We flew to Bangkok on Air France through Paris. That was 22 hours and 10 minutes of flight time. We returned from Kolkata (aka Calcutta) on British Air through London for another 24 hours and 10 minutes of flight time. Glad we were in Business Class. Our flight took us across the Atlantic, over Western & Eastern Europe,Turkey, Azerbijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar (aka Burma) to Bangkok. We have always flown west to Asia in the past, so those many Asian countries are new to us (even if all we did was fly over them).
For Thailand we had a private tour that hit 3 areas that we visited 31 years ago plus two new experiences. Things have really changed in 31 years, yet it honestly doesn't feel all that long ago.
Monday Jan 8 / Bangkok Arrival
We arrived to a day in the high eighties. This was on the high side of what we expected for temperatures. Not to worry things cooled down and we wore our warmer clothes until the last stop of our visit, at the beach in Phuket.
We were met at the airport INSIDE security and whisked through immigration and customs. Cool.
Both our latest trip and the earlier trip started in Bangkok. THEN we stayed in a hotel near the river (The Royal Sheraton Orchid) and used canal boats for our main transportation. NOW we were staying further away from the Old Town and used a combination of feet, Tuk Tuk, long-tailed boat, canal boat and SkyTrain to get around. It took a little longer getting to some of the tourist sites from the Hotel Muse but the hotel, located in the Langsuan commercial area (just outside the old town), was lovely and had great service..
The concierge recommended Rongsi Pochana for a traditional Thai food lunch, just a short walk away. We ordered hot & spicy. It was quite spicy but manageable. BUT we were not allowed to order wine because it was after 2pm and before 5pm. WHAT THE HECK!!! Apparently these hours were set years ago to assure workers didn't wile away the afternoon drinking. This seems to be the law in Bangkok and maybe elsewhere in Thailand. We usually eat before 2pm so didn't test the rule again.
After lunch we walked to the nearby (and only) Apple Store (a 15 min walk) and purchased European/Asian adapters for our phone & watch chargers. These attach directly to the chargers eliminating the need for an adapter for the American plug. Much more stable for plugging in the chargers. We walked through a few shops, including the nearby HUGE Marks & Spence store (a fav of Brits).
On the way back to the hotel we saw our first elephants. In fact elephants in many sizes on display outside a temple or shrine, We saw many similar displays as we toured but with different animals.
Returning to the hotel we went to the hotel bar on the 25th floor to finally have some wine and some light snacks. Nice view. Our waitress was delightful. We learned that she had interned in Hotel Management in New Hampshire.
Tuesday January 9 / Boat Tour & Grand Palace
THEN, in 1992, we took a long tail boat tour along the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun. NOW we were going through a lock system, seeing another side of Bangkok life, and back out to the Chao Phraya River passing Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). It has 5 spires, 1 at each corner and the main temple. Every surface is covered with shards of broken pottery in pale pinks, greens and yellows. THEN we climbed up only to discover it was harder to go back down. And over the following two days, our legs kept reminding us of that trek. Ouch! NOW, ie on this trip, we appreciated the temple from our long-tailed boat.
NOW, we were on a Bangkok Multi - Transport Adventure Tour. Our guide, Luck, met us at the hotel. We took a Taxi (transport mode #1) to the boat dock to get a Long-tailed boat (transport mode #2) for a tour of the canals. Along the way we saw a mix of nice new properties, a range of more basic housing, and decrepit or collapsed buildings. And lots of litter and water plants in the water. Other modes of transport along the way were walking (of course), Tuk-Tuk, Canal Boat and SkyTrain.
There are locks on both ends of the canal we traversed. Along the way we stopped to feed fish. We exited to the Chao Phraya river and floated by various major temples.
Then we went to the Grand Palace. We had to dress appropriately. No hats, No bare shoulders or legs. No shoes. All active sacred temples require no shoes.But this is one of the most strict places. And there are a number of temples in the Grand Palace complex. We had to remove our shoes 4 or 5 times.
The Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later the Kings of Thailand.) It is an impressive, sprawling complex of buildings, wats/temples/chedis, the palace itself, pavilions, gardens, and courtyards. Built in 1782 and today used mostly for ceremonies and tourism, the Grand Palace glitters with ornate details, bold colors, and gleaming spires. After architects were exposed to Western culture, a few buildings were built in European neo-Classic style, and some in a mix of Thai & Western style.
- Apsonsi – Mythical character that is half woman, half lion.
- Rakshasa Guardian – Half bird, half monkey. Rākshasas are noted as malevolent beings.
- Foreign Guards – Caricatures of Chinese and Westerners/Farangs
- Guardian Demons
- Golden Kinnara – A kinnara is a lover, a celestial musician, half-human and half-bird.
There are buddhas galore:
- A 150' long reclining buddha in Wat Pho
- The Emerald Buddha, carved from a single stone. Probably jasper or jadeite. It is only 26" by 19" but is the most sacred Buddha in Thailand. Apparently the power of the Emerald Buddha gives legitimacy to the king and protection to the nation. When it was discovered in 1434 in Chiang Rai it was covered in stucco. This flaked off to reveal the stone. Today it is dressed with three different sets of gold seasonal costume; one for the summer, one for the rainy season, and a third for the winter or cool season (see below).
- A seven-headed serpent or "naga". The naga, literally "serpent" in Sanskrit, represents power, water, and fertility in many Hindu texts.
- Buddhas demonstrating Yoga poses
- Rows of Golden Buddhas
- The slippers on the Reclining Buddha (top left below)
- Ceramic work with lots of flowers
- A painted demon from the Ramayana (the legend of Rama which is painted in detail on the Temple of the Golden Buddha)
- A ceramic demon
- More ornate ceramic work
And there are details inside the details. Below the monkey army coming to Rama's rescue...painted inside the demon's mouth outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
As for THEN (in 1992) the Grand Palace was pretty much the same. But we were there with better lighting on a couple Guardians, so we used the older photos. THEN we took MANY fewer photos, but we made them count! Also THEN we were trimmer... I guess that happens.
In photos below (right one from THEN) we are pretending to be Yaksha demons with supernatural power, great strength, and frightening appearance. We probably got that last one right on.
Wednesday January 10 / Markets & Evening Food Tour
We left the hotel at 7am to get to the Maeklong Railway market. It's a local market that sets up over the rail tracks. The vendors' stalls include awnings and platforms on wheels that can be retracted when trains pass through. We found a shop to sit at to observe the action. Bill enjoyed a banana smoothie and Pat a Thai Milk Tea Smoothie as we watched the train pass a foot or so in front of us.
From there we were off to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located on a bunch of canals. Here boats of various shapes and sizes are used by local merchants to ferry their goods. We floated around the market noting that the goods weren't that different than at any other market. And the market boats were just a small display in front of the shops. Along the way we got coconut ice cream, pad thai and "Tom yum kung" soup (shrimp, mushrooms, shallots, lime, lemon grass, ginger, and hot chilies). We weren't crazy about the Pad Thai but otherwise Very Delicious! /Aroi mak mak! I still dream of the coconut ice creams. Later at a nearby land market, Pat stocked up on cashmere and silk scarves.
THEN we visited a floating market as well. It was tiny but it was what we imagined. Us in a boat. The vendors all in boats, mostly with fruits and vegetables. And to get to or from our boat we had to cross several others. Charming.
We wrapped up the day trip at a coconut farm where they turn coconuts and coconut sap into a range of other products to sell (coconut water, syrups, sugar, coconut chips, creams, oils, soaps, and the list goes on). We tried our hand at stirring the syrup mixture. It was VERY thick and a challenge to stir. It was easier to climb the ladder made from a coconut frond. And for some reason they had calacas (skeleton heads, shades of Mexico's Day of the Dead) for sale.
- We took the Skytrain to our first stop. Along the way we learned a trick to avoid climbing stairs to the train, use the escalators of nearby department stores. Of course it helps if you know which stores are department stores that have convenient escalators.
- Our first stop was a night market at 10 Soi King Phet (a street address) where we had skewers of sausage and calamari.
- Next stop: yummy melt in your mouth coconut pancakes (that looked like little balls of dough). Actually it was first a pour of the dough and then a pour of the filling (including coconut, corn kernels and spring onion rings). As a final touch, a piece of pumpkin was dropped in on top.
- Then Fried dough filled with pandan sauce (a green sweet sauce made from pandan leaves). These reminded Pat of some fried dough her Mom used to make. Pat's Mom called them scones but Pat cannot figure out why or the heritage of the dish.
- Along the way, we picked up items to have with our Hot Pot later: some coconut cake and some bamboo rings with strips of grilled pork on one and beef on another. We carried these with us.
- Hot Pot: A cook your own pot of meat (we had pork), glass or clear noodles, mushrooms, and vegetables (we had Chinese cabbage and morning glory shoots). Nate used 1 egg to coat the meat. While we waited for the Hot Pot to finish we had a soup, the meat rings we had purchased earlier, and a spicy deep fried dish of catfish mixed with flour and spices such as crushed peppers, sliced chili, lime juice, fish sauce, and garlic. We broke off pieces to eat.
- Photo stop at the grand palace where we caught a tuk tuk driver (Pat) and fearful passenger (Bill).
- Later, on a back alley we stopped for rice noodles with chicken and egg. We were stuffed but this very simple dish was amazingly tasty. Despite the alley way location the quality of the food at Kua Kai Suan Mali is recognized by Michelin reviewers.
- Our final stop was in Chinatown for fruit (pineapple). At this point we disappointed Nate and ourselves because we had no room left to sample further desserts. Sigh.
Some popular flowers are so fragile they are stored in crushed ice.
Thursday January 11 / Ayuttaya, Ancient Capital of Siam
Bill & I had more time available on this trip so we also visited Ayuttaya, the ancient capital of Thailand / Siam. It was fun wandering around and through the ruins of 5 or so palace and temple complexes, each with ruins of smaller temples. Interesting if you like that sort of stuff. We do.
Clockwise
- Wat Phra Si Sanphet – also known as the Old Palace. Built in16C it is the largest temple in Ayutthaya and has 3 magnificent and extremely well preserved chedis (smaller temples).
- Wat Na Phra Men Rachikaram – built in early 16C located in front of the Royal Palace. Its name indicates, it was likely established as a Royal cremation area....has birthday buddhas.
- Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit – houses a huge gold seated Buddha statue, which is almost 12 meters high.
- Wat Yai Chai Mongkon (2 photos)– a magnificent temple with a large bell-shaped chedi flanked by 2 large seated stone Buddhas covered with golden robes. All around the chedi are several other Buddha statues and a small garden at the back.
- Wat Maha That, Built in the 14 C and the oldest temple of Ayutthaya.
Some of the many Buddhas throughout the Attutaya complex (listed clockwise as in following photo):
- At Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
- In Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit,
- At Wat Maha That – In the grounds of Wat Maha That there is a famous Buddha head entwined in a tree trunk. The head is considered sacred and many Thai people come here to worship her.
- In Wat Yai Chai Mongkon
- At Wat Maha That
- At the entrance to Wat Yai Chai Mongkon, there is a 7-meter long sleeping Buddha statue.
- Seated buddha with 7 headed Naga headgear
- Thousand Years Buddha (I have no idea what that refers to)
- A Golden Buddha
- A traveling Monk Buddha
- Two more Buddhas sitting in front of the Golden Buddha
- Wood craving on the door of Viharn Sanphet
We enjoyed the display of Birthday Buddhas also inside Wat Na Phra Men Rachikaram
There is a Buddha position for whichever day of the week you were born on. We were both born on Monday. Our birthday Buddha represents compromise and mediation. It depicts the Buddha pacifying a dispute. It’s a standing Buddha, He has his hand raised up in a calming gesture with his palm outward, to dispel tension. (See second image in collage below.) Those born with this Buddha are said to be down to earth, serious with great attention to detail and memory. They are also said to be fond of traveling. I think that could be an understatement,,,
If you want to know about your Birthday Buddha, search for What Is Your Birthday Buddha And What Does It Mean? BTW there are 2 positions for Wednesday, hence 8 positions.
Friday January 12 / Kanchanaburi and the Death Railway
From Bangkok we had a drive to Kanchanaburi visiting the Bridge over the River Kwai and riding the Death Railway along the way. We were staying at the Float House River Kwai in Saiyok with it's bungalows over the River Kwai / Khwae.
The Death Railway was required by the Japanese during WW II to connect \Nong Pladuk Station (northwest of Bangkok) to Thanbyusayat in Burma / Myanmar, 258 miles The Japanese were in a rush to build it and cut every corner possible, starting with using 60,000 allied POWs and approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 - 100,000 Malaysian Tamils for labor. The Tamils volunteered, falsely expecting to be paid.
During its 16 month construction vast numbers of workers died--from disease, sickness, malnutrition and exhaustion as well as construction accidents, The exact number of deaths isn't known, but Australian historians estimate that at least 90,000 laborers and more than 12,000 POWs died. Hence the name Death Railway.
The railway construction around the River Kwai / Khwae area was difficult because it is surrounded with steep mountains and bordered by the Khwae Noi river which stretches 1/4 mile through mountains and about 32 feet above the river. During construction workers had to use ropes tied to their waists to hang down as they extracted stone to make the railroad bed along the cliff.
It is a poignant story, well displayed in the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Center.
Below see us by the Bridge and on the railroad tracks built on the cliff. At one end of the bridge is the well landscaped Guan Yin Temple .
We had lunch at Ice Phochana in Kanchanaburi featuring some really well plated and tasty fish.
Our accommodations at the FloatHouse River Kwai were relaxing. We enjoyed watching the long tail boats, rafts, and kayaks go by, as well as the folks floating downriver in their life vests.
Saturday January 13 / Hellfire Pass & River Kwai
We visited Hellfire Pass for a walk along the former rail track, one of the most infamous places along the railway. Notice the cliff above the pass that was once just a huge stone stretching out over what became the railway. The map shows the river and the route of the railway.
Sunday January 14 / The Seven Falls at Erawan FNP
On our way to Bangkok for our flight to Chiang Rai we stopped along the route for a Jumbo Prawn lunch at a spot recommended by our guide. Everything was super fresh and tasty.
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