I took a trip to Myanmar via Bangkok. Although I was off the grid for most of the trip, I wrote notes each day.
Bangkok
September 18-21, 2014
Shall we dance?
It runs through my head and makes me smile. Siam. Anna and
the King. Some truth and a lot of fiction. Here in Bangkok the Kings Palace
remains a glittering wonder, and the European style to some buildings attest to
the truth in part of the tale. The Japanese were here, of course, during WWII
and there are day trips to The Bridge over the River Kwai, but our guide is not
full of the horrors of their occupation, the way my Chinese friends were. Thailand
was not destroyed, it was occupied. They did not fight, and they were just a
pathway through to India. This is the hemisphere of the Japanese in WWII. The
scope of that conflict has suddenly struck me. It truly touched the small
places of the world.
I arrived late at night and out my hotel window I could see
lighted boats ferrying across the Chao Phraya river.
The next morning we took a
river tour through the canals, where we fed the catfish and saw Thai daily
life. We stopped at Wat Aran, the Temple
of Dawn. I climbed the steep stupa steps and got a view of Bangkok, and a close
look at what would be many Buddhist sites.
On my own I took the metro to the grand market, where I got to see a million knock-offs of Western goods. Moving around was good for my jet lag.
On my own I took the metro to the grand market, where I got to see a million knock-offs of Western goods. Moving around was good for my jet lag.
The rest of the tour group joined us on my birthday,
September 21st, and we went to the Grand Palace. It dates back to
the 1700’s with its most recent European style structure added by the King who
was the son in the King and I. The song will not leave my head. At least it is
a happy one. Gold and gaudy, ornate in every way, the palace was grand,
fascinating, and hot, hot, hot. It would be the first of many days spent
steaming and stewing in my own juices. The sweat did keep me cooler. The site was
teeming with tourists from all over the world.
The contrast between the life in a modern city and the life
on the canals was unique. Every manner of boat was used to travel and shopping
ranged from supermarkets, to open air markets, to boat/water markets.
The Thai are a smiling people. They greet you with their
hands in a lotus position and a nod. Not a bow. Yes, the son of The King (and
I) did change the requirement to be lower than the king. The Buddhist do want
you to stay below the level of the Buddha. The emerald Buddha was high up on a
stupa, but still the people stayed on the floor.
This feels like an open, free country. What will it feel like when I get to Burma?
No comments:
Post a Comment