Bangkok Daze
26 September 2010….On the weekends when we’re both in Bangkok and without any other plans we head out to explore this fabulous city. Our method and our plans vary from excursion to excursion and our transport is by any means, be it by foot, boat, car or train. There are so many places to explore, sometimes a couple of temples, sometimes a particular museum or park, maybe a market or little community or even a special boat trip or train trip. Whatever the objective for the day we travel armed with a map, camera and a bit of fortitude to survive the ever-present heat.
Julie and I will frequently catch the Skytrain down to the river and then catch a ferry upstream to some pier where we get off to explore and have lunch. This can turn into a four hour exploration of a new part of town, finding new shops, maybe a local nursery, or some food stalls with interesting snacks. One day we went to see the Royal Barges Museum which was on a side canal on the other side of the Chao Praya River.
This museum holds all the long boats of the royal family, mainly used for ceremonial purposes, beautifully decked out in gold and intricately painted to highlight the artistic design and skills of the Thai people. It was very cool to wander amongst all these long thin barges, sort of resting in this huge garage waiting for the next royal occasion to parade up and down the river.
Another day we explored the massive flower market near Memorial Bridge. The flowers come in from all over the countryside, arriving very early in the morning fresh from their fields. Here they are sold to restaurants, hotels, flower shops, anyone and everyone that is in the market for fresh flowers. The colours and smells are fantastic, and of course there’s many food stalls nearby to find some sustenance. This area is busy around the clock because in the evenings a huge flea market appears, mainly with young designer knock-offs and second hand gear.
One day we took the ferry as far up stream as it went, then caught a local boat even further upstream to an island in the middle of the Chao Praya called Koh Kret. This is not really part of Bangkok at all and is home to the ethnic group called the Mon which were indigenous to this region. Koh Kret was famous for its pottery and even today you can visit families making pottery the old-fashion way, including firing the finished products in earthen kilns. The island itself is fun to wander around, exploring a few little corners, seeing how these people live in a somewhat isolated environment. Of course we bought some pottery, now that was a surprise!
One of the great features of Bangkok are their amazing temples, or wats as they are called. And one of the most amazing aspects of these wats is that they all have unique features, designs, settings or contents which make each one an adventure to explore. Some days we head out for another chapter of Bill’s Wats Tours which Julie begs me for at regular intervals.
Two features of this thriving place are amazing – first, the men with huge baskets on a wheels who are hired by the restaurant buyers and follow them through the crowds up and down the aisles as they buy fresh produce or meat for the day. They act as sort of a human supermarket trolley for the buyers.
The other thing is that this market is quite well known for its live produce – mainly chickens. Today you can buy your live chickens from a huge basket-cage or just sitting on top of the cage are their plucked, cleaned and ready to cook cousins. The choice is yours!
On a recent Sunday Julie and I took the single line train which starts on the other side of the river (which meant the Skytrain and a good walk to get there) down to the little fishing community of Maha Chai which is down on the Maha Chai Bay forming part of the Gulf of Thailand. The old diesel train was an experience in itself, taking about an hour to make the journey, stopping at little villages, picking up and dropping off people as we went.
The town of Maha Chai had a colourful market we explored extensively (of course) and then we caught a little local ferry over to the other side of the river, then a motor bike ride, finally a bit of walking to explore a temple or two and eat lunch at a beautiful setting on the Maha Chai River itself. A great day excursion – but no air conditioning!
Finally, last Sunday the Red Shirts came back to Ratchaprasong intersection just down the road from our place for a peaceful protest commemorating the 4th anniversary of the military coup that saw their party and Prime Minister thrown out. Ten thousand red shirts filled the intersection, closed the traffic and made constant noise for most of the afternoon. The background was dramatic – the burned out shell of the Central World Shopping Centre, still in a state of demolition after its destruction during the last Red Shirt protest four months ago. We wait patiently and hopefully that the Thais will sort out their differences sooner rather than later.
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