Bangkok: Golden & Reclining Buddha

Waking up in Bangkok an our second day in Thailand, I was anxious to get out and walk! I love nothing more than walking and exploring a city at my own pace, with no one to follow and no rules to uphold. Unlike the day before, our schedules had a little more leeway, starting with a morning free to do whatever we pleased.

On our drive up to the hotel the day before, we noticed that the urban clutter behind the hotel was full of commotion. This is where the day would start! And where the first words of advice came into play, our taxi driver from the airport to the hotel wasted no time warning us, “Don’t eat food from the street! Our bellies are different than your bellies!” Furthermore, as I asked about the famous street food and vendors, as characteristic to Thailand as elephants, a jewel of insight came forth, “everyone works in Thailand, there is no help from the government, everyone has to work.” There are no food licenses to obtain to be a street vendor in Thailand, which lends to the ever presence of food around every corner, from the mountains to the beaches. 

After seeing entire pigs’ heads, chickens, and fish cooked and served inches from the traffic and winding motorcycles, we had a great time exploring and hiding our shocked faces.  If there is open real estate on any Thai street, you can rest assured that a small mobile cart will be there soon. Quickly, unidentified contents will be fried and then served on rice to people crammed up under the newly erected open-air restaurant with seats crammed in. Walking through the alleys and smelling all the food (and seeing it) is so foreign; seeing people interact with each other and eat on the go and in these small makeshift restaurants was just as culturally enlightening as visiting the temples.

Spirit Houses are another interesting part of the cultural landscape in Thailand. These small shrines are everywhere, from the parking lots of most businesses to the front yards of most homes. This is another form of religious syncretism that plays on both Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.

When one o’clock hit, we were off on our tour to see more of this mega city and its golden temples. By the end of a two-week trip to Thailand, the Buddhas start to merge, but one statue worth visiting, and will certainly be one you remember, is the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po, the largest temple in Bangkok. Stretching 46 meters and covered in gold leaf, the Reclining Buddha is the most impressive statue I have seen on our Thai travels. My favorite part? The feet are decorated with a mother of pear to resemble toe prints (like fingerprints).

The other Buddha statue tied for first place in my book is the famous Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit, renowned as the giant solid gold statue in the world. Its past is one history and mystery buffs will love alike. Monks covered it in plaster and painted it to protect it from being stolen by the Burmese invaders in 1767.  The Burmese destroyed the city of Ayutthaya and left the unimpressive stucco Buddha there amid the ruble. For almost two hundred years, its true identity was masked as it moved from city to city and temple to temple. Eventually, in 1954, it was being moved from its un-glorious position outside when ropes broke, and a glittering gold shine could be seen under the cracks in the plaster. The gold is estimated to be worth around 250 million dollars, just in case you were wondering.

Once our tour was over, we were dropped off in Chinatown, where the streets seemed to be busier than the rest of Bangkok! We were instantly drawn to the windows, which were full of intriguing things to eat! Walking through Chinatown was one of my favorite parts of experiencing Bangkok. 

It is a unique part of the city with its own flavor. Our stomachs started to rumble and tempt us into eating the tempting street food, but thankfully, it wasn't long until we reached a storefront crammed with crabs, fish, and less recognizable things on ice that looked like "the real deal." The meal was perfect; the Chinese food was by far the best I have ever had. However, the pressing marketing for shark fin soup made the food dull in my mouth. 

the restaurant we ate at, recommended by the 

Princes for their noodles 

Visiting Thailand, I had been preparing to see animals being mistreated (tigers and elephants primarily – I will talk about this extensively later) and menu items that would cause outrage at home. This was the second day of the trip, and here it was. The flashes of sharks being brought up on boats, stripped of their fins, and then thrown back into the ocean to drown were swimming in front of my eyes. This is the reality of traveling and seeing things you are uncomfortable with; it is our responsibility to be educated on what “experiencing the local culture” is and what constitutes participating in destroying ecosystems and species. Being an educated traveler and knowing where to draw the line is crucial.  We should have chosen a different restaurant when I spotted the shark fin soup, and I will always regret the decision to stay. I have learned from this experience and my guilt over it; never again will I stay at a restaurant where the menu contains such cruelty. 

a picture as we drove by a restaurant in China Town with

shark fins proudly hung in the window 

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Thailand Honeymoon: Bangkok

Day 1: Bangkok, Grand Palace, Siam Niramit Dinner & Show

Back on the plane, we were wired, as all the amazing things we saw in Dubai kept our conversation vivid. Consequently, the plane ride from Dubai to Bangkok was not wisely spent on catching a few more zzzs. As soon as we arrived in Bangkok, our friendly travel guide whisked us up, and the laughter was immediate. The people in Thailand are not only friendly, as widely branded, but funny! We laughed so much on this trip and enjoyed the people as much as the places. 

Finally arrived! And can change out o thees cloths we have had on for two days! 

electrical lines tell you a lot about a city, economy, poverty, etc 

Driving through this mega city of more than eight million, it wasn’t long before I saw myself talking about Bangkok in past lectures. There I am referencing the immense stats and impressing that this is a huge city, but now I could see myself in the future with wide eyes spinning around saying “in every direction you look you see Manhattan, it’s like seeing 20 cities inside one city, I have never seen anything like it….” 

We arrived at our hotel around 8 a.m. and had just under an hour to change, SHOWER, and eat breakfast. Mind you, we had spent the last two days on a plane, and I had not had more than seven hours of sleep. Why is it that men are so much better at sleeping on planes? "Tiered" was a major understatement here. 

Our first expedition was to see some of Bangkok’s most prized and historic monuments, primarily the Royal Gran Palace.  This expansive complex of royal residences, temples, and other buildings was home to the royal families from 1782 to 1925. Bangkok was once the capital of the Kingdom of Siam, which later became part of the great Kingdom of Thailand we know today. Some of my favorite things to see here were directly related to the monarchy. The Thai people love their royal family, and from our first taxi cab to our last, I continued to seek out (very carefully) any dislike or less than affectionate references to the monarchy.  This was simply to hear honest feelings from the people who live there since you often find what is told to tourists is not always the exact truth. So, I tend to ask the same questions repeatedly to see what the overall feeling is about national history, conflicts, beliefs, etc.  In this case, the people of Thailand showed instant joy when I asked about the King, Queen, and their daughters. Still, a few gave glimpses into the uneasiness surrounding the Crown Prince and his three marriages, strange requests of his wives, and other less-than-glorified actions that do not reflect the current, beloved King. 

But, back at the Palace, you can see the hall where the royal coronations occur, along with the thrones and other ceremonial aspects.  The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is also very famous, and we highly anticipated it. Yet, we laughed when we saw the little Buddha so high and far away. 

Overall, the Palace is a must for its history and the eclectic architecture built over 200 years under the direction of different kings.  After our four-hour tour, we were back at our hotel two hours before we headed out for a night of fine Thai cuisine and a world-famous show! I was so excited about seeing the Siam Niramit Show. It had been described as a beautiful story of the Kingdom of Siam's history through a Circ De Sole rendition, with over 150 artists and performers and 500 different costumes.  This is right up my alley!

We arrived at the show and had an hour to eat, and oh did we eat, the food in Thailand is incredible whether you are at a four start hotel, tiny hole in the wall, or in the alley behind your hotel (we tried all of these venues).  After eating three plates worth of food and the clock ticking to 7pm, we started to show our exhaustion. As we took our seats, I was immediately taken aback by the amazing show at the same level as the Circ De Soles I had seen, but unfortunately, I did not get the full history lesson I was hoping for. 

As we loaded into the car to return to our hotel, the other two couples from England were going on and on about the show and asking us how we liked it. George and I both said it was "incredible" and "we loved it" and agreed to any specifics they pointed out. When we got back to our hotel, I asked George, “Did you see the goats!” he said, “Ugh, no, I missed that part,” and he said, “Did you see the elephants?” We both lasted about twenty minutes and were sound asleep during the show. I woke up to amazing spectacles of lighting and water flooding the stage, goats being herded around, and other loud moments, but I could not keep my eyes open for more than a few minutes. Apparently, neither could George!  So we both caught each other trying to pull a “it was a great show,” but in reality, we were too tired and would have to return! 

I will never know why that was booked for our first night, but it was still a great memory and the start of an amazing time in Thailand.

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