Thailand
Travels with Anzie – Southeast Asia – Thailand
December 2024
When we travel we normally go as a twosome – making our own plans, reserving car, hotels, restaurants. Not this time. Friend Heidi told us about her trip to Southeast Asia with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). We knew that, in this part of the world, we would be so far out of our element re languages, customs, cuisine, etc. that we couldn’t possibly go it alone. And, boy, did we make the right decision!
Neither of us had been this far west before. Anne had worked in Micronesia; both of us had visited Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. We flew from Boston direct to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific – 15 hours. Then a three-hour layover before another three-hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand. From there our tour took us to the countries of Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam. We finished with our own private tour of Hong Kong. Now, let’s see if we can infect you with our new-found enthusiasm for this part of the world.
Thailand
Welcome to Bangkok, as called by tourists. (Bang means town. Kok means “wild plums). Also known as Krung Thiep by its citizens, the first two words of its official name -“the City of Gods, the Great City, the Residence of the Emerald Buddha, the Impregnable City (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the Grand Capital of the World Endowed with Nine precious Gems, the Happy City Abounding in Enormous Royal Palaces Which Resemble the Heavenly Abode, Wherein Dwell the Reincarnated Gods, a City Given by Indra and Built by Vishnukarm -phew!!. Or the City of Angels, for short. With a population of over 10 million, it’s about 2 million larger than NYC, and much larger in area. Traffic is unbelievable. Motor scooters are the most popular vehicle – roughly 10 to 1 over cars. There’s also the tuk-tuk, a scooter towing a carriage that will handle from two to six passengers, depending upon size. One can describe Bangkok traffic as a giant jam sprinkled with occasional movement. The architecture of its skyscrapers is fascinating. One thing that distinguishes Thailand from its neighbors – This country has never been colonized. The French have colonized most of the others.
Back to our travels. We decided to arrive 4 days early – good as we lost a day going over the international dateline! This helped us get over jet lag, begin to adjust to the climate and visit sites in Bangkok we would not see on our tour. The weather in November was hot and humid – 95 degrees, 85 % humidity. And this is the coldest time of the year! April-May is the hottest. We just couldn’t imagine being there then. Every day we’d have the same conversation: “Hot!” Response: ”Damn hot!”
Thailand, formerly Siam, is a constitutional monarchy. King Vajiralongkorn’s large photo/billboard appears on about every other block in the city. But be careful, if you step on a coin with the king’s face on it, you could end up in jail! The day-to-day business of running the country is the responsibility of the Prime Minister, much like Great Britain.
The primary religion is Buddhism. Temples are everywhere and are impressive. The Tai word for temple is Wat . The enormous Wat Pho, as in “What fo’ you got dis big temple?”, houses the 150 ft.- long “Reclining Buddha”. (see photos)
The construction of these temples is amazingly detailed. Their exteriors are decorated with tiny bits of colored stone, porcelain, engraving or gold leaf. So much gold!
A typical example is the Wat Arun that lies just across the Chao Phraya River from the Wat Pho in Bangkok. It is meticulously decorated with minute pieces of porcelain. This porcelain originated as ballast on boats coming from China. First is the Stupa, second is a detail of decoration and third is an inside temple.
Our first tour evening was a welcome dinner cruise in a wooden rice barge up the Chao, which flows through the middle of Bangkok, past the temples, all the while surrounded by an impressive demonstration of fireworks, while the river teemed with other colorfully-lit craft.
Lada, a 90-pound Thai woman, was our primary guide. She accompanied us during our entire multi-country journey, handling all logistics and being our house mother. We enjoyed separate local guides in every other country but Thailand. She had been a guide for thirty-some-odd years. She was excellent. Kind, funny smart and knowledgeable. And she nursed me and dressed my wounds after two separate falling incidents.
Among the highlights of our Thailand tour:
The two principal temples of Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
Jim Thompson House: Jim Thompson was an American businessman who revitalized the Thai silk industry. He also established the OSS/CIA office in Bangkok after WWII. He mysteriously disappeared while on a business trip in 1967. His disappearance continues to be a mystery. However, his house/museum/restaurant continues to be popular
Spirit Houses: As we traveled around Thailand we passed many houses that had miniature versions of the house in the side yard. These spirit houses are used as places of worship on a daily basis. Although we never had an opportunity to examine them closely, we could see that these “houses” were decorated with assorted offerings. They were quite beautiful.
Mangrove Swamp Tour: Met with a family who lives in a nature reserve. The staff (one a young woman who’d done a tourism internship in Boothbay Harbaor Maine!!) taught us how to make a delicious panang curry with papaya salad and sticky rice. Several women combined to give all tour members individual foot massages – a perfect gift after our hike around the reserve. We then hiked some more. On our return we were surprised how we had to step gingerly around puddles caused by the swiftly rising tide. I was constantly keeping my eye out for snakes.
IconSiam: For lunch and an airconditioned break after being on the river, we went to a seven-story shopping mall overlooking the Chao River. Just about every high-end retailer you know – Gucci, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Tiffany … on and on. It also had an amazing and diverse food market. What’s more, on an outdoor terrace in front of Starbuck’s was a sweeping view of the river and many of it’s skyscrapers. Below us a group was exhibiting a tall robot. At first we thought it was a person dressed in a robot costume – the movements were so human-like. It walked; it waved; it turned its head from side to side … without the jerky movements we associate with a humanoid robot.
Grand Palace: Residence of the royal family. It was a weekend with thousands of sightseers. So I didn’t expect the family was in residence. One “don’t miss” is the Emerald Buddha: 26 inches high, clothed in gold, constructed of jade. Discovered in 1434 hidden in a temple. It has a peripatetic history.: Laos. Sri Lanka, Cambodia and India. Finally arriving in 1785 in the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, with the crowds we couldn’t get very close. It’s the most precious Buddha in the country. Photos are forbidden. The enlightened King Rama IV ruled from this palace and was portrayed in the King and I. Thailand, unlike its neighbors, was never colonized thanks to several visionary and clever kings.
Ayutthaya: A bus ride north to the former country capital until 1767, now a UNESCO site of vast temple ruins. Many domesticated elephants. A stop to watch a local delicacy made: cotton candy wrapped in a crepe. Then, a river cruise on the Chao Praya. (see photos)
Massage: Thailand could lay claim to being the massage center of the world- appropriate as it was developed at the Wat Pho. (see photos) We had ours the day we arrived. Perfect after two days of travel. The masseuses are small, so they can crawl all over your back without causing much pain. The price? Much more reasonable than home.
This tour took us to only two towns in Thailand. Someday we’d love to come back to visit the seacoast towns, like Fuket ( Watch how you pronounce it.)
Now, check out the photos attached.
Thailand
Next, on to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong – coming up shortly.
A la prochaine,
Chuck & Anne
