Island hopping...
Or at least hopping down to the islands!
Day 2 in Bangkok
We finally made it out to some of the bigger attractions this morning after breakfast at the hotel. I am sure I will always remember the meal
as our first time having banana/pineapple shakes, because we are sure to have many more to come - so delicious! We are staying at a place called the Mango Lagoon, down a side street (or behind a temple complex/Soi Rambutri) in an area of Bangkok called Banglamphu, very close to the touristy Koh San Road. It is close to the Mae Nam Chao Phraya river (with mult water taxi stops), and better yet, an extremely reasonable walking distance from most of the major tourist attractions (the biggest, most beautiful temples and royal palace).
Wat Phra Kaew & the Royal Palace
After carrying extra clothes around during Day 1, it's kind of funny we completely forgot about bringing long sleeves and closed-toes shoes (required for admission to the temples) on the one day we knew we would be visiting Wat Phra Kaew and the Royal Palace. As with Orthodox churches in Greece or mosques in the Middle East, holy places in Thailand (temples) must be respected with appropriate dress: no shorts, open shoes or sleeveless shirts. Luckily, you can usually rent a wrap skirt or work shirt... these places are not worth missing out on for a bit of extra cloth.
Wat Phra Kaew, a large temple in the middle of the city and our first stop, is almost surreal when you see it for the first time. Wat Phra Kaew is famous for the emerald Buddha that sits at the entrance to the main temple area (which is encased in this large golden stand and is incredibly easy to miss if you aren't looking for it). The whole place looks as if it was drizzled in gold. I think I mentioned it before, but the form of Buddhism I have encountered in Thailand so far has been much more ornate (if not flashy)
than what I am accustomed to from my time in China and, now, Japan. Even the guardian statues, ferocious-looking part-man, part-joker, part-beast creatures holding up and watching over various buildings were gilded in gold leaf. I guess a lot of the buildings are actually made of glass (mirrors) and then merely coated with gold leaf, but the whole place is still something out of a Versace-esque dream. As is the case with most temples, the walls bordering the interior were sort of hall- or pathways, lined with frescoes depicting scenes of everyday life and stories about the gods. One of the coolest discoveries for me that day was stumbling upon a restoration project of one of these frescoes. Young men were actually painting over the scenes on these ancient walls, updating a river portrait with small touches of paint here and there. It was like history being written... or written over?... in a way, and made me wonder how many times they have painted over these gorgeous scenes, and of those who painted them in the first place. Quite fun.
Kelly and I wandered around and explored the premises for a while. We stopped to get some pictures with the guards (Buckingham style - bad, I know), and visited the armories to see a vast collection of weaponry. It was actually really interesting; you could see the evolution of certain types of defense tools (like pistols and spears) from around the world by going through and comparing peices from the large collection. The King wasn't in, even though he keeps part of the main building as a residence (the recent Coupe probably having something to do with it*) so we finished our sightseeing and went for dinner.
To the Islands we go!
For a mere 500 Baht (around $14) and 14 hours of our time, we were transported from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui by coach bus and boat that very evening. It was not a bad trip (except for the 1am, very expensive, dinner stop), but for how cheap travel is in this country, I would not recommend doing anything other than VIP. It really isn't that much of a difference in price and taking a new speedboat and nicer bus would have been appreciated for that long of a journey.
We landed at one of the hotels in Lonely Planet on Lamai Beach (on Koh Samui Island), after meeting the owner while we were waiting for a boat. Finding the place def taught us a lesson about trusting the locals; it can be done without fearing fraud. The place is perfect. Ok, so our hut is basically a fan-cooled, A-frame hut on the beach with two matresses inside, but the place is extremely cheap (350B total/ $5 each per night) with an amazing porch restaurant and more private location. Charming.
We have yet to see ay bugs or geckos inside our hut, and the wild(?) dogs laying claim to the territory around our place aren't too mean or mangy (you're gonna get 'em here, so it's best to hope for good ones). Kelly kind of freaked out a bit when she saw the toilets for the first time (Thai style - elevated squatters with no flush; you pour water from a bucket down the drain and throw toilet paper - if you have it - in the trash), but they were actually pretty similar to what I have seen in China and normal for the area (well, country...unless you stay at a resort). Nonetheless, she is making it through the WC situation and we adore the place after a day. To be honest, the resorts here are not that expensive, but it's hard to give up beachfront property at $5 a day (especially since Thailand is not dirt-cheap anymore) at a place we love, feel safe in and can escape the noisy city at night in. Love it and the family that runs the place is super cute! I think this is going to be a good week!
*While the King is currently in exile, the royal presence in this country is amazing. There are pictures and posters everywhere, and basically every other Thai person (or tourist) was wearing one of the yellow polo shirts (representing support for the family). There is also a new music video out with a lot of really famous people (like movie stars and musicians), rocking their support for the family while collectors are probably dazzled by all the pro-King memorabilia (buttons, posters, jewelry, even iPods).
Day 2 in Bangkok
We finally made it out to some of the bigger attractions this morning after breakfast at the hotel. I am sure I will always remember the meal
as our first time having banana/pineapple shakes, because we are sure to have many more to come - so delicious! We are staying at a place called the Mango Lagoon, down a side street (or behind a temple complex/Soi Rambutri) in an area of Bangkok called Banglamphu, very close to the touristy Koh San Road. It is close to the Mae Nam Chao Phraya river (with mult water taxi stops), and better yet, an extremely reasonable walking distance from most of the major tourist attractions (the biggest, most beautiful temples and royal palace).Wat Phra Kaew & the Royal Palace
After carrying extra clothes around during Day 1, it's kind of funny we completely forgot about bringing long sleeves and closed-toes shoes (required for admission to the temples) on the one day we knew we would be visiting Wat Phra Kaew and the Royal Palace. As with Orthodox churches in Greece or mosques in the Middle East, holy places in Thailand (temples) must be respected with appropriate dress: no shorts, open shoes or sleeveless shirts. Luckily, you can usually rent a wrap skirt or work shirt... these places are not worth missing out on for a bit of extra cloth.
Wat Phra Kaew, a large temple in the middle of the city and our first stop, is almost surreal when you see it for the first time. Wat Phra Kaew is famous for the emerald Buddha that sits at the entrance to the main temple area (which is encased in this large golden stand and is incredibly easy to miss if you aren't looking for it). The whole place looks as if it was drizzled in gold. I think I mentioned it before, but the form of Buddhism I have encountered in Thailand so far has been much more ornate (if not flashy)
than what I am accustomed to from my time in China and, now, Japan. Even the guardian statues, ferocious-looking part-man, part-joker, part-beast creatures holding up and watching over various buildings were gilded in gold leaf. I guess a lot of the buildings are actually made of glass (mirrors) and then merely coated with gold leaf, but the whole place is still something out of a Versace-esque dream. As is the case with most temples, the walls bordering the interior were sort of hall- or pathways, lined with frescoes depicting scenes of everyday life and stories about the gods. One of the coolest discoveries for me that day was stumbling upon a restoration project of one of these frescoes. Young men were actually painting over the scenes on these ancient walls, updating a river portrait with small touches of paint here and there. It was like history being written... or written over?... in a way, and made me wonder how many times they have painted over these gorgeous scenes, and of those who painted them in the first place. Quite fun.
Kelly and I wandered around and explored the premises for a while. We stopped to get some pictures with the guards (Buckingham style - bad, I know), and visited the armories to see a vast collection of weaponry. It was actually really interesting; you could see the evolution of certain types of defense tools (like pistols and spears) from around the world by going through and comparing peices from the large collection. The King wasn't in, even though he keeps part of the main building as a residence (the recent Coupe probably having something to do with it*) so we finished our sightseeing and went for dinner.
To the Islands we go!
For a mere 500 Baht (around $14) and 14 hours of our time, we were transported from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui by coach bus and boat that very evening. It was not a bad trip (except for the 1am, very expensive, dinner stop), but for how cheap travel is in this country, I would not recommend doing anything other than VIP. It really isn't that much of a difference in price and taking a new speedboat and nicer bus would have been appreciated for that long of a journey.
We landed at one of the hotels in Lonely Planet on Lamai Beach (on Koh Samui Island), after meeting the owner while we were waiting for a boat. Finding the place def taught us a lesson about trusting the locals; it can be done without fearing fraud. The place is perfect. Ok, so our hut is basically a fan-cooled, A-frame hut on the beach with two matresses inside, but the place is extremely cheap (350B total/ $5 each per night) with an amazing porch restaurant and more private location. Charming.
We have yet to see ay bugs or geckos inside our hut, and the wild(?) dogs laying claim to the territory around our place aren't too mean or mangy (you're gonna get 'em here, so it's best to hope for good ones). Kelly kind of freaked out a bit when she saw the toilets for the first time (Thai style - elevated squatters with no flush; you pour water from a bucket down the drain and throw toilet paper - if you have it - in the trash), but they were actually pretty similar to what I have seen in China and normal for the area (well, country...unless you stay at a resort). Nonetheless, she is making it through the WC situation and we adore the place after a day. To be honest, the resorts here are not that expensive, but it's hard to give up beachfront property at $5 a day (especially since Thailand is not dirt-cheap anymore) at a place we love, feel safe in and can escape the noisy city at night in. Love it and the family that runs the place is super cute! I think this is going to be a good week!
*While the King is currently in exile, the royal presence in this country is amazing. There are pictures and posters everywhere, and basically every other Thai person (or tourist) was wearing one of the yellow polo shirts (representing support for the family). There is also a new music video out with a lot of really famous people (like movie stars and musicians), rocking their support for the family while collectors are probably dazzled by all the pro-King memorabilia (buttons, posters, jewelry, even iPods).
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 7:05 PM
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