down leads onto more excitement—more food stalls, more people, more dogs, cats, and chickens, or maybe 50 gold seated Buddhas piled in a corner. Tonight at dinner a small elephant was led past the window of the restaurant. On a long walk back to the guesthouse from Siam we saw an aerobics class taking place on the sidewalk. Five minutes later we passed a food stall that was on a traffic island between two lanes of infamously crazy Bangkok traffic; the two proprietors were taking a break to watch a small television that was squashed in beside the stove.

I can’t get far through this post without mention of the food. Many of you have been here and know how great and cheap it is. In particular I am loving the 30 baht fruit shakes from road-side stalls and of course the ubiquitous pad thai, which you can pick up at a stall for a mere 25 baht (about $1 NZ). I love watching the ingeniousness of the cooking that goes on at these stalls, with maybe one wok or one little gas-powered BBQ.

As well as food, religion is never far away in Bangkok. Red Fanta seems to be a popular choice as an offering at shrines around the city. We also get to hear the worship; from somewhere close to our guesthouse we are treated to prayerful wailing about eight times a day, including at sunrise. I have become quite fond of one of the tunes.

We have been trawling through some of the tourist standards—impressive Wat Pho temple with the enormous Reclining Buddha, the National Museum, Dusit Palace Park. Some of the museums have been disappointing, with fascinating and often clearly very old treasures stuffed into dusty cases in dingy, un-air-conditioned rooms with only the most cursory of English labelling.

On one of our sightseeing missions we stumbled upon the local zoo. Like most things in Bangkok, the zoo used to belong privately to the king. As this zoo doesn’t even rate a mention in the Lonely Planet we didn’t expect much, but it cost only 100 baht ($4 NZ) so we thought we’d give it a go. It was a little shabby, and the cages were less than generous, but there was a surprisingly great range of animals, including white Bengal tigers and snakes of all levels of deadliness. Perhaps because of more lax safety restrictions we could get really close to the animals. We spent a long time watching a 1-month old monkey, shaky on his legs, stuck in a corner of branches and trying to learn how to get around. The adult monkeys took it in turns to sit close and make sure it didn’t fall and even the momma monkey got to go off and eat some fruit while other adults babysat.

We also have been learning a bit about Thai royalty at an exhibition of recent treasures acquired by the king and queen. They have set up a scheme to get farmers and villagers skilled in traditional arts. Farmers are given lessons and materials and create crafts to supplement their income. The fruits of this scheme include a lot of rather obscenely decadent treasures for the king and queen. Tonnes of gold dotted with hundreds of diamonds have been crafted over months and years to create model replicas of carriages, boats, howdahs (throne-like seats for sitting on an elephant), and thrones. These are primarily replicas of bling that the king and queen already own, so it all seems rather excessive, but the treasures are amazing to see. Although I have mixed feelings about the beloved Thai royalty, the current king and queen do seem to be genuinely doing some good work for the people, be that as it may be from atop a $5 million howdah.

Some pics:

A Buddha being transported in the back of a truck. We have heard mixed information on the meaning of Buddha hand signals. This one is either giving blessing or stopping a tsunami.

Jeff at dinner at an outside restaurant. The whole delicious meal, including beer, cost us about $10 NZ.

Marco Polo makes a surprise appearance at Wat Pho temple.

Lots of love to you all. Keep in touch—we’re always keen for news from home or wherever else you may be.

Sara and Jeff

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