We’re Going Back to Bangkok: Part 1

We arrived in Bangkok, one of our most favorite and interesting big cities. It's called the 'City of Angels' due to the ever-present temples, wats, and shrines that dot this metropolis. Look anywhere, and you'll find one stretching to the sky in all its ornate glory or a small one right around the corner, crammed into its own space. It's a reminder of the importance of Buddhism and Thailand's spiritual history, which are fundamental to its people.

Wat Arjun. Famous, often visited Shrine near our hotel. 

Small shrine just outside the gate to the pier where we go to Chinatown.  

According to several travel sites, Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. The population is around 11 million people. Thailand's Tourism Ministry estimates that there have been 24.5 million visitor visits as of November 25th of this year. To be fair, a portion of those are here on business, but most are tourists. The majority of those tourists visit between November and February. It's bursting at the seams with everyone wanting to buy a pair of light cotton pants with an elephant design all over them or anything with 'The North Face' logo on it. It's like joining the throngs of people trying to get a scone on the last day of the Puyallup Fair, only it's that way day after day. Phew! But, hey, that's part of the charm. 

The Chao Phraya river jammed with water taxis, tour boats, long tails and hotel taxis jockeying for position, trying to get first dibs on letting their riders off or getting their riders onto their boats. Pretty much a zoo on the water, but fun to watch. 

Chinatown market. If this looks crowed, it is. We only walked down 4 or 5 blocks through this skinny hallway and it was just like this for another 4 or 5 blocks. The vendors are yelling at potential customers to buy their stuff. Overstimulation for me. They have everything from underwear to hammers to Christmas supplies to dishes to whatever you want, it’s here. 

The main street in Chinatown hosts various goods but primarily features restaurants and food stalls offering out-of-this-world tasting Asian and international food. Additionally, there are gem and jewelry shops along this street. Pandemonium would be a good way to describe Chinatown, but in an exciting way.

As an aside, Hong Kong consistently held the position as the number one visited country in the world until China unceremoniously wrestled it to the mat in a headlock until the count of three. Before anyone knew it, Hong Kong was no longer under the 'one country, two systems policy'—the deal they made with Britain back in the '90s to allow Hong Kong to remain a 'free enterprise zone.' However, China keeps its promises until they don't, so Hong Kong dropped way down the list of most visited countries. I guess the world's travelers are reluctant to visit a country whose government beats on its citizens and crushes any opposing views, (see Tiananmen Square). 

The Chao Phraya River runs right through the middle of Bangkok and is a major working river. We sat each morning with our cup of coffee and watched the traffic move up and down the river. If it floats and has some sort of engine to move it through the water it’s probably here somewhere, every kind of watercraft imaginable. To name a few: water taxis of every description, some as long as 100 feet; dinner barges, oil barges, barges filled with sand, rice, rock; tug boats, runabouts, skiffs, long tails; police boats and military boats. There are many more but that gives an idea of the variety we saw on the river. 

Tourist boat. Ticket sellers attempt to sell unsuspecting tourists 30 baht (or about a dollar) for this boat knowing that a local Thai, aware of the water taxi schedule, can take another boat to the same destination for 16 baht. 

Hard to see but the barges in the foreground are full of sand and the barges behind are unloaded and float high in the water. 

A long tail taxi has a long shaft with a propeller at the end usually driven by an old tractor or truck engine. The shaft is 10-12 feet long. 

Tugs and a tour boat. 

Multicolored tug boat helping steer multiple barges.

 

Waiting in a long tail boat to lock down into the klongs or canals that surround Bangkok and southern Thailand. 

One of the most interesting water craft are the barges. Usually 3 or 4 barges are roped together with a tugboat pulling out in front and a tugboat behind that pushes the back one way or another to help with steering. On each barge is a small house, usually with laundry hanging off one side and, occasionally, there is a deckhand mulling about doing various tasks. If the ships are loaded they sink down into the water and generally move slowly. If unloaded, they look almost like a bobber they float so high on the river. Barges heading north are usually carrying sand, gravel or rock for building and construction. Barges heading south are usually carrying agricultural good. 

We most often took water taxis, tourist boats or long tails boats. The water taxis were the most convenient way to get from one place to another, then on to a subway, train or taxi. Getting on and off the water taxi was like being in a fun house at an amusement park where the floor shifts in different directions and trying to navigate from one end to the other is the challenge. Here, everyone stands and attempts to keep their balance on a dock that’s moving to and fro and up and down from the wishy washy water conditions. The approaching taxi bumps or slams into the dock, both boat and dock moving in their own direction that creates a gap that keeps opening and closing while everyone attempts to jumps on or off the boat. All the while the deckhand is yelling at everyone to hurry…”go, go, go!!!” Watching some of the older Thai ladies elbowing their way onto the boat to get down the stairs and into a seat so they don’t have to stand on the moving boat is hilarious. Even so, I still got to the seat first. Ha!

Every big city has its problems, and Bangkok has its share. The Chao Phraya River is the most polluted river in Thailand, laden with bacterial and nutrient pollutants, heavy metals, and an abundance of plastic waste. The government is addressing this through various means, such as subcontracting with companies like 'The Ocean Cleanup.' Their technologies trap, sort, and repurpose the plastic for non-single-use products, while also incinerating it to generate energy. Let's hope these efforts prove effective.

Another critical issue is Bangkok sinking due to its foundation on clay instead of bedrock. The extensive use of concrete in construction adds weight, and the clay is more malleable than rock. Compounding this, global warming and rising sea levels present a challenge. As the lower part of Thailand is a vast delta, problems due to increased flooding are emerging. Bangkok sits only about 5 feet above sea level, highlighting the vulnerability of this environment.

Presently, the city uses pumps during the rainy season to divert water into the Chao Phraya River and out to the ocean. However, during normal times, like our current visit, I noticed water being pumped into the river during high tide. I hope they can effectively manage these challenges. Ultimately, I hope we collectively address our global warming issues successfully.

Ending on a more positive note, here are a couple of pictures of the nightly light show on one of the bridges that we enjoyed every night. 

Rama VIII Bridge. The bridge was an engineering marvel which has an asymmetrical design with a single pylon on one side of the water and inverted Y cables stretched across the bridge holding it up. 

Hope all is well with you.

Ed out. 

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Phuket: Tourist Haven

Whoa! If you're a true-blue tourist, Phuket is tourist heaven. Phuket is the center of the universe of tourism in Thailand. It attracts a truly international crowd. There’s a reason for that. Here, get pampered with manicures, pedicures, facials and massages until you’re so relaxed you could melt. Zip lines, ATV and Sea Doos, scooters, bikes and go karts are here to rent. Snorkel and dive in clear blue waters of the Andaman sea. Tours of every description were hawked by tour operators on every street counter. Shop until you drop, eat to your heart's content and/or drink the night away. It’s hard to consider abstaining from anything…it’s exhausting, really.

Then, after contemplating the previous day's indulgences, you hop into a tuk-tuk for a journey to a Wat high on a hill above Phuket. There you can find solace for the excesses of the past few days and a Monk will even say a prayer and bless you. This can help with finding a way back to some sort of harmony and balance. What’s a relief. Then, you can steady yourself and move on to another day of, well, more excesses. With so, so many choices, why not?    

Room, Marcella, Terry and I, high on a hill.

Here we are looking for the monk.

Speaking of eating, trying to zero in on the perfect choice for dinner where the choices seem limitless, it’s a target-rich environment. There are so many varieties of foods that it’s a bit overwhelming. Food vendors line the streets in every direction. We favor the street food, but the restaurants here offer a diverse collection of international fare. We dined in a Croatian restaurant one night, relished seafood at a night market, indulged in curry for a lunch, and started each day with a breakfast buffet. Thankfully, we're getting plenty of exercise; otherwise, buying a size larger swimsuit on an “active” vacation was never part of the plan.

We visited another shrine and Wat in Phuket that had a meditation center, a building housing statues of revered monks, and another with a statue of the Buddha. All with the same theme: the calm and reverence to the Buddha and Buddhism as a way of life. I entered the last shrine before we left and looked up to see a monk sitting in a throne. I removed my hat and bowed out of respect before I realized it wasn’t a living, breathing monk but an authentic-looking statue. 

With so many things to do and so many ways to experience life here in this tourist mecca, it’s not surprising there are constant reminders of Buddhism. Buddhists believe that human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana, (from National Geographic). I’m convinced that the Buddha never envisioned this type of Nirvana as do some of the guests of Phuket think it might be. Which makes me wonder, could part time enlightenment work out ok?

All for now. You’re welcome to leave comments if you wish. Happy Holidays to everyone. 

Ed, out.    

Quiet Koh Phayam

Having been in Thailand for a duration similar to our stay in Japan, I've gained perspective on the diffences between these countries and their people. To draw an analogy, if each country were a person, the Japanese might resemble a purpose-driven adult with a serious demeanor, dressed in black and focused on getting down to business. In contrast, the Thai people could be likened to a carefree teenager wearing shorts and an 'I love New York' tank top, with a big smile, ready to play. This is, of course, a generalization. Being able to enjoy the differences between two cultures, each with their own type of richness, diversity and history is the reason Moon and I travel. 

Onto Ranong, southwest of Bangkok, on the coast.  Ranong sits a couple miles from the Thai-Myanmar border. Our desire to visit Myanmar, (Burma), has been longstanding. Unfortunately, the country has a troubled history and is currently ruled by a military junta. The US State Department says it’s a no go. Mines, kidnapping and/or arresting foreigners, lousy healthcare, civil unrest, and the military trying to kill off a portion of its ethnic citizenry are a few good reasons to stay away. I suppose when there is news that Starbucks and Mickey Ds start opening up, it’ll be safe for a visit.  

At the docks in Ranong, we stepped onto a a 42 foot speed boat with two 250 hp Yamaha outboards and sped off down the river and out into the Andaman Sea for a quick 40 minute ride to the Island of Koh Phayam. Our other choice was a “ferry” that would have taken. 2 1/4 hours. That piece of work looked like it could have been christened “Dubious”, which would have fit perfectly with its ramshackle appearance. No thank you.  

We arrived at the docks on the east side of the island and headed to our bungalow on the west side via TukTuk, a 3 wheeled motorcycle. There were no cars on this island. So scooters, Tuk Tuks, and small tractor equipment that looks as if it does all the heavy lifting type work on the island.

Our beach bungalow was located on a long, expansive beach that was essentially deserted, save for a handful of people. It stayed that way throughout our trip, a stark contrast to Chiang Mai, which was bustling with humanity from end to end. The fresh salt air, warmth of the sun, and the sand between our toes created an ideal beach experience—relaxing and peaceful.

There were three things this island had in abundance: butterflies, mangy looking dogs, and scooters. I can understand the scooters because it’s the only way to get around and do business here for the 500 or so people that live on the island full time and probably that many visitors during the high season. Thats how everyone gets from one place to another here. It makes sense.  

Then there are the dogs of Koh Phayam. They are everywhere; at the pier, on the streets, in the restaurants, on the beach. They probably outnumber scooters. Their favorite pastime is to lay right in the middle of the street as the scooters whiz by their heads at 20 mph. Those streets are about 2/3s the width of one lane of a Seattle side street, so not very wide at all. And they don’t even flinch. If it were me laying in the middle of the street trying to nap, with scooters zooming by me at 20 mph I’d be a nervous wreck. It’s silly of me to nap in the middle of the road but you get the picture. It’s a delicate dance between the scooters and the dogs.  

Then, there are the dogs of Koh Phayam. They're everywhere; at the pier, in the restaurants, at the beach and in the streets.  They probably outnumber the scooters. Their favorite pastime is lounging right in the middle of the street as scooters whiz by at 20 or 30 mph. These street are about one quarter the width of a Seattle side street, so quite narrow. Surprisingly, they don’t even flinch. If it were me, trying to nap in the middle of the street with scooters zooming by at 20 mph, I'd be a nervous wreck. Admittedly, it’s absurd to nap in the middle of the road, but you get the picture. It's a delicate dance between the scooters and the dogs and each knows their place to stay safe.

Lastly, there were butterflies. Throughout our stay, no matter where we were on the island, they were constantly fluttering about. The hotel manager mentioned that they feed on tiny light purple flowers found on specific bushes, and those bushes are scattered all around the island.

Butterflies everywhere. 

All for now. We left the tranquil atmosphere of Koh Phayam for Phuket, and boy, was that a shock. 

Ed, out.

Oh My, Chiang Mai

We returned to Chiang Mai to experience the celebrations that accompany the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals in this northern city of Thailand. Both are coupled together during the full moon at the end of November every year. It is a spectacle of a high order. 

The Loy Kathrong celebration is a show of gratefulness to the Goddess of Water since water is so integral to the Thai way of life. Small floating wreaths of every shape, color and material, about the size of a salad plate are assembled with small flowers and leaves, a small candle in the middle and a couple of stick incense sticking out the top. It’s placed carefully into the water, then given a small nudge and down the river it goes. As it floats away so do grudges, bad luck and maybe a bit of iffy karma which is why th drivers is flooded with these little baskets. 

Legend has it that it’s also a romantic exercise because it seemed to be performed by couples making goo goo eyes at each other. So I did my best goo goo eyes impression at Moon, (as she rolled her eyes at me).Then we set our floating basket off down the river, grateful to the Goddess of Water for her continued existence and grateful for each other as we enjoy our travels and adventures together.  

Yi Peng is a festival commonly celebrated to expunge bad luck one might have acquired along life’s path.  This process entails lighting a waxy candle-like ring in the bottom of rice paper lantern held together by bamboo. The heat fills the lantern until it starts to rise. The lanterns are carried away into the sky along with those luck problems. It is also a moment to say a prayer for all your ancestors that have passed before you. Basically, the river that runs through Chiang Mai is filled with small floating flower baskets and the skies are full of lighted lanterns and fireworks. The joyous atmosphere is filled with an anticipation that prayers will be conveyed, wishes will be granted and luck will be more favorable. The whole occasion is pretty impressive. 

I took this photo from the internet. I had a million chances to take photos of every type of these showy little baskets but ended up with none. Bad blogger! I picked this particular photo because Terry made one that looked almost like this one.  

Not a great photo of the Loy Krathong, but you probably get the idea. 

 

Good luck lanterns being released into the sky.

Unfortunately, there was a downside that we experienced in Chiang Mai at the time of the festivals. There seemed to be an over abundance of folks wishing to relieve themselves of their lousy luck. Trying to get back to the hotel was clostraphobic. We were surrounded on all sides by heat, people, cars, motorbikes and everyone moved at a snails pace. Crowded would be an understatement. People gridlock would be a term I would use to describe it. To be in that close proximity for so long with seemingly nowhere to turn for relief was a little creepy. We finally returned to the hotel and were relieved.  

  

Thailand is full of temples, Buddhist Temples. They are everywhere. The Thailand Dept. of Religious Affairs estimates that 92% of Thais are Buddhists, 5% are Muslim and 1+% are Christian.  At its basic level Buddhism teaches practitioners to let go of attachment, cultivate compassion and practice mindfulness. (Who wouldn’t think that would be a step in the right direction?) There are massive temples, small temples, street corner shrines, temples in the middle of nowhere and famous ones smack dab in the middle of cities. It’s a sign of the spiritual nature of the Thai people and is thought to be less of a religion than a way of life. It does give off a sense of reverence even in the chaos of a big city like Bangkok. The Thai peoples’ graciousness, their happiness and easy smiles, and their pleasing attitude toward others is a nice welcome to those of us who like to visit here. 
 

  

In the second and third photo is what’s call a chedi or supra and this one is gold plated. It’s a sight to see, having been here for more than 500 years

We met our friends in Chiang Mai for the purpose of enjoying the Loi Krathong and LiPeng Festivals together. Maxx and Kay, Scott,Terry and I took time out to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a Buddhist temple. It is 3500 feet above Chiang Mai. The road to get there makes the perilous winding road from Kahului to Hanna on Maui look like a straight line. Heading up the mountain with the road twisting and turning was like a E ride at Disneyland. 

As per Wikipedia, this small Dio Suthep temple was built in 1383s. It’s been decorated and redecorated and expanded numerous time since then. It seems as if there are temples within temples and shrines within shrines here. There is something for every one. There are Buddhas standing, sitting, laying on his side and one holding a sign that read, “Call here to find out what Buddha wants for you”. I was kidding about the last one. That’s probably blasphemous and I don’t want any bad karma, really, I was just kidding. 

The road to the temple was finally built in 1935. Here’s what I’m thinking…for 552 years the good residence of Chiang Mai climbed 3500 feet up the mountain to give thanks to Buddha and offer prayers. Back then, following the Buddha’s path was not without its perils and sacrifice. Even in todays’ world, we observed 3 monks walking up the road as we headed down the mountain after our visit. Truth be told, if I were one of those months, I’d put my thumb out for a ride to the top. But, when picturing that scenario, a monk thumbing a ride just doesn’t seem right, does it?  

Working safety here in Thailand can be a bit dicey. Here are a couple of workers that are hooking up who knows what in a fur ball of tangled electrical lines. The bamboo ladder, which has metal steps, was leaned against the whole mess as the hookup proceeded. I watched them do this twice as they moved down the street. Moon and I worked with the injured worker population for years and visiting many worksites. We observed many unsafe practices. This one is a real doozy. This photo might be on the cover of The WA State Dept of Labor and Industries pamphlet with a caption, “Don’t do this, ever”. 

The restaurants here have funny names and those often cater to tourists. Our favorite, where we had breakfast each morning, was Butter is Better. They had a complete section of Fred McMurray. Remember My Three Sons? Our other favorite with killer biscuits and gravy was Bella Goose.  

All for now.  Ed out.