14th February, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
We departed Luang Prabang, Laos, and before we knew it, we were again in a new city and country. The contrast from Laos was stark, even though Chiang Mai is not a major airport, it is big, modern and impressive. Thailand was hot and I was loving it - it had been way too long without sunshine and heat. We cleared immigration and customs and Nicki called our guesthouse, the Eagle house II for a free transfer.
We waited around in the heat and eventually our driver arrived. It was a quick drive into town, I caught a glimpse of the old city walls but only the corners and some gates are all that is left of the brick structure used to keep out the Burmese invaders of the past. I soon lost track of the turns and changes of direction and lost my sense of direction once in the city. Eventually we stopped at a lush Green Garden and caught sight of the Eagle house. We checked in and confirmed our tour for the next day. The room was basic but at least it was big and cheap ($8). The room was sweaty and hot so we decided to go exploring and visit a few wats, we started with Wat Chiang Mai which was only a short walk away but we struggled to follow the street naming conventions and it took a lot longer.
The wat was beautiful, with high arching tiled roofs, cascading layers soaring into the sky. Everything was painted gold including the Naga stairways and door entrances. Wat Chiang Mai is the oldest in Chiang Mai. Inside the main building we saw the famous crystal and silver Buddhas. The crystal Buddha looks like it is made of glass at a distance, but it’s hard to get close due to the shrine and other clutter around it. Apparently the crystal Buddha has the power to bring seasonal rains. The silver Buddha was also impressive, it looks gold instead of silver and isn’t a classic Buddha statue like the crystal Buddha next to it. We walked around the building and spotted a large chedi/stupa. It is gold tipped and the base is supported by elephants. There are a few more minor temples and outhouses but we decided to move on to wat Phra Singh.
It was a long walk across town, we tried to follow the maps but the streets were badly marked. We passed some of the museums where there is a heavy police and military presence. An American told us the princess was in town and in the building so it was closed. We moved on and eventually found the wat although we nearly missed it on account of the high walls around it. The wat was worth the walk. As we entered the gates, it was soaring above us, huge and imposing. We were still gawping when a friendly Thai approached us and started chatting away. He told us he is a government official or something and started suggesting places to go in town, particularly the market. After a couple of minutes I got fed up and I made an excuse to sit down and the guy got the message that we weren’t going to pay him to show us around. On reflection I realised the guy was probably a scam artist although all he did was waste our time, lucky for us. We stepped into the wat and were blown away by the enormous golden Buddha at the back of the temple. It was in a seating pose and must have been at least 4 to 5 m tall. There was the usual clutter and shrines in front, as well as some eerily life like Buddhas peeling gold paint.
They were quite a few people lighting incense and bowing and chanting. We stood around for a while observing, before leaving through the main entrance. Behind the main temple we found some delightful gardens and a large stupa that people were using a pulley system to draw a container of water from ground level to the top of the stupa, the container would open in contact with the stupa, pouring water out. We didn’t understand the symbolism but I guessed it was some kind of blessing. We visited another minor temple on the site and then sat around contemplating our next move. We were both hungry and since it was Valentine’s Day we decided to have a celebratory dinner. Nicky selected a good restaurant a short distance away and we set off.
We soon found the restaurant and immediately liked to the place. The entrance was through a micro jungle that made it feel like you were stepping into a new world. The restaurant was decorated with all sorts of antiques and looked a bit on the cluttered side. We scrutinised the menu and could not decide what to eat. We selected a starter of mixed Thai hors d’oeuvres, followed by some spicy mains with sticky rice. It was a delicious meal and we were so happy with our choice.
After dinner we caught a tuk tuk to the night market outside the city walls in the east. The market was a hive of activity. Anything and everything was on sale including T-shirts, food, souvenirs, backpacks, massage ornaments, Thai silk, and much more. We explored the market stores laughing at T-shirt slogans and shopping for souvenirs for about an hour. Eventually we got tired and bought a fried roti (pancake) with honey and fresh orange juice. Worn out, we hailed another tuk tuk to take us home. We had to pay more as the one ways were not in our favour and the driver got lost so it took us longer to get back. The room was hot and we turned on the fan before falling asleep.
15th February, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
We woke up to the sound of someone banging on our door reminding us to wake up. It was 7:30 am, we were due on the trekking expedition at 9 am so I was a little surprised when I answered at the door and found our guide urging us to get ready. I was a bit grumpy but we took the hint and got up, packed up and had breakfast. Nicki‘s backpack was too small so we opted for one of the Eagle house packs. Breakfast was great, thick pancake with condensed milk. We paid all our expenses, locked the rest of our gear in the storeroom and climbed aboard the pick up truck (a bit like a bakkie with a canopy).
We were joined by a pair of quiet Japanese/Korean girls. The truck took off and we made a stop to pick up some more passengers at Eagle house I. The group comprised of some Australians, Mexicans and some Turks. The truck was packed to the gills and we were all squashed in the back with our guides included. The guy who woke us up earlier introduced himself as “Tree“, or at least that’s what I heard. We soon got chatting with the other passengers especially the Mexican and Turks. We learned they were learning Chinese in Taiwan through a scholarship.
About an hour or two later we arrived in a nature park, densely covered in jungle. We stopped and changed into swimming gear and then set off on the trail to “Mork fa” waterfall. It was a pleasant walk and soon we arrived at the Waterfall. I estimate it was about 3 to 4 stories high. I waded into the pool at the base and was surprised how cold it was. I tried to stand under the falling water but it was so hard. The water pounded down on my head and after a second I had to step out. We spent some time taking in the surroundings and watched other tourists trying to stand under the waterfall before heading back.
We got back in the truck and proceeded to drive along some rough tracks through the jungle. We stopped at a hot spring and had a chance to swim. At first the water was incredibly hot but after a while it became pleasant and relaxing like a hot bath. I was amazed that they existed here in Thailand, I didn’t expect to be swimming in hot springs.
From the hot springs we set off on a three hour trail to our night stop in the jungle. It was hard going and we were soon sweating due to exertion as much as the humidity. We reached the source of the hot spring. Water was bubbling vigourously like a mini geyser and sending clouds of steam jetting into the air. It smelled a bit of rotten eggs and sulphur.
Soon we were back in the jungle on the trail. Our guide warned us about trip hazards and overhanging branches. The trail seemed to go up continuously and the group soon fractured into smaller units based on fitness. A lot of the people in our group smoked and they kept up but protested at the challenge. We made a number of stops where Tree would comment and explain about some aspect of the forest, I was intrigued by the change in vegetation as we ascended from the valley to the hilltops. Eventually we made a steep descent down to the river and into a hill tribe village. The village huts were built on stilts but most had corrugated iron roofs. All manner of livestock roamed about but chickens were by far the most prolific.
With a collective sigh of relief everyone dumped their bags at our allotted stop and removed dusty shoes. Our accommodation was a single shed with simple thin mattresses strewn on the floor. Not much privacy or luxury here, but it felt great to be roughing it. I grabbed my towel and headed for the river to wash the travel dirt and sweat off. I was first one in and despite the cold went ahead with a wash. A few others waded in and everyone was soon joking around, singing and taking snaps. After our bath I bought some beers and water.
We sat at the ‘dining room table’, a rough slab of wood flanked by benches. It soon got dark and dinner was served. Despite the humble nature of this place, the meal was great. Food consisted of chicken and vegetable stirfry with rice.
After dinner we moved to the fire and everyone sat chatting, telling jokes. Ivan the Mexican had some cheap spirits and we each had a small measure served in rough hewn bamboo cups. The evening was rather cool and sitting around the fire was the easiest way to stay warm. We chatted until about 11 pm and finally made our way to bed. It was pitch black in the hut, we stumbled over everyone’s belongings but made it into bed at the far end. I was glad I had my sleeping bag as there were only blankets and no pillows, we fell asleep to the sound of the jungle and farm around us and the banter of the travelers at the fireplace.
16th February, 2008
Trekking Chiang Mai, Thailand
I was up early as I needed the toilet. I took the camera with me to take some photos. The smelly dog that was pestering us for scraps of food last night was now lying in the ashes of the fire. I took a snap but it wasn’t a great one. A child from the village living in the hut next door came walking up to the fire observing me. On impulse I asked if I could take a photo and he nodded. I took the snap, and feeling like I should give something back invited him to see his picture. He appeared mesmerised and then reached out and took the camera and started to take photos. Two of his siblings or maybe friends, soon joined us and they were snapping away. I looked on with a mixture of fear for the camera and a desire to see what the pictures would be like. The kids pulled the most hilarious model poses. I wondered how many other tourists had found themselves in this predicament. Eventually I managed to extricate the camera from their tiny hands and moved on. The photos were pretty good and I kept a number of them.
I met up with Nix at the river just washing up. We encountered a number of Buffalo but they just stared at us impressively. The Village family we stayed with soon brought out some tea, regular and green, which warmed us up. Gradually other travelers joined us and breakfast was served. The food was French toast served with honey and a side of fruit.
After breakfast we hurriedly packed up our stuff and Tree lead the way out of the village. Occasionally we spotted men working out in the lands, children and women in traditional and not so traditional outfits. Most of the huts had a solar panel outside, Tree explained these had been donated by the Thai government. In a way I envied the villagers, their lives were rough but simple and their environment was beautiful and pure. We were soon out of the village and after walking about an hour we reached a stop next to the river. There were some traditional woman peddling their wares but we largely avoided them as we had little money with which to buy things. we could see some bamboo rafts on the river so I assumed we were going rafting. Tree asked us to get a board for a weight test. All our bags were hung off a tripod at the end of the raft. Then we were split into two groups and jumped onto the raft. The poles sagged under our weight and water lapped at our feet, but we stayed afloat. The rafts were about 4 to 5 m long and held seven people including the guides. Next we were ordered off the boats and made our way up to the elephants.
At the elephant station we were confronted by four large Asian elephants and one baby elephant, which was really cute as elephants go. The elephant handlers started ordering us onto elephants. Each had a seat for two people but the third had to straddle the elephant’s neck. The elephant was commanded to bring its head up to the raised platform and the passengers would stand on its head to get to the seats. The commotion of elephants and people mounting seemed only just under control of the handlers. It was soon our turn to board and with greater trepidation I stood upon the poor elephant’s head and took my seat. Nix had to sit on the elephant's neck.
And with a volley of commands from the handler we were off. The steep bank of the river loomed ahead but amazingly the elephant descended smoothly with its rolling gait. It was pretty exhilarating riding an elephant, it was quite high up affording us a fantastic view. It’s quite hard to explain the motion of an elephant but it was pretty comfortable. The elephants made short work of the river crossing. Our guide, yes singular, was scampering alongside occasionally barking orders and using his slingshot to drive home the message. I got the impression he was a bit of a showman with all his antics but he definitely kept us entertained. At some point he even tried to mount and ride the baby elephant but it threw him off, obviously not used to being manhandled yet. The ride went on for about an hour after which our bums were getting pretty sore. We dismounted on a steep bank onto an earthen ledge. We had only just caught our breaths when we saw Tree and the other guide arrive on the bamboo rafts. They stopped the rafts just in front of us and we clambered aboard. Looking back I could just see the elephants filing back up the river.
Once on the raft we realised we had no idea how to direct it. Ivan and I both got poles and Tree was on the opposite side of the raft. We were soon polling in any direction we pleased and pretty much got nowhere. Tree eventually gave us some basic training but we were still a bit unsure of his left and right. Soon we hit our first set of rapids and we polled for all we were worth to try and push the boat between the boulders. Often I would hear the bamboo poles scraping on rocks below the surface or on the sides. It was great fun running the rapids, the raft would speed up and it felt dangerous. Once or twice we did get stuck but the guides brought us off the rocks. I lost a pole in the river after I punched it in too deep. Later we lost a pole and Nix, when she got it wedged in some rocks and then it pushed her overboard. It was quite scary as she could have been dashed against the rocks but she made it back to the raft with only a scratch. There were stretches of calm on the river where we just drifted along peacefully enjoying the sunshine and swam to cool off. Occasionally the guides would try and wet everyone by smashing their poles into the water. Tree even tackled this one Australian girl into the water. She got him back by wrestling him in. The day was perfect, sunny, but not too hot and the river water cool to the touch.
By late afternoon we were getting tired and then we reached our rest stop. We happily got off the raft and dried off on the banks. It was then that I realised the rafts were making a one-way trip as the villagers stepped in with a machete and converted them to driftwood. Lunch was soon served and it was so delicious we all had seconds. Some kind of spicy fried noodles and fruit as desert. We chatted with the other tourists but soon it was time to leave and we got back in the truck. The roads back were bumpy and rough and the day was running out. I spent a lot of time chatting to Ivan the Mexican and it was fascinating learning more about his country and life. We stopped at a garage to fill up and get refreshments. Everyone posed for a group photo and exchanged email addresses and particulars.
It was quite late by the time we got home to the Eagle house and checked back into our room. Afterwards we had dinner at this Rasta bar, a stones throw away from the Eagle house. They served Western food so we ordered a burger and pizza. The Burger ended up coming with a super size of fries. We tucked into the hearty meal and realised how much we missed junk food like this. The Rasta bar was belting some Bob Marley hits and I thought this just could not be more out of place in Thailand. Exhausted we decided to hit the sack early. Our day had been so rewarding, elephant riding and bamboo rafting. It was one I would always remember as a highlight.
17th February, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
We woke up later than usual and had a late breakfast at the Eagle house. We were having trouble deciding what to do with our day. Nicki wanted to do a cooking course and I wanted to check out some more temples and museums. We wandered down the street trying to find an affordable place to attend a cooking course. In the end Nix found a place called Baan Thai, which means Thai house, which she really liked and then talked me into going along as well. We signed up and handed over our money. We had a bit of time to kill so we went to an Internet cafe to read email.
The cooking course started with six of us sitting around a table introducing ourselves. There was an Australian, Austrian, an English couple, and ourselves. Our instructor/chef introduced herself as Boon. Our first exercise was to carve vegetables, a carrot, a spring onion, Asian eggplant and a cucumber. My offerings were dismal compared to the chef but it was fun nonetheless. Next we made a chicken dish with wide rice noodles and egg stirfry, followed by sweet and sour vegetables, hot and sour soup with coconut milk (Tom Yum). Each time we made a dish we would sit around the table and enjoy our delicious food. It was so relaxing doing nothing but cooking and eating great food and enjoying other people’s company. Next we made sticky rice, pounded our own red curry paste and used it to make Penang curry which was served with the rice. Spicy but so tasty we also had a delicious mango and coconut rice sweet pudding with mung beans – awesome. We lingered around after the meal chatting to everyone until we had worked off our excess food intake.
After the cooking course we walked back to the Eagle house and spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing in the garden restaurant of the guesthouse. We were still full from the cooking course meal so we decided to skip dinner altogether. We walked all the way from the guesthouse to the night market. We stumbled upon a smaller market just outside the city East gate. It was fun just browsing and seeing all the different artefacts on sale. We were shopping for some more T-shirts as gifts and we had been eyeing a bed set (pillows and a bed runner). All the bed runners we looked at were too short so we headed for the main night market area. We bought some Singha beer T-shirts but it cost us a lot compared to other parts of Southeast Asia even though we bargained hard. We went to a market stall that specialised in bed sets and finally found something we wanted, a red Thai silk (allegedly) set of pillow covers and a matching double bed runner for a bargain price of 680 baht.
18th February, 2008
Chiang Mai – Bangkok, Thailand
We were up early and arranged a transfer to the airport so we could be there around 8 am for our flight to Bangkok. Fortunately the guesthouse offered a free service so we had breakfast and checked out. Once we got to the airport we found out that our flight was being delayed. In the end our flight with AirAsia budget airline only left at 12 o’clock.
We got into Bangkok about an hour and a half later, got our luggage and caught the bus to Banglampu, Khao San Road. The bus was slow and the soundtrack was a continuous monologue of Thai, a speech of some sort. We finally got to Banglampu after 3 pm. We walked around with our backpacks for a while until we gave up and asked for directions at the tourist office. We found our way to Khao San Road and after walking a short way I knew I had found the worst festering tourist ghetto in all of Southeast Asia… Touts pestered us all the way along the streets, their shrill whining “hello, where you go, what you want” calls trying to snare us in their web of deceit.
The heat and filth repulsed me and we soldiered on to the end of the street to the Burger King‘s and down a side alley to the Shambara guesthouse. It was an oasis of calm, a pond, wooden patio and green plants. We signed in and paid, got our key and gratefully dumped our heavy bags in our room. The beds almost completely occupied the room, no ensuite bathroom tonight, but we had Aircon included which is a must with the heat – and this is the winter season! After we recovered, we referred to the guidebook and plotted our course of action for the rest of the day.
We walked from the guest house to the Chao Phraya river, the main river running through Bangkok. The river was pretty wide and all sorts of long boats were making their way along. From where we were standing I could see a jetty and some tour prices to the Thonburi area (west of the river). We decided to keep walking along the river but there was no direct path so we had to go around the university buildings. After some time we found ourselves walking along the Sanam Luang on our right and the National Museum on our left. The Sanam Luang is a vast open space supposedly used for Royal purposes but at the moment all I could see were hundreds and hundreds of buses. After a while we reached Wat Phra Kaew, an enormous temple and palace complex surrounded by an equally impressive white wall approximately 10 m high with gate houses. Directly in front we could see one of the gate houses with armed guards on duty. A severe warning was posted outside, warning tourists to dress moderately when entering the palace. It was closed now but we would be back the next day.
We headed back to the river along Na Phra Lan Road to the west and eventually ran into a food market. Just beyond the food market was a river port where people could catch River taxis. We headed out of the port and through the market and carried on walking south along the river. We could just see the river glinting in the late afternoon sunshine to our right. Along the road with lots of vendors selling food or other nick nacks but they paid little attention to us. Occasionally we could see a bus stop and overcrowded city buses. A little bit further on we came to Ta Thien Pier across the river we got a great view of wat Arun, it’s distinctive prang spire poking up into the sky. It was too late to go to wat Arun so we headed back. Just outside the pier was another market. There was a store selling pungent dried seafood, food vendors made up the rest of the ensemble. Directly ahead of us was wat Pho. We wandered inside the gate but the actual attraction was closed for the day. We saw the entrance fee was 300 baht and had second thoughts about coming back the next day. The temple was impressive, highly decorated and ornamental.
Our next objective was to find Chinatown and any night markets. We headed east and crossed a large canal. A tuk tuk driver was pestering us for business, ignoring our appeals to be left alone. I stopped to try and take a photo and the driver got out of his vehicle and started to approach Nicki. I lost my cool and fearing he was going to harass her, shouted that we should get away immediately, fortunately he left us alone after that. We carried on walking east and eventually reached Chinatown but it was a major letdown. Everything seemed to be closed. We couldn’t find any markets open and although they were stores with Chinese writing on them they were closed too. It was starting to get dark so we decided to abort our trip into Chinatown and hail a tuk tuk driver to get us back to Khao San Road. The drive was frantic and scary, the tuk tuk driver made a speedy return to the tourist ghetto even though it was quite distant from Chinatown. We paid the driver 70 baht.
Khao San Road had been transformed into a neon Wonderland. The tide of humanity was seething along its length and breath, every shade of farang bathed in the neon glow. Food vendors vied with touts and prostitutes for a place in the road to ply their wares. We retreated to one of the bars on the side of the road and drank some tiger beers and watched the world go by. We had no appetite, having had a late lunch at McDonald’s after checking into Shambala, so we decided to skip dinner. It had been a long day so we headed back to the guesthouse, showered and slept fitfully to the sound of cats meowing and people working in the kitchen below. Bangkok was a low point for me after the peace and quiet of Chiang Mai. I felt no desire to adventure through her sweaty streets and the pesky touts really put me off. I knew I had to pull myself together as I must probably only had this one opportunity to explore this city…
19th February, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
We slept in a bit but managed to have breakfast by 8:30 am. Breakfast wasn’t great, two slices of bread with butter and jam.
We organised for the guest house to do our laundry and then we set off on foot to explore Wat Phra Kaew. The touts were in full force, one offered to take us around for the day for a mere 10 baht, I wondered if we really looked that gullible or if the guy was just taking chances. It was a beautiful sunny clear day and the walk was pleasant. As we neared the temple we could see it gleaming in the distance in stark contrast to the rest of the city. We were walking along the Sanam Luang and then we took a left into Na Phra Lan street. On the corner was a statue of three white elephants rearing up on their hind legs and trumpeting into the sky. With the white palace wall on our left, we soon reached the gate and joined the flood of tourists competing for entry into the palace. Once inside we found the ticket office and shelled out 500 baht each, this had better be a good attraction… The entrance ticket also included entry to the Vinamek mansion and the regalia rooms. There were easily 1000 or more tourists here at the same time and I was already wishing I had come earlier. We made our way through the turnstiles and once inside I began to understand why this is the top attraction in Bangkok. Directly in front if us was the shrine temple of the Emerald Buddha. The construction was typically Thai, with blue tiled tiered roofs, surmounted by a gilded Apex. Everything was beautifully decorated and the overall effect was inspiring. We made our way to the left and the enormous golden chedi /stupa came into view.
It appeared to be made of solid gold but on closer inspection it was covered in golden tiles that sparkled in the sun. Behind was an equally impressive building covered in intricate patterns, guarded by golden statues. We made our way around the stupa and came upon a small scale model of Ankor Wat. Beyond we found three smaller buildings, a library, mausoleum and chapel. Behind these we found the murals which ran all the way around the boundary wall of the temple. They told stories of battles, Buddhist history and legend. The symbology was largely lost on us but the murals were impressive. Some artists were working to restore damaged pictures.
We made our way to the shrine of the Emerald Buddha, taking photos as we went. At the shrine we took off our sandals and joined the throng of people inside. People were kneeling and sitting on the ground, Some bowing to the Buddha. The Buddha was raised up on a shrine with the usual clutter but even at a distance it was incredibly beautiful. The Buddha was dressed in its winter clothes, the gold cloak contrasting with the emerald stones. The emerald Buddha has travelled all the way from northern Thailand, and was seized by Lao forces before the Thais eventually recaptured it.
We left the temple and exited the complex, viewing a few murals along the way. We entered the grand Palace, which was the former Royal residence. Most of the buildings in this area were inaccessible to us except for a coronation hall. The style of the palace was different to the temple, although the buildings were as impressive and monumental. We spotted great long queues outside the palace, the people looked Thai and were all wearing black. We learned later that one of the royal family had passed away and these people were paying their respects. With nothing left to see we left the grand Palace and went back to the ticket area and into the Regalia museum. We saw mostly jeweled swords, scabbards, royal artefacts and coins. There was also some information about rituals of the right of passage for Princes of the Royal household, which included cutting their topknot and shaving their heads in an incredibly elaborate ceremony. The queen display was interesting as it showed ball shaped coins used before the introduction of European flat round coins.
Having had our fill of the culture experience, we headed out of the palace and out to the river where we had lunch in the market just outside of the port. We both had a delicious pad Thai, although I had to pick out the dried prawns due to my allergy. After lunch we walked all the way to wat Arun not catching the small ferry crosses the river. This temple was spectacular. We climbed up the steep stairs to the highest vantage point over Bangkok for some great views. The temple is covered in tiles apparently left behind by Chinese merchant ships. Feeling the heat of the day we retreated back to the guesthouse, we caught a river Taxi back to Banglampu and walked to Khao San Road from the river. We spent the afternoon relaxing and writing.
Later we walked to the golden mount, passing the democracy monument and the Phrakan fortress on the canals. The golden mount is a Buddhist temple perched on top of a singular hill looking over Bangkok. We walked up the spiral walkway behind a pair of young monks. About halfway up there was a row of iron bells which the occasional tourist would ring, drawing condemning stares from the monks. At the very top was an enormous golden stupa with tourists hanging around catching amazing views of the city. We stayed awhile taking photos and enjoying the cool breeze before heading back to the ghetto. We stopped at another temple on the way home but there was a Buddhist ceremony on the go and so we couldn’t go in. That night we dined on street food, spring rolls and meat skewers, which were delicious and cheap. It was finally starting to get easier to enjoy Bangkok in spite of the hustle and bustle.
20th February, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
After breakfast we headed out on foot to the national museum to join a free tour at 9:30. We met this Australian Singaporean family who were very friendly and introduced us to fried quail eggs served with soy sauce, pretty good. The tour kicked off and an Italian woman introduced herself. She explained a lot about the symbology of wats, statues and murals. she took us on a tour of the chapel which was used by the Prince successor (the museum used to be a palace). We saw the mural paintings which were incredibly detailed. Our tour guide explained a lot about the murals including that they are continuously renovated by artists as the paintings degrade relatively quickly in the Thai climate. Artists had to be devoted monks of high merit so it was an honour to restore paintings. Interestingly, some of the murals have been redrawn showing French soldiers as the artists interpreted and improvised the pre-existing murals. We also saw the Phra Phuttha Sihing, the sacred Buddha image. Next we visited the Royal funeral chariots hall. The chariots are used to convey deceased Royals to the Sanam Luang where they would be cremated. The chariots were heavily decorated with naga, apsaras and covered in gold. One chariot was being restored for use with the recent death of one of the royal family.
After the chariots we proceeded into the main museum galleries. Our guide explained about various Buddha statues and how they changed over the ages. Most interestingly, we learned about Buddha’s curly hair, elongated earlobes, equal digits, Mudras (hand gestures: peace, teaching et cetera), postures… It was pretty interesting to learn how artists in Thailand had chosen to portray and sculpt Buddha statues. We also viewed some sculptures of Hindu deities and Buddha statues from other parts of Southeast Asia. She covered some aspects of Hinduism before the tour ended. We ended up chatting to a tourist from New York who had a boyfriend/husband working as a doctor in Thailand. We had a sandwich at the ticket office which was delicious but overpriced. We finished off with a quick tour of the Thai history gallery, of which I could only remember the Thais fighting a lot of battles with the Burmese, and how they managed to retain their empire during the colonisation years.
Outside the National Museum it was starting to get hot, so we caught a taxi to the Vinamek teak mansion. The grounds around the mansion were covered in beautiful manicured gardens and lawns and the buildings looked distinctly European and seemingly out of place in Bangkok. After wandering around the grounds for a while, we eventually found the teak mansion, coughed up the exorbitant locker charge for storing our bags, and made our way in. The mansion was impressive. The tour took us through all the sections of the house, painted in different colours to differentiate them. There was the Kings quarters, Queens quarters, et cetera. There were loads of gifts from foreign countries on display. Everything was so European, with almost no hint of Thailand. All the fittings, furniture, artefacts felt foreign. We had learned previously that the Thai kings had been incredibly proactive in establishing relations with European powers and had travelled abroad. The Thai King who built the palace intended to portray his people as civilised in terms of European expectations and this is the one way they staved off colonisation (very smart).
After leaving the grounds we walked for close to an hour to the victory monument to join the skytrain into town. The walk was pretty pleasant, passing parks, the zoo, canals and suburban looking homes until we started getting into the built-up parts of town. The train took us into a modern section, and we explored and walked around, eventually finding ourselves in a mall called central world. This felt worlds apart from the traditional monuments we'd been visiting. We found a sushi restaurant and couldn't resist filling our stomachs with delicious sushi!
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