We arrived in Krabi after dark. Lutz, whom we had nominated our tour guide and leader, went off to find our transportation to Tonsai beach. Lutz was one of the three birthday individuals and had been to Thailand many times with his wife and children. He knew the ins and outs and quickly secured us a private minibus at a reasonable price to the local long-tail boat harbor. From there we took a thirty-minute long-tail boat around the mountain to Tonsai beach, neighboring the more renowned Rai Ley Beaches. Again I imagine that the Thai mode of transportation and mysterious long-tail boat may require further explanation. The long-tail boat is a long skinny wooden boat with a very long out board motor attached to it, giving its name “long tailed boat”. The motor looks like it was pieced together by an experimental amateur mechanic that lacked the parts to build what he or she actually wanted to build and from that ill looking motor a long metal pipe about 2.5 meters long extends into water with the propeller attached to it. It sounds like it looks but provide a relatively quick and smooth ride if quiet waters permit it. The boats all seemed to be the same size with room for between 9 and 12 passengers. If it is raining about 6 of these passengers are kept dry by a little tarp, which often contains adverts for local beers and the like. The long tail boats would be our main vehicle of transport over the next week.
Once we arrived at Tonsai, we settled down for an ice-cold Chang beer while we dispatched Lutz, Sina, Raya (Lutz’s daughter), and Frank to find us clean, charming, and cheap accommodations. After finishing our beers and dinner we hiked up the dark dirt path towards our lodgings. The sound of generators blared around us and I wondered if I would get any sleep over the next week. The sound struck me as bazaar and I realized how lucky we were in our developed western world to live without the inconveniences of less developed nations. How much do I take for granted? I vowed not to let the sound bother me anymore. The next morning I awoke to the startling conclusion that the fan had been turned off. I flipped the switch. Nothing. I looked around and saw a little sign, which politely informed me that electricity would only be available from 5pm to 6am. What was that vow I made last night? “I can do this,” I thought, and rolled over for a restless 2 hours of tossing and turning before finally motivating myself to get up. I heard birds squawking and opened the window to see what was going on. I looked out the door to see paradise. Unlike the hectic of Bangkok and the dry dusty streets of Ayuthaya, I was looking out at a world of palm trees and tropical vegetation with beautiful flowers, birds chirping overhead, and dark green mountains surrounding us. After a short breakfast consisting of bad coffee and decent eggs, we headed down to the beach and caught a long-tail boat to Rai Ley beach West. Today was going to be Kindergeburtstag or rather the birthday celebration that would bring out the youth in all of us. We first walked along the path from Rai Ley West to a cave known as the diamond cave. The kids ran ahead as we turned on our flash lights and headed down the wooden boardwalk. It was a beautiful cave surrounded by stones that glittered brightly in response to our inquisitive light beams. I pointed my flash light straight up to find a group of bats flapping their wings in protest. I had just re-watched Batman begins and waited for the flurry of bats to swoop past me but it didn’t come. Somewhat disappointed I exited the cave and followed the group past the less attractive Rai Ley East to a nice sandy beach. On the way to the beach we heard monkeys and looked above to see them swinging wildly from branch to branch. I had the inkling that this would not be the last time I would see monkeys before my travels were over so I ignored them and pressed on. The kids looked up in wonder at the strange animals overhead. Its sad that we sometimes lose the wonder and inquisitiveness with which we see the world as children. I found myself hoping that this trip would somehow reawaken that part of me.
Unfortunately the name of the sandy beach eludes me at the moment and so for the lack of a better term I will call it the beach of the Penis temple for at the end of this beach there was a fertility shrine with some erect and some fallen erect penis’ where fishermen would go and pray for a good catch. (I’m still not sure what fishing has to do with fertility but oh well. The sand was perfect and the water was warm. After a relaxing swim and some fresh pineapple Lutz called us together and announced that the journey was going to continue. We packed up and followed him to the end of the beach. It was a dead end. Lutz turned and smiled. “This is something that most tourists don’t get to see”. We were fortunate to have a guide who had been coming here for the last 15 years and knew the little secrets. He led us through the forest and up a hill a long and unmarked trail. We traveled along the mountain, jumping from rock to rock, until we arrived at the opening of a large cave. The mouth of the cave enormous and allowed plenty of day light to illuminate the spacious cavern. I turned around to look in the direction from which we had come to behold the glittering ocean before me. The endless potential of the ocean amazes me and the view alone would have been a noble destination for a hike but Lutz pressed on. We went deeper into the cave and slowly the light faded to a dim shadow. We reached a tiny opening with a rope hanging down. I strained to see the end of the rope. All I saw was darkness. Lutz ordered us to turn on our lights and we slowly followed him up the rope into the void. My flashlight was a bike light that I had taken with to use during my travels but I would need both hands to climb the rope and continue after my companions. I turned off my light and put it back in the backpack before scrambling after the others. I went through the opening and saw the headlights in the distance before me. I liked the feeling of being isolated in my own dark surroundings but perhaps only with the comfort of the lights in front of me and behind me. At the end of the rope the path leveled off for a few feet before another rope led up another incline at the top of which I could see day-light. I climbed up to the top and found Lutz unpacking a climbing rope and some harnesses from his bag. To the right I looked out of the opening to see the luscious green forest below me followed by a beach and the ocean. It had started to rain. I looked down to see a drop of about 30 meters. Lutz looked up and grinned mischievously. He looped the rope through a metal ring affixed to the wall and threw the rope down the cliff. One by one we took turns edging backwards over the drop off and abseiling our way down. I remembered the fear I had felt the first time I had jumped backwards off of a ledge. The summer of my Senior year in high school I had been a rock climbing instructor for children and as part of the training was taught how to abseil (letting yourself down from a high location via rope). I remembered jumping and yelling obscenities much to the amusement of my colleague. But the children through themselves off the cliff with eagerness and their bravery rubbed off. I decided to let myself down and had the fleeting idea that I would like to become more acquainted with rock climbing again. From there we went through a severely strenuous hike through dense forest and sharp jagged rocks until we finally collapsed muddy and exhausted on Rai Ley West forty minutes later. Raya quickly bartered a ride for us back to Tonsai where we enjoyed a nice cheap meal, a nice cold shower, and a good nights sleep.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bangkok and Ayuthaya
As I feared I am not able to get to blogging about my trip as much as I would like. I am already over one month into my travels and a day away from my one month excursion to Vietnam and I have only managed to write four entries and only one about my Asia trip. So much has happened and I am inclined to let my memory distinguish my adventures from one another and place them in a blog worthy hierarchy, but alas I will also write about the more mundane and less noteworthy adventures perhaps much to the dismay of the discriminating reader.
Last I wrote about my first day in Bangkok. It seems like months ago. I have countless mosquito bites, a much darker complexion, and a significantly drained bank account as proof.
After my first fun filled day we spent one additional day in Bangkok. We saw Bangkok’s main attractions the Grand Palace and various smaller wats (a Buddhist temple) like the giant standing Buddha, the slightly obese Buddha, and one of the countless “lucky Buddhas” much to the satisfaction of our tuk tuk driver. This tuk tuk driver agreed to take us to all these sights for a mere 70 Bath (less than 2 US dollars) if we agreed to see the local Thai production center. It may sound like quite an attraction, but the attraction is actually a jewelry store and in exchange of ten minutes of our time browsing through the overpriced sparkling objects our tuk tuk driver received a fuel coupon. We were happy to oblige seeing as we had a tour guide at a whopping 2 dollars for one and a half hours of driving around.
By the way for those people unfamiliar with the tuk tuk, the tuk tuk is a small open air taxi found all across Asia. Its not only fun to say and to write but it is also very fun to ride. The tuk tuk is found in various shapes and sizes depending on where you are. In Bangkok, for example, they consist of a moped like steering bar and an open air single seat for the driver and behind the driver a bench for 2 comfortably sitting or three uncomfortably sitting individuals. In Ayuthaya, north of Bangkok, the tuk tuk was bigger and the seat for the driver was covered. It actually reminded me a bit of an oversized power wheel that my friends used to drive around as kids. The seat for the passengers consisted of two benches across from one another and room for about three on each bench. In southern Thailand, Krabi had mopeds with little cages attached to them with room enough for about 3-4 individuals. Whatever the case though, should you ever venture to this part of the world, make sure to take the time for a tuk tuk ride.
The evening after our tuk tuk adventures we met some friends from Germany, Sina and Mellie, who had been traveling through Vietnam and Thailand for many weeks and headed for Khao Asan road for some food, drinks, and advice. Our Thailand experienced friends introduced us to the glory of the banana pancake, which they claimed accounted for their weight gain of 4 Kg each over the previous 6 weeks. After eating one piece I decided to avoid them as much as possible. The banana pancake is basically egg, flour-water, high fructose corn syrup, and bananas fried in boiling margerine and tastes like God, whatever that may taste like. In simpler terms it was dangerously good. We were given a crash course in bartering, which is central to Asian shopping, and agreed to meet them the following afternoon in Ayuthaya with the rest of our German friends presumably arriving the following morning in Bangkok from Berlin.
The next morning we headed north via minibus for Ayuthaya, the old imperial capital of Thailand. Ayuthaya is a city that has already seen its hay day but remains a popular destination for tourists eager to explore the countless Buddhist Wats that lay in ruins across the surrounding area. We checked into our hotel and decided to wait for our friends before we went off to explore. After a few hours Sina and Mellie arrived with only three of the expected 9 friends. The other six it turns out had been stranded in Moscow. Ironically the day before, my mother had made a joke to one of our fellow mini bus passengers who asked when our friends would be arriving. My mom responded that they were supposed to arrive today but probably would not arrive until tomorrow because they were flying with Aeroflot. In this case the joke became reality. Delays and miscommunications caused our friends to miss their connecting flight in Moscow and we would have to wait until the next day for their arrival. We decided to make the best of what day we had left and went off to explore some of the temple complexes around us. We saw a giant laying Buddha draped in beautiful orange cloth. Sina explained that the fashion in which they draped the cloth around the Buddha depended entirely on the time of the year. In this case it was the end of the rainy season and so the cloth draped over one shoulder. In the winter it would drape over both shoulders and in the summer it would only drape around the lower portion of the Buddha. The peaceful look on the laying Buddha’s face and his comfortable pose made us feel the weight of gravity and so we went back to hotel for a swim and a rest. In the evening we headed down the street to walk through the wet market, an experience for the senses and a test of strength for the stomach. The wet market was a series of tiny stalls with freshly butchered beef, chicken, pork, and fish. The smell was intrusive as we walked from one stall to the next. I was struck by the lack of refrigeration and the flies, which flew uninhibited from item to item. Stray dogs roamed along the narrow pathways, stopping every few minutes to scratch a flea that was trying for an evening snack. Other dogs stood on the food stands. It was clear the their idea of cleanliness was not the same as ours and I fell into a brief day dream about an experiment I had learned about in high school where a scientist took two jars with meat in them. One was covered with a cheese cloth and the other was not. The next day that without was found to have a large flourishing population of larva. I shuttered at the thought. Sunset was rapidly approaching and we embarked upon a quest to find a temple for which the sunset could act as a backdrop. There is nothing like a sunset over an ancient ruin.
The following day we woke up late and waited impatiently for our misfortunately delayed friends to arrive. When they finally did we listened to a detailed account of their Russian layover in which they were brought to a highly secure and isolated portion of a hotel and watched closely to ensure they would not abuse their lack of a visa. Finally though team 40th Birthday party was united. I may have mentioned before that the original reason for this trip was the celebration of some of our friends 40th birthday. We spent the day visiting further wats in one of which I managed to trip over a decayed stair and break my camera. Very very sad. The next morning we headed to BKK airport for our flight down to the beaches of southern Thailand where more adventures awaited us.
Last I wrote about my first day in Bangkok. It seems like months ago. I have countless mosquito bites, a much darker complexion, and a significantly drained bank account as proof.
After my first fun filled day we spent one additional day in Bangkok. We saw Bangkok’s main attractions the Grand Palace and various smaller wats (a Buddhist temple) like the giant standing Buddha, the slightly obese Buddha, and one of the countless “lucky Buddhas” much to the satisfaction of our tuk tuk driver. This tuk tuk driver agreed to take us to all these sights for a mere 70 Bath (less than 2 US dollars) if we agreed to see the local Thai production center. It may sound like quite an attraction, but the attraction is actually a jewelry store and in exchange of ten minutes of our time browsing through the overpriced sparkling objects our tuk tuk driver received a fuel coupon. We were happy to oblige seeing as we had a tour guide at a whopping 2 dollars for one and a half hours of driving around.
By the way for those people unfamiliar with the tuk tuk, the tuk tuk is a small open air taxi found all across Asia. Its not only fun to say and to write but it is also very fun to ride. The tuk tuk is found in various shapes and sizes depending on where you are. In Bangkok, for example, they consist of a moped like steering bar and an open air single seat for the driver and behind the driver a bench for 2 comfortably sitting or three uncomfortably sitting individuals. In Ayuthaya, north of Bangkok, the tuk tuk was bigger and the seat for the driver was covered. It actually reminded me a bit of an oversized power wheel that my friends used to drive around as kids. The seat for the passengers consisted of two benches across from one another and room for about three on each bench. In southern Thailand, Krabi had mopeds with little cages attached to them with room enough for about 3-4 individuals. Whatever the case though, should you ever venture to this part of the world, make sure to take the time for a tuk tuk ride.
The evening after our tuk tuk adventures we met some friends from Germany, Sina and Mellie, who had been traveling through Vietnam and Thailand for many weeks and headed for Khao Asan road for some food, drinks, and advice. Our Thailand experienced friends introduced us to the glory of the banana pancake, which they claimed accounted for their weight gain of 4 Kg each over the previous 6 weeks. After eating one piece I decided to avoid them as much as possible. The banana pancake is basically egg, flour-water, high fructose corn syrup, and bananas fried in boiling margerine and tastes like God, whatever that may taste like. In simpler terms it was dangerously good. We were given a crash course in bartering, which is central to Asian shopping, and agreed to meet them the following afternoon in Ayuthaya with the rest of our German friends presumably arriving the following morning in Bangkok from Berlin.
The next morning we headed north via minibus for Ayuthaya, the old imperial capital of Thailand. Ayuthaya is a city that has already seen its hay day but remains a popular destination for tourists eager to explore the countless Buddhist Wats that lay in ruins across the surrounding area. We checked into our hotel and decided to wait for our friends before we went off to explore. After a few hours Sina and Mellie arrived with only three of the expected 9 friends. The other six it turns out had been stranded in Moscow. Ironically the day before, my mother had made a joke to one of our fellow mini bus passengers who asked when our friends would be arriving. My mom responded that they were supposed to arrive today but probably would not arrive until tomorrow because they were flying with Aeroflot. In this case the joke became reality. Delays and miscommunications caused our friends to miss their connecting flight in Moscow and we would have to wait until the next day for their arrival. We decided to make the best of what day we had left and went off to explore some of the temple complexes around us. We saw a giant laying Buddha draped in beautiful orange cloth. Sina explained that the fashion in which they draped the cloth around the Buddha depended entirely on the time of the year. In this case it was the end of the rainy season and so the cloth draped over one shoulder. In the winter it would drape over both shoulders and in the summer it would only drape around the lower portion of the Buddha. The peaceful look on the laying Buddha’s face and his comfortable pose made us feel the weight of gravity and so we went back to hotel for a swim and a rest. In the evening we headed down the street to walk through the wet market, an experience for the senses and a test of strength for the stomach. The wet market was a series of tiny stalls with freshly butchered beef, chicken, pork, and fish. The smell was intrusive as we walked from one stall to the next. I was struck by the lack of refrigeration and the flies, which flew uninhibited from item to item. Stray dogs roamed along the narrow pathways, stopping every few minutes to scratch a flea that was trying for an evening snack. Other dogs stood on the food stands. It was clear the their idea of cleanliness was not the same as ours and I fell into a brief day dream about an experiment I had learned about in high school where a scientist took two jars with meat in them. One was covered with a cheese cloth and the other was not. The next day that without was found to have a large flourishing population of larva. I shuttered at the thought. Sunset was rapidly approaching and we embarked upon a quest to find a temple for which the sunset could act as a backdrop. There is nothing like a sunset over an ancient ruin.
The following day we woke up late and waited impatiently for our misfortunately delayed friends to arrive. When they finally did we listened to a detailed account of their Russian layover in which they were brought to a highly secure and isolated portion of a hotel and watched closely to ensure they would not abuse their lack of a visa. Finally though team 40th Birthday party was united. I may have mentioned before that the original reason for this trip was the celebration of some of our friends 40th birthday. We spent the day visiting further wats in one of which I managed to trip over a decayed stair and break my camera. Very very sad. The next morning we headed to BKK airport for our flight down to the beaches of southern Thailand where more adventures awaited us.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
The first day
After a relatively painless Airberlin flight, I arrived in Bangkok about 12 hours travel time. As we exited the aircraft, a young airline hostess gave me a courteous wai, welcoming me to Asia. I had read a book about Thai culture before my trip and learned that the wai was the traditional form of greeting, thanking, or a sign of respect for the Thai people. There are different types of the wai depending on the relationship of the two people greeting or thanking each other. The wai is essentially two hands placed together finger to finger and palm to palm placed in front of the body as if in prayer followed by a short bow. The height of the hands in relation to the face and the depth of the bow reflect the status difference and the relationship between the two involved parties. If I, a commoner for example, were to wai a monk, my hands should be raised high in front of my lips and my bow should be low so that my head is lower than that of the monk as a sign of respect. I am still not sure what kind of wai I received from the airline hostess, but it is definitely a form of greeting I could get used to.
After picking up my backpack carefully weighed in at 15 Kg so as not to incur the excess weight charges air asia (the cheap airline) likes to impose, I decided to wait for my mom who was arriving an hour later on a flight from Hanoi. She had been traveling through Asia for a month already and we were going to meet some friends in Ayuthaya together. In fact the whole trip originally began with the 30th birthday celebration of some dear friends of ours from Berlin. Anja and Lutz are both avid rock climbers and on what I am sure was a drunken birthday celebration about ten years ago, cajoled their friends to commit to coming to Asia to celebrate their 40th birthday with a rock climbing adventure in Rai Ley, in Southern Thailand. They were presumably arriving three days later and we were going to meet them in Ayuthaya. My mom and I were going to spend two days exploring Bangkok before heading north to the old Royal city.
As I waited at the baggage claim carrousel number 12, I was surprised at the easy going to nature of the people around me. It did not resemble the hectic and aggressive nature I had experienced in Turkey only days before. People here were constantly smiling, kind and helpful, and I did not feel the slightest bit anxious. After about an hour I finally saw my mother waiting for her bags and snuck up on her. We had agreed to meet at the hotel, and she was surprised to see me. We got her bags and headed out the door.
We walked through the security gates and were immediately hounded by numerous taxi and shuttle drivers. Maybe my first impression of Thailand was misled. We avoided the masses and headed for the nearest cash machine. I extracted 2,000 Bhat and quickly realized that it would not last me very long (2,000 Bhat is only about 40 Euro). I decided to get a little bit more just in case. As we made our way through the aiport looking for the city bus into town, an older Thai man approached us and inquired where we were headed and if we needed help. After my Istanbul adventures I was skeptical but decided to give the guy a chance. He announced that the best and cheapest way to get into town would be by the airport express bus. True enough it only cost about 100 Bhat a person (aprox. 2 Euro) and took us within a block of our hotel. I threw my luggage onto the luggage rack and promptly passed out. About an hour later we pulled up to our stop.
The heat/humidity combination outside was stifling, as we marched down the street, bags in hand. A few minutes later, with beads of sweat collecting on my forehead, we arrived at the Navalai hotel. To make my transition easier, my mom generously invited me to stay at a nicer hotel for the first few nights in the heart of the Bangkok backpackers haven Khao San Road. The hotel at a whopping $30 US a night had all the amenities one could ask for. We had free wifi, air conditioning comfortable twin beds, a pool, and a great location. These are all things that would prove rare and unaffordable for me in the near future. The day was hot and the airplane food proved unsatisfying at keeping my appetite in check, so we decided to go get some local Thai cusine. We caught a ferry from our hotel and headed down the river. The boat was full of smiling locals. I enjoyed the cool breeze and admired the beautiful golden wats glittering along the shore of the curving river. As we turned to exit the boat I noticed a few monks dressed in bright orange robes standing at the back of the boat. Above their heads a sign read: Space for Monks. I later learned that monks are a very important part of Thai society and the influence of Buddhism is an integral factor in creating the compassion so apparent in the Thai people. A large majority of Thai men will partake in monk hood as young adults. We happened to be there during a transitional period that takes place every year around mid October. During this time men finish their 1-3 year monkship and immerse themselves back into mainstream society and new men sign up. Even the revered Thai king was a monk for ten years! Unlike in western society, religion is apparent everywhere here. You cannot go ten minutes without seeing a monk somewhere, be he riding on a ferry, cruising down the street in a tuk tuk, or simply strolling along the sidewalk.
We exited the boat and jumped onto a monorail, which provides fast and cheap and air-conditioned transport across the city. The shyness and quiet nature of the Thai people struck me immediately as I examined my surroundings. Most of their eyes were glued to tv screens scattered throughout the train. I looked to see what was so captivating. The TV monitors showed a constant stream of commercials. During our ten minute journey I saw advertisements for sun glasses, cell phone companies, and my favorite…the essence of chicken. It showed a guy at a bowling alley tired as hell sitting on a chair. Two girls come up to him and try to get him to have fun and he resists. Finally they pull out a bottle of essence of chicken and he drinks it and goes nuts. He bowls with one ball and then two and looks like he is on speed. I tried finding a link for the commercial but no luck.
From there we exited back into the heat and decided for the air-conditioned lunch option... the enormous Paragon mall. It was clean, cold, and the food was cheap and amazing. We walked through a few more malls, admired the culture of consumerism which seemed almost more intense than back home, and decided to finish off the night with a walk down Khao San road. Khao San road is the backpackers area or Bangkok. It is lined with hostels, restaurants, travel agents, bars, roadside food, people selling fake IDs, people advertising Thai Ping Pong shows, massage parlors, T-shirt stands, etc. The goods by the way are all cheap as hell. Before I left I was told not to bring any clothes and just buy my clothes upon arrival. T-shirts cost around 2 Euro a piece. After a great meal and a cold beer we headed back to our hotel for a good night of much needed sleep. I was exhausted.
After picking up my backpack carefully weighed in at 15 Kg so as not to incur the excess weight charges air asia (the cheap airline) likes to impose, I decided to wait for my mom who was arriving an hour later on a flight from Hanoi. She had been traveling through Asia for a month already and we were going to meet some friends in Ayuthaya together. In fact the whole trip originally began with the 30th birthday celebration of some dear friends of ours from Berlin. Anja and Lutz are both avid rock climbers and on what I am sure was a drunken birthday celebration about ten years ago, cajoled their friends to commit to coming to Asia to celebrate their 40th birthday with a rock climbing adventure in Rai Ley, in Southern Thailand. They were presumably arriving three days later and we were going to meet them in Ayuthaya. My mom and I were going to spend two days exploring Bangkok before heading north to the old Royal city.
As I waited at the baggage claim carrousel number 12, I was surprised at the easy going to nature of the people around me. It did not resemble the hectic and aggressive nature I had experienced in Turkey only days before. People here were constantly smiling, kind and helpful, and I did not feel the slightest bit anxious. After about an hour I finally saw my mother waiting for her bags and snuck up on her. We had agreed to meet at the hotel, and she was surprised to see me. We got her bags and headed out the door.
We walked through the security gates and were immediately hounded by numerous taxi and shuttle drivers. Maybe my first impression of Thailand was misled. We avoided the masses and headed for the nearest cash machine. I extracted 2,000 Bhat and quickly realized that it would not last me very long (2,000 Bhat is only about 40 Euro). I decided to get a little bit more just in case. As we made our way through the aiport looking for the city bus into town, an older Thai man approached us and inquired where we were headed and if we needed help. After my Istanbul adventures I was skeptical but decided to give the guy a chance. He announced that the best and cheapest way to get into town would be by the airport express bus. True enough it only cost about 100 Bhat a person (aprox. 2 Euro) and took us within a block of our hotel. I threw my luggage onto the luggage rack and promptly passed out. About an hour later we pulled up to our stop.
The heat/humidity combination outside was stifling, as we marched down the street, bags in hand. A few minutes later, with beads of sweat collecting on my forehead, we arrived at the Navalai hotel. To make my transition easier, my mom generously invited me to stay at a nicer hotel for the first few nights in the heart of the Bangkok backpackers haven Khao San Road. The hotel at a whopping $30 US a night had all the amenities one could ask for. We had free wifi, air conditioning comfortable twin beds, a pool, and a great location. These are all things that would prove rare and unaffordable for me in the near future. The day was hot and the airplane food proved unsatisfying at keeping my appetite in check, so we decided to go get some local Thai cusine. We caught a ferry from our hotel and headed down the river. The boat was full of smiling locals. I enjoyed the cool breeze and admired the beautiful golden wats glittering along the shore of the curving river. As we turned to exit the boat I noticed a few monks dressed in bright orange robes standing at the back of the boat. Above their heads a sign read: Space for Monks. I later learned that monks are a very important part of Thai society and the influence of Buddhism is an integral factor in creating the compassion so apparent in the Thai people. A large majority of Thai men will partake in monk hood as young adults. We happened to be there during a transitional period that takes place every year around mid October. During this time men finish their 1-3 year monkship and immerse themselves back into mainstream society and new men sign up. Even the revered Thai king was a monk for ten years! Unlike in western society, religion is apparent everywhere here. You cannot go ten minutes without seeing a monk somewhere, be he riding on a ferry, cruising down the street in a tuk tuk, or simply strolling along the sidewalk.
We exited the boat and jumped onto a monorail, which provides fast and cheap and air-conditioned transport across the city. The shyness and quiet nature of the Thai people struck me immediately as I examined my surroundings. Most of their eyes were glued to tv screens scattered throughout the train. I looked to see what was so captivating. The TV monitors showed a constant stream of commercials. During our ten minute journey I saw advertisements for sun glasses, cell phone companies, and my favorite…the essence of chicken. It showed a guy at a bowling alley tired as hell sitting on a chair. Two girls come up to him and try to get him to have fun and he resists. Finally they pull out a bottle of essence of chicken and he drinks it and goes nuts. He bowls with one ball and then two and looks like he is on speed. I tried finding a link for the commercial but no luck.
From there we exited back into the heat and decided for the air-conditioned lunch option... the enormous Paragon mall. It was clean, cold, and the food was cheap and amazing. We walked through a few more malls, admired the culture of consumerism which seemed almost more intense than back home, and decided to finish off the night with a walk down Khao San road. Khao San road is the backpackers area or Bangkok. It is lined with hostels, restaurants, travel agents, bars, roadside food, people selling fake IDs, people advertising Thai Ping Pong shows, massage parlors, T-shirt stands, etc. The goods by the way are all cheap as hell. Before I left I was told not to bring any clothes and just buy my clothes upon arrival. T-shirts cost around 2 Euro a piece. After a great meal and a cold beer we headed back to our hotel for a good night of much needed sleep. I was exhausted.
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