Week Two in Bangkok

National Museum

We found a taxi to again take us to the museum. I called ahead to make sure it was opened and was told “yes, open.”  Turned out that several areas were actually closed due to renovations, but since we didn’t find this out until we arrived - and this was our second attempt - we decided to go in.

The site for the museum was originally the home of the Second King of Thailand but Rama V decided to abolish the role of second king and turned the building into the country’s first museum.  The first gallery gives an overview of Thai history and offers theories on the origins of the Thai people. Along the route, visitors follow the many wars that Thailand has fought and the history of Thai royalty.

We poked our head into the temple built in 1787 for the Second King. The walls and ceilings were covered in murals and floors gleamed. We also went into the Red House, an example of an Ayutthaya style teak house originally the home of Rama I’s sister, but the building we liked the most was the Royal Funeral Chariots Gallery.

As you can see, the carriages are elaborately decorated and weigh several tons.

Large urns that carry the ashes of royalty are pulled by hundreds of men through the streets. Some of the urns were delicately carved sandalwood and stood a couple metres high.

We had a difficult time getting a taxi out of the area. It’s a high tourist area so everyone is looking to make a buck and no one wants to use the metre. We finally found one but then he wanted to take us to a seafood restaurant which we begged off saying we were not hungry.

Asian Herb Association

Since it was so early in the day, we decided to head to the Asian Herb Association for a massage (recommended by our housemate Sara). It’s just off soi 31, our road, and is open daily 9am to 2am. 

Upon entering, we felt we were in the right place.  The English speaking girls at the desk helped us decide which treatment to get and we filled out a form showing which areas we wanted our therapist to focus on.  The spa’s speciality is using hot herb satchels (or herb balls) filled with basil, ginger, carrot leaves, citronella, lemongrass, etc., so we went for the 90 minute massage with the herbs for 700 baht or 23 dollars each.

Our shoes were replaced with a pair of fancy slippers and we were served hot lemongrass tea. After our feet were washed, we were led to a private room where we changed into very comfortable pyjamas. The room had a cupboard for our clothing and a wooden platform with two massage beds (mattresses) lying a few feet apart. Our massage therapists returned and instructed us to lie down.

They started with our feet and eventually sat on the bed with us pulling and twisting our legs in all sorts of weird positions. At one point, they dug their feet into our thighs and cradled our legs in their laps so they could pummel them better with their fingers. It was invigorating. After about 45 minutes, they asked us to remove our pyjamas and off they went to retrieve the herbal balls. The satchels were filled with the sweet smelling herbs and were quite hot. These were firmly dabbed about our bodies. When they cooled off, they were replaced with hot ones. It probably seems a bit odd if you haven’t had this done, but it felt wonderful. Following this, our backs, necks and head were massaged. The 90 minutes was over in no time and we have every intention of returning.

Flooding

The flooding concerns grow and the government has announced a 5 day national holiday beginning Thursday with schools closed until Nov. 9^th. Apparently the smaller of the two Bangkok airports has had some flooding and the evacuees temporarily housed there have been told to leave. I called a few places this morning but everything seems to be closed so Ian and I are at a coffee shop reading and blogging. Sara is headed to Singapore for a few days on a visa run. We thought about going for a weekend jaunt but that’s what many Thais are doing and neither of us wants to deal with the massive crowds at the airport or the traffic jams on the highways.

Our homeowner called from Afghanistan to check in. Potential tourists who had booked the third room in her house have cancelled so she offered it to us – it has a TV and tub so we’re changing rooms. Denise also recommended an Italian restaurant so we’re going to check it out.

Antonio’s

Antonio’s is an Italian restaurant a few feet down a side street off soi 31 not far from Sukhumvit. We didn’t realize there was a dress code but they let Ian in with shorts because ‘it was our first time.” During the course of our dinner two other men came in wearing shorts and others wore jeans but maybe it was their ‘first time’ too. Who knows?

I ordered rucola salad with shaved parmesan and cherry tomatoes and Ian had the lobster bisque. The soup had chunks of lobster and although strong tasting, Ian reported it as delicious. My salad was good but was unfortunately drenched in dressing so next time I’ll ask for the dressing on the side. All diners receive a plate of bread sticks, slices of baguette, and a dish of tomato relish. For our main course, I had fettuccine al pesto and Ian had the restaurant’s signature dish: mushroom stuffed ravioli with creamy truffle sauce that was rich and yummy. We had the house white wine that complimented the pasta dishes well and topped everything off with a homemade lemon liqueur recommended by Antonio himself.

Antonio came around to all tables greeting his diners. I explained that Denise had recommended the restaurant to us and after our meal he joined us for a drink. Antonio was born to Italian parents who immigrated to Australia. His cooking is self-taught but his basic knowledge of Italian food came from the women in his family – mother, aunty, and godmothers. The secret behind his success is putting his diners first and although, as Antonio explains, he may not know how to plate a meal, he does know how to cook one that will please his customers.

The current restaurant was built two years ago with a small parking lot out front and garden in the back. There are two private rooms on the second floor and the seating on the first is carefully arranged. There are apparently 300 Italian restaurants in Thailand. We chatted about politics, the restaurant business, Australia and Cuba (Antonio’s wife is Cuban). It was a great way to spend an evening.

Transportation

We’ve managed to use the Skytrain a fair bit and Ian has even gone on a water taxi (but we’re avoiding those for a while until the river goes down).  For the Skytrain, customers can load up cards with trips according to set prices. You cannot enter or leave without using a card as there are physical barriers in the way. These move once your card is scanned. For a single trip, the card is fed into a slot and not returned; for multiple use cards, trips are subtracted on the exit.

We use taxis a lot because they are dirt cheap and we’ve even used motorcycle taxis. Using a bike each can sometimes be cheaper than both of us going in a taxi. For one trip, it was 10 baht (about 40 cents) each whereas a taxi would have been about 50 baht. When I first saw these taxis in action (many Westerners and Thai women use them) I thought I would never use one because passengers are not given helmets. After a while, you just shrug and go with the flow.

Taxis are my favourite way to travel but sometimes the drivers don’t like where you’re going and they’ll turn you down or refuse to use the metre. One time we walked up to a busier road because we were not having any luck getting a cab where we were. We finally saw a free one, flagged it and climbed into the back seat after the driver agreed to take us where we wanted. However, he ended up ditching us right back where we had walked from because he refused to use the metre and we refused to pay the exorbitant fee he was asking. We’ve also had drivers use our dime to get gas but it only ended up costing us an extra 5 baht so we ignored it.

Sometimes the easiest way to get a taxi is outside a mall. We often grab one in front of the Emporium. Outside hotels however doesn’t always work. After Calypso Cabaret in the Asia Hotel, one driver demanded double what we knew it would cost to get home so we just waited for the next cab to come along and he took us using his metre.

We’ve also used the metro and it is the cleanest subway system I’ve ever seen. Both the metro and the Skytrain are air conditioned and freezing! You are not allowed to eat or drink on either which certainly helps keep things tidy. There’s only one subway line. You go down about three levels to get the train going in one direction and down two for the other direction. There are escalators everywhere and a security check that you walk through before entering the subway. On our exit, we passed through huge steel doors that are clearly meant to be closed and locked tight with trouble (A bomb? Flooding?). Along the train track are walls like at airport rail stations so you cannot get anywhere near the tracks. When the train arrives, it lines up with the doors and two sets open. Passengers line up at both the subway and the Skytrain; all very civilized.