Bangkok

The way to Bangkok

I got here by the most direct route, Regina to Vancouver to Bangkok. The Vancouver to Bangkok flight is 16 hours 20 minutes. (The longest flight in the world is over 18 hours). I tried to upgrade my seat but there was nothing available. We were packed in like sardines.

The flight arrived in Bangkok around 6 am. I knew that I would be shattered after that very long flight and a 13 hour time change, and would just want to have a rest when I got there. So, I booked an airport pickup from the hotel, at a higher rate than a regular taxi service. I hoped this would mean the hotel staff knew I would be there early, and would have a room ready for me if possible.

The drive to my hotel took an hour and a half in the early morning traffic. The day was hot, muggy, and smoggy. Bangkok with over 11 million people is not one of the biggest cities in the world, but has the most polluted skies, mainly from vehicle traffic. The sun glowed orange. In the last few days, the government issued an alert recommending everyone wear N95 masks, the ones that filter out 95% of pollutants. Bangkok is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with 30 million visitors last year.

What to see in Chinatown

Sadly, my theory that the hotel would have a room ready for me did not work. There were many people at my hotel waiting for a room after an early arrival. I did not get a room for a few hours.

So, I dropped my bags at reception after a quick change of clothes. My hotel was in the Chinatown district. Armed with a map from the hotel of nearby attractions, I went out for a walk.

Next to my hotel were a giant golden dragon and a spirit house, where daily offerings are made to appease spirits. These mini temples can be found all over Thailand outside homes and businesses.

The most interesting thing I saw on the map was a temple holding the largest golden buddha in the world. And it was just a ten minute walk from the hotel. I initially wasn’t that impressed, since it didn’t seem that big, and there are lots of golden buddhas. That is, until I found out it was solid gold! 3 meters tall, weighing 5.5 tons. It’s the most valuable religious statue in the world, and the largest solid gold sculpture. But it’s not even on the list of most important things to see in Bangkok.

Exhausted from the heat as well as from the flight and time change, I went back to the hotel to sit in reception. I got in to my room just after noon, and that was it for me for that day.

Grand Palace

The top tourist site here is the Grand Palace, home of the kings of Siam, later Thailand, since 1782. It is not just one building, it’s many temples and courtyards and monuments, most golden or bedazzled with jewel toned decorations.

Included within the walls of the Grand Palace is the temple containing the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s most sacred religious icon. The buddha is made of jasper, but named for its colour. The king changes the buddha’s robes each season.

The queen mother died in late October of last year, and the mourning period of three months is still ongoing. While I was at the Grand Palace, hundreds of Thais dressed in black formed a procession past the main palace building where a ceremony was scheduled.

The Grand Palace ticket included the Khon dance theatre show at a different location. Khon is an ancient masked dance drama, with fantastic costumes and dramatic dancing performed by dozens of artists. The 20 minute show was amazing.

Back near my hotel, I had my first thai massage of the trip. Thai massages are a workout. You are stretched and twisted like a pretzel, while your masseuse uses her whole body to pound the knots out.

After that, street food in Bangkok’s Chinatown, sitting at a little table with other people and a giant beer. That’s the only size you can get a beer.

Touring in Bangkok

The next day, I met my tour leader and group. They are from Scotland, Denmark, Australia, United States, India, and England. The tour leader is a local from Bangkok.

Our first adventure was taking the metro to the Chao Praya river, where we boarded a longboat for a one hour ride through the klongs, or canals. Starting near the Grand Palace, across from the Temple of Dawn, we made our way through neighborhoods with shacks on stilts, mansions, and temples.

Monitor lizards swam beside us or laid on the banks. These large beasts will eat slow cats or small dogs.

Then Wat Pho temple grounds, home to the largest reclining buddha in the world.

The temple grounds are home to the first thai massage school. Yes, this is how they do it.

The reclining buddha is massive, 46 m long, housed in a temple. The buddha’s feet are inlaid with intricate mother-of-pearl decorations.

Back at the hotel, I had the usual pad thai for lunch, then a fish spa at one of the many shops along the streets. The fish supposedly nibble at dead skin to exfoliate your feet. There are many concerns about this, but I decided to not read about them.

Later in the afternoon we took the metro to the train station to wait for our overnight train to Chiang Mai. At 6 pm the national anthem played, and everyone stood.

I was excited about the night train, since it was one of the highlights of my trip to Thailand 20 years ago. But, things have changed. More on that in my next story!