Being tourists in Bangkok

King’s Birthday

Sunday, we decided to go to the National Museum but when we arrived, we discovered it was closed due to the King’s birthday celebration (his birthday is actually Dec. 5^th but there’s a national holiday on the 24^th). So we walked around but were harassed by tuk tuk drivers wanting to take us to “free” temples and a shopping centre. We were not interested in going shopping but they take you there in order to receive gas coupons. I was getting quite frustrated and discouraged so I headed home. Ian stayed and despite the heat and crowds, walk the streets.

          

We went to dinner at Cabbages and Condoms a restaurant recommended in several guidebooks. We took a taxi but it was close to the Asoke Skytrain station so we easily took the train home.

All proceeds of this restaurant go to PDA social programs in Thailand. PDA, or Population and Community Development Association is a sex education / AIDS prevention program established over 30 years ago. It started out promoting family planning to Thai families which at that time averaged 7 children per family. The restaurant promotes better understanding and acceptance of family planning and the health and safety aspects of condom use. There is a wishing well where all coins go to sex education programs and several mannequins dressed in condom outfits are scattered throughout the restaurant. It’s hard to believe but their clothes are indeed made of condoms:

Ian and I chose to eat outside with fans helping keep us cool. Tables were under a canopy of vines and the branches of large trees and condom covered lamps light the area.  The menu was fairly extensive. We ordered chicken and shrimp dim sum (too sweet for me), papaya salad and crab curry. The salad was good but the crab curry was amazing; it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The food with an ice tea and water came to about 23 dollars.

Instead of after dinner mints – well, you can see for yourself.

Wat Pho

As it was a national holiday, we didn’t know what was open so we played it safe and went to Wat Po, one of the largest (20 acres) and oldest temples in Bangkok. A temple has stood on this site since the 16^th Century but in 1781, Rama I ordered the original Wat to be completely rebuilt as part of his new capital (Lonely Planet’s Bangkok, City Guide).

Under Rama III (1824 – 51) a massive reclining Buddha was built and Wat Pho became Thailand’s first university. I hope you can get a sense of how large the statue is:

It is made of plaster and finished in gold leaf with mother-of-pearl inlay for the feet.

The 46 m long / 15 m high reclining figure depicts the passing of Buddha into nirvana. Note the serene expression:

The statue is inside a large building that was getting a facelift on the outside. The inner walls are covered in murals that I believe illustrate principles of religion, science, and literature. The area around the statue is fairly narrow so you can’t get far enough away to take a photo from the side so tourists wait at the feet for an unobstructed view. At the back of the statue, for a donation you receive a small bowl of coins which are dropped, one at a time, into the 108 (corresponding to the 108 auspicious characteristics of Buddha) bronze bowls lining the wall. The donation helps the monks run the temple complex and the act is for good luck. The sound of the coins being dropped by all the tourists is echoes through the hall.

On the grounds, four towering stupas commemorate the first 4 Chakri kings while the 91 smaller stupas carry the ashes of lesser royal descendants. All were covered in colourful ceramic tile.

Colour is everywhere – the roof tiles are orange, green, and blue; buildings are white washed with brilliant red doors; grey stone statues guard doorways; and trim sparkles as the sun hits it.

The main temple houses Rama I’s remains at the base of the Buddha figure.  In all temples shoes are removed and in this one, if remaining for any length of time, you’re asked to take a seat on the carpet.

Several galleries extending between the 4 chapels feature 394 gilded Buddha images in various poses.

Small Chinese rock gardens, some with water, are scattered throughout the grounds. These provide shade, respite and decorations.

The place was stunning and everywhere you looked, picturesque. We loved being there.

Terminal 21

We capped the day off with a visit to yet another mall (Terminal 21) and a movie. The mall is set up like an airport with each floor representing a different theme: Caribbean, San Francisco, London, Istanbul, and Tokyo. The information counter was a mock check-in counter and there were many escalators, one spanning three floors.  One floor seemed to have nothing but designer T-shirts in the tiniest stores and the public bathrooms had the most interesting toilets. Attached to each one was an electronic panel of choices: you could alter the temperature of the seat (yes, it was heated) and the position, speed and temperature of two nozzles (one for water and the other for air). This could eliminate the need for toilet paper…

Across the street was an old style movie theatre where for 100 baht each (a little more than 3 dollars), we saw the Lars Von Trier’s movie Melancholia. It’s described as a ‘beautiful movie about the end of the world.’ We liked it – it was unique.

We walked along the busy street, weaving among vendors selling street food, clothes, purses, nail polish, etc.  Several stores had walls of sandbags piled high in case of flooding and the 7-11 store was almost empty because the flooding was preventing them from getting supplies. Apparently Bangkok has about three thousand 7-11 stores.

The flooding concerns around the city are affecting people in different ways. The guy next door to us has put up a cement wall across his driveway hoping to prevent flood water from entering his house while others continue to stockpile water and food. It is getting more difficult to find water. The other night we bought about 6 small bottles from a Subway because our grocery store was out. We are filling our empty bottles with sink water as advised by the government.

The other night there was an incredible torrential downpour with thunder and lighting. We watched it approach from the safety of our room. In no time, the apartment buildings close by became invisible from the density of the rain and sheets of water hit the rooftops across from us. Ten minutes later it was over but trees and plants were knocked down and streets flooded. The river around Old Bangkok overflowed and people were walking in knee high water. 

Ian and I had booked tickets to see a show at 8:15pm so we had to go out (by this time it was only spitting). Ian carried me across a large puddle at the end of our lane because my shoes are not the kind that should get wet. I got splashed by a car but luckily just my legs got wet. We kept an eye open for a taxi (when the red light in the front window is on, it’s available) but all were taken so we headed for the Skytrain.

The Skytrain was packed going east. I’ve never seen so many people lined up for a train. Luckily, the train west wasn’t so bad. The train exit is right at Asia Hotel where our show Calypso Cabaret was playing. We had dinner at the hotel ‘coffee shop’ which despite the name had a wide selection of food choices. My salmon was fantastic while Ian’s Hawaiian pizza wasn’t the best.

Calypso Cabaret

Shows performed by transvestites are popular in Bangkok and this show was recommended in several guidebooks. There were guys, girls and transvestites dressed in glamorous costumes lip synching to songs from all over the world and in different languages: Korean, French, Japanese, English, and Spanish.  It was probably one the strangest shows Ian and I have ever seen. Some performers could lip synch so you could hardly tell while others seemed to be mouthing a completely different song than the one playing. Transitions were not always smooth and pauses and blackouts were irritating. A few of the numbers were very strange. I had a perplexed look on my face most of the time and probably laughed and smiled when I shouldn’t have; but overall it was a lot of fun and the girls all line up afterwards so you can get your photo with them (which of course, we didn’t).