Bangkok Evenings!

“Bangkok is safe. If you see anybody wearing camouflage holding a machete, don’t be scared. They sell coconuts”. Bobby Lee

Bangkok comes alive at night! I wanted to hum ‘One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble, not much between despair and ecstasy…’ I am not a fan of the lyrics though…But I am sure all the 80s and 90s kids recognize the tune.

There are lights everywhere and all the night markets beckon you with their exotic wares and dares. Yes! Lot of ‘dares’ also, as we could indulge in many adventurous things which are not readily available, especially in India.

However, except for the de rigueur sniffing of the famously polarizing durian, I couldn’t muster enough intestinal fortitude to try out the deep-fried and crispy scorpions, crocodiles, wigglers, etc, on display. There was no question about their edibility, but I was seriously lacking pluck and spunk at that moment. On the other hand, I couldn’t smell anything stinky about the Durian. Au contraire, it smelled sweet to me. I was prepared for an assault on my olfactory nerves but nothing! zilch! Perhaps those ladies cleaned it with something to remove the smell. I don't know.

The evenings were exclusively for the younger lot to be out. Our seniors/ preferred their rest and recuperation time, and we chose to head out for a nice walk from the old town to the popular China town. It was about 2 kms straight eastwards. One could also take the metro from SamYot to Wat Mankon on the MRT blue line and then walk around.

There is also the famous Khao San Market in the old city. It is a happening area which comes alive and screaming at night and it was only a kilometre away. We had already checked out the Giant Swing, the Buddhist temples nearby, the democracy monument and other shrines on our evening walk on the previous day. Evenings are windy and very pleasant to walk around in May.

China town, to be honest, was a bit of a disappointment in the middle of May. I think it is much better to go there around Chinese festivals when it comes alive with the lantern decors and banners. What we got to see was just the remnants of Songkran décor. I think the local people were being wise with their electricity usage. There was hardly any Las Vegas type lighting which you see in photos. It was all very subdued. Even the picturesque canals on the way, like the Ong Ang were dim and lifeless. Nevertheless, it was charming and quaint and minus the crowd we could enjoy the stroll.

                

I wanted to try ‘mooncakes’ but couldn’t find them anywhere. We saw ‘bird’s nest soup’ everywhere on the menu boards and many of the typical Chinese ingredients for sale. Many shady massage parlours on the way but it was fairly safe, if you stick to the main roads. Instead of being lured with cheap foot massages and pedicures, it is better to walk on and do not even think of hiring a tuk-tuk! We were told by a kind Thai gentleman that tuk-tuks parked there are not for the locals, it is for the foreigners who could be duped or those who could splurge. While the metro would cost you 30 Baht, the tuk tuk guy would ask for 300 baht straightaway! It doesn’t even make sense! It is just WILD! preposterous!

There is also the Chatuchak Weekend Market which is number one for local market shopping. There are also markets inside most of the big metro stations where one can get everything from food, drinks, clothes and all the basics. Later on, when we moved places, we had a gala time shopping at the Phra Ram 9 station which was under a 5-storey fashion mall. It literally had everything!

 

Bangkok; Day 1, Part 2 – Wat Arun

 “Best part of beauty is that which no picture can express”. Francis Bacon

 

Meru

William Butler Yeats

Civilisation is hooped together, brought

Under a rule, under the semblance of peace

By manifold illusion, but man's life is thought,

And he, despite his terror, cannot cease

Ravening through century after century,

Ravening, raging, and uprooting that he may come

Into the desolation of reality:

Egypt and Greece, good-bye, and good-bye, Rome!

Hermits upon Mount Meru or Everest,

Caverned in night under the drifted snow,

Or where that snow and winter's dreadful blast

Beat down upon their naked bodies, know

That day bring round the night, that before dawn

His glory and his monuments are gone.

*****

After the gilded glory of the Grand Palace which had about 35 structures, we stepped out of the palace grounds and headed towards the Grand Pier to catch a ferry across the iconic river Chao Phraya. We had lunch at ICE YEN, a cosy café near the pier. The food was fresh, delicious, healthy, satisfying and affordable with a world of options.

Thereafter, we took the tickets costing just 5 Baht (it was about 10 then and now 12 rupees) each one way. It literary took less than 5 minutes to get across to Wat Arun, the iconic symbol of Bangkok old city. The temple stood majestically on the banks of river Chao Phraya. For me, this was it, because I had seen it so many times in some of the romantic Thai series. It represented that world of happy emotions where the couple enjoyed their best moments and I for one, can imagine myself across time and place to live that experience. I wanted to see the place lighted up and I tried to catch a view from across the river almost on all the nights we stayed in the old city. One of the nights, we (I and SIL) were totally drenched but it was worth catching a glimpse of Wat Arun’s Golden glow at night. It is truly mesmerizing.

Papa and mamma were tired from the walk inside the Grand Palace, so they decided to rest and enjoy the view from outside and we three decided to go in (200 Baht per person). It was a different ambience inside as the place was full of traditionally dressed locals and foreigners. Most of them were enjoying their photo ops. Apparently, there are rental shops around which dress you in Thai traditional outfit and do the complete make up for a reasonable amount. Perhaps you can also buy an outfit for keepsake. It looks very pretty.

Wat Arun, a Buddhist temple(wat) literally means ‘The Temple of Dawn’ and derives its name from the Hindu god Arun, who is the charioteer of Surya (the sun god). The compound had many beautiful traditional structures, including the entrance which was quite grand and guarded by two guardian figures, Sahassa Deja and Thotsakan (Ravana) from the Ramakien, ‘Glory of Rama’, Thai version of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. The pagoda or stupa design of Wat Arun symbolize Mount Meru which is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmology. So, in a sense, we literary climbed halfway to Swarga 'Abode of gods'/heaven that day! or somewhere in the Greek mythological world, climbed Mount Olympus!

The upper stage or the prang of the temple was closed to ordinary mortals. >_<

The place has a beautifully manicured and sculpted garden around the temple along the river. Perfect for insta-reels and photos. Everyone was doing just that. We walked along admiring the grandeur and the imagination of the architects and sculptors who made this beautiful structure. Although, it reminded me of Yeat’s Meru for a brief moment, but I was grateful for the mere mortals who imagined and brought this place to reality. Standing somewhere between mythology and history, the whole place evoked pure awe and magic. No matter how brief or winding our sojourn of life is going to be, let us be kind to each other and enjoy the greatness and wonder around us. It doesn’t take much to be happy all the time, but a painful amount of time and energy is wasted to be grumpy in general or at things and people. And the choice is always ours…

Scamster Alert in Paradise!

Day 1, Part 1. Thailand Old City

 “It sounds plausible enough tonight but wait until tomorrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.” H G Wells

This is so true. I do this for all the major decisions and also amazon purchase ideas. I put what I think of as ‘reasonable and absolutely required purchase’ and it doesn’t seem the same in retrospection.

However, travel opportunities are like striking gold, if you don’t grab it, it might just slip away and even after getting a hold, you need to plan and execute till you can feel the aura of El Dorado!

Thailand first day was literally striking gold!

We left around ten from Lisa’s Place walking towards the Grand Palace entrance gate. It was just 1.1 km away and so we started in the direction leisurely clicking pictures on the quaint bridges on the canals. Boughs of bougainvillea had clambered over the walls of the bridge, and it was picture perfect, almost idyllic in this part of the old city with its blend of the old neo-classical government buildings and traditional Thai structures.

But before we could reach the gate, we were approached by two guys (a tall and short combo) who had set up shop just opposite one of the closed palace gates with a large flex sheet ad of a river cruise. They looked very decent sitting right across the palace with no real red flags. They told us that the morning entry in Grand Palace was reserved for prayer for Thai people only and that we could go across to Wat Arun instead and that they will take us in Tuk Tuk to the ferry jetty and from there in a boat across the river Chao Phraya to Wat Arun and back in time. Now, this is where prior research comes in handy. I had already checked out the timings and was absolutely sure that whatever they were saying was hogwash. So, I urged the others to ignore and head towards the gate and it was truly wide open and welcomed us with ticket counters and umbrellas, map brochure and free water bottles for a pleasant tour inside. Glad that we escaped the scamsters, or else could have been fleeced royally on day one itself.

There was an option to take guided tours in various languages which seemed very good if you want to pay for the service. We decided to roam around the huge palace on our own and then go for the Operatic Khon Show which is included in the ticket. The delightful open rides take you to the theatre and back after the show. The Khon show was the highlight of the day for us. The show was divided in two parts, the first one showed the evolution of dance forms in Thailand with performance of all major dance forms across Thailand. The following part was a short excerpt from the Ramayana show. It was about the Hanuman’s quest to convince the water nymphs to allow them to build the ram-setu to Lanka. Although not as grand as the traditional stage setting for operas in Europe, it was still remarkably well done. Different landscape stage settings depicting the underwater kingdom, and the forests mesmerized the audience, who clapped in delight. They also managed to make the audience sing in one of the sequences. It was overall really fun.

Grand Palace was huge! It had different types of traditional structures encrusted with precious stones which sparkled in splendour on a bright sunny day. The garden was also beautifully decorated with bonsais and manicured lawns and aesthetically shaped and trimmed trees and shrubs. We had a satisfying walk across the grandness of the palace and its museums took us through the Thai royal history. Grand Palace is actually a complex of many buildings, and it used to be the home of the Thai Royal family and many of the government offices. But after the dissolution of absolute monarchy in 1932, all had moved out of the complex and now it hosts most of the royal ceremonies and functions as a tourist attraction also.  It is worth spending your morning in the palace and must be included in the Bangkok itinerary.

 

Stay tuned for Day 1 Part 2Thailand Old city

Bangkok- City with the longest name!

 The full name of Bangkok when transliterated into English is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” which is often shortened to “Krung Thep” or “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” in official parlance.

The name “Krung Thep” means “City of Angels” in Thai, while the full ceremonial name is more of a series of descriptions that roughly translates to “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of Ayutthaya of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishvakarman”. Lot of the words are from Pali/Sanskrit. One finds an amazing amount of shared history and mythology between India and Thailand. The evidence is everywhere from their temples, museums, customs and traditions and even the names of Royal family. Originally, Bangkok was known as Thonburi Si Mahasamut (ธนบุรีศรีมหาสมุทร, from Pali and Sanskrit, literally 'city of treasures gracing the ocean') or Thonburi, according to the Ayutthaya Chronicles [1].

Bangkok most definitely is a name given by foreign visitors who decided to make it easier for themselves just as they did for many of our cities like Trichy from Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum from Thiruvanthapuram, Belgaum from Belagavi, Pondicherry from Pandiyargal Perum Vedam and so on. While most of us are busy doing verbal equivalent of vrishchikasana to be able to pronounce all the continental fashion brands, in those days it was not a priority. Times thankfully changed and now we are more mindful of the local ethos, culture and language. Remarkably, Thailand was never colonized by any of the western powers due to a unique combination of factors and ingenuity of the ruling6 Siamese Kings, esp., Chulalongkorn.

Personally, it deeply enhances my travel experience, understanding, satisfaction and knowledge if I research beforehand about the ways of our destination country. I also believe that apart from essential vocabulary, one needs to know about particular gestures, body language, etiquette and ways to be more tuned to the local culture so as to avoid misunderstandings.

Few of the most helpful things to know was to greet with a wai (the Indian namaste gesture or palms pressed together in the front of your chest and lowering our heads) and say Sawasdee (Sah-Wa-Dee), Sawasdee Ka for women and Sawasdee Khrab for men. We can say Sawasdee without the wai also. One must also say Khwop Khun Ka/Krub meaning ‘thank you’.  These things instantly made the other person respond positively with a smile.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai. Ayutthaya for the very obvious historical significance and connection and Chiang Mai for its well-known natural beauty. Logistics didn’t permit us to make the trip further northwards, and the journey is slated for another time. We also missed out on a local train journey from Pattaya to Thailand as the timings didn’t suit our travel plans. But for those with the luxury of time, one must plan for the above mentioned. Many also ask me about Phuket, Koh Samui and other island retreats. Well, I didn’t have my husband around on the trip, how was I supposed to enjoy the honeymoon vibes these touristy places were advertising? Plus, my sister-in-law had already visited these locations. Hence, we decided to include Pattaya instead, which was closer and a beach town and also offered a completely different laid-back vibe.

 

Stay tuned for more…next Bangkok – Day 1

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok#Name%

Bangkok: How? When? What?

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention”. Pico Iyer

There is a time to let things happen and then there is time to make things happen…and for me it was time to take on the reins and make things happen! I got the offer from our family elder to plan a journey to the most feasible location abroad for our immediate family. The budget was to stay under 2 lakhs in total for 5 people. After dawdling for two months due to an impasse created as five people couldn’t agree on one destination, I got the ultimatum to get things moving.

Near the Boat Jetty, Old City

And so, it was Thailand- VISA free and the flights were cheapest in comparison and off-season rates were available for stay and events. Moreover, contrary to popular misconception, Thailand for me had a lot to offer as a family destination. I guess it depends on what lens you choose to wear. I was seeing fantabulous opportunities for family fun plus some more on the side for me and my sister-in-law.

My gallant hero, as usual was not interested in travel abroad. He loves to drive but once he hits the location, it is literally the hammock, the pool, or the Golf course for him. Nothing else moves him apart from great non vegetarian food somewhere.

So, flights were booked the same day, followed by Airbnb in three different locations. We were all set to fly! The plan was to land in Bangkok Suvarnabhoomi on 26th of May afternoon and head to Phra Nakhon area (the old city) for 2 days and then to Pattaya on the 28th for two days and back to Bangkok (in Huai Khwang area) for three days.

In Phra Nakhon we stayed at Lisa’s Place (a fully air-conditioned nice, quaint and cozy set up beautifully done with all basics covered- 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and separate kitchen, dining and sitting space with a functioning washing machine).

Our location was such that we rarely needed to use any other mode of transport other than the ones we were born with. We were good on our feet as all our sightseeing locations were within a kilometre and a half radius. However, the Airbnb had steep steps between the ground and the first-floor bedrooms, so not very convenient if the guests have difficulty climbing.

But overall, perfect for us as the Trok Mor morning market (5 am to 10 am) happened daily right below and around us, so we were spoilt for choice when it came to breakfast. They literally had everything from cute egg-shaped pancakes to rice noodles and stews and soups and grilled veggies and meat and a plethora of options …it was a foodie’s paradise at our doorstep.

Every morning, we all went on a look-out for the best stuff to line our tummy for the day and we were good to go. Considering the fact that I had a heat stroke in Delhi just before leaving for Bangkok, I had to stick to veg options for faster healing and I found that in abundance, again contrary to popular misconceptions.

The sheer number of hygienically cut and packed fruits and veggies, baos and dumplings, fresh home-made soups and rice dishes and a variety of omelettes had me salivating every morning. Many items were pre-packed in combos for comfort. It was a grand treat every morning and a tussle between the brain and the tummy. One pleading for austerity and moderation and the other pushing for gluttony.

Lunch was random wherever we were with sit-down locations/popular Thai restaurants and dinner was mostly packed ones from 7 Eleven around the corner or freshly made pad thai or noodle soups from nearby homely food stalls. Rest of the day, we loaded ourselves with seasonal jackfruits, litchies, mangoes and watermelon and sugar cane juice and Thai teas. We were never short of fresh and good food!

Durians in China Town