Sunday, November 24 - Bangkok Wows!

Sunday, November 24 - Bangkok Wows!

A cab ride this morning convinced us that Bangkok has traffic snarls that rival anywhere else we've seen.  We were headed for the Grand Palace,which is not easily reached via public transportation.  What seemed like a pretty straightforward proposition developed into gridlock as soon as we got off the tollway -- and this was on a Sunday morning!

The Grand Palace is adjacent to the temple complex housing the most revered Buddha in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha.  There were hordes of people, including many tour busloads, streaming onto the site when we arrived.  The temple complex is sacred to the Thais and proper dress is required.  Inappropriately clad women borrow sarongs and men in shorts are lent what we've jokingly called "elephant pants" on this trip.  They're made of fabric in a print that often features elephants, and they've ubiquitous in the markets and on tourists of both sexes in every country we've visited.  They seem like perfect pajama pants, but here they were judged appropriately respectful!  We have found that convertible pants, with zip-off legs have been great on the trip; we've been able to wear them long when we've visited all the temples and still have the shorts that are best suited to the weather.  As we approached the palace complex, before Tom had zipped on his pant legs, one of the wardrobe police told him that his "dress" was too short!

As we followed our audioguides through the temple complex, the Wat Phra Kaeo, we were simply overwhelmed by what we were seeing.  A huge cloister of beautiful murals encloses what seemed like innumerable towers, stupas, temples, pavilions, and monuments.  Every inch of every building was adorned with mosaics, gems, porcelain tiles fashioned into floral and geometric patterns.  It was absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning --  in a league of its own, and beyond anything we've ever seen or could even imagine.  Had we seen this at the beginning of our trip, everything else would have suffered by comparison.  The centerpiece of all this beauty was the temple of the Emerald Buddha, which glittered inside and out. There are no words to describe what we saw; luckily, Tom just happened to have his camera with him!

 

Then, it was on to the Grand Palace, actually a compound of buildings adjoining the Wat.  The current king and queen (whose large photos are all over town) live in digs elsewhere, and the buildings here are now used for ceremonial purposes.  They are large and designed in a variety of styles, all lovely and beautifully ornamented.

After a short walk along a riverside street full of vendors, we reached Wat Pho, the temple complex containing the famous Reclining Buddha.  The size of this golden figure truly must be seen to be believed.  From head to toe, it’s quite a hike, and, once you get there, the mother-of-pearl encrusted feet are a sight in themselves.  As you walk along the back side of the statue, you can purchase dishes of coins in order to deposit one into each of the bowls along the wall for good luck.  The temple complex also contains many other buildings, monuments, and stupas, most lavishly decorated in porcelain tile mosaics similar to those of the Wat Phra Kaeo. 



We had lunch in a small hole-in-the wall restaurant on a pier on the Chao Phraya River before boarding a boat.  The river has historically been a main artery of Bangkok and it carries a lot of traffic of all manner of water craft, from barges to jet skis.  Bangkok's characteristic boat is the long-tail.  They are long and low, with bows that curve up out of the water and they're propelled by automobile engines, with long drive shafts to their propellers. Our boat was actually an element of the city's mass transit system, used by commuters and visitors alike.  As it criss-crossed the river, we passed wats, mosques, and old houses built on stilts over the water with modern high-rises virtually in their backyards. 

A couple of notes about the mass transit system.  Everyone who enters a subway station must pass through a metal detector and virtually everyone sets off the alarm.  A guard perfunctorily shines a flashlight into purses and bags, without even looking; we can only imagine what it's like at rush hour!  Also, train platforms are marked with lines and arrows so that people exiting cars move first, while boarding passengers wait to each side of the doors -- and everyone actually complies with the plan!

Bangkok has been a grand finale to a great trip, and now we're ready to head for home.  In the morning, we start on our 24-hour journey, so happy to have had the opportunity to see some of Southeast Asia's wonders, but ready to get back to real life.

One final note: the full name of Bangkok is: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit

Saturday, November 23 - Bangkok

Saturday, November 23 - Bangkok

It was another early morning for us, our last in Laos.  Our guide and driver both took us on the short drive to the airport for our two-hour flight to Bangkok.  With that, the part of our trip that we'd planned with the Vietnam-based travel agency came to an end, and we were on our own. 

Arriving at Bangkok's large airport about 9:30, we took a cab to our downtown hotel.  We were able to check in early and our digs are so great, we almost didn't want to go out again!  Lots of room in a one-bedroom apartment with a large living room and kitchen in a high-rise with lots of windows, great city views, and a balcony.  The American ambassador's residence in next door and the embassy a little farther down the street, which could be something of a mixed blessing -- security's great, but then, it needs to be!

Bangkok is busy, big, and has a skyline with lots of modern skyscrapers.  The mass transit system consists of two lines of elevated rail and one underground Metro line.  It's somewhat limited in its coverage of this sprawling city, but it's easy to figure out, so we're happy that there's a station a block from the hotel.   

We rode to the end of the line to visit the Weekend Market, which has outgrown a series of indoor halls and spilled onto the surrounding streets.  Everything from puppies to purses to placemats, pillows and party favors was on sale there.  We always enjoy wandering through these jam-packed mazes, but have been struck on this trip by the fact that we've seen much of the same merchandise in every country we've visited on this trip.  No doubt, it all comes from China, and we could only wonder about a few things.  How many cargo ships must China have to transport everything in such massive quantities?  Is there anything left in China to sell/buy?  How many millions of people are working in horrible conditions so others can sell t-shirts at three for five dollars?  Just wondering...

When we'd had enough of the heat, humidity, and humanity, we boarded the underground Metro headed for Chinatown.  It took us a while to find it once we left the train but, en route, we passed (but passed up the opportunity to enter!) several beautiful-looking wats.  We did stop at an open-air and beautifully decorated Chinese temple on our excursion.

A short Metro ride and cooling walk through the green oasis of Lumphini Park and we were ready for a dip in the roof-top pool before our happy hour. 

Dinner was at a Thai restaurant in an old house that was decorated for Christmas!  Don't they know it's not even Thanksgiving yet?!?

Friday, November 22 - Beautiful Laotian Countryside

Friday, November 22 - Beautiful Laotian Countryside

Accompanied by our guide, we spent much of this morning on the Mekong River, passing small family farms climbing the sloped riverbanks, fishing nets and small boats, and remote villages.  The surrounding area was marked by deep green mountains, and we were reminded of our beloved Adirondacks of upstate New York -- with banana trees!

We stopped at a tiny river town, popularly known as "Whisky Village," where a variety of rice liquors are distilled on a very small scale and in a decidedly low-tech way.  We sampled a variety of their offerings and bought a bit of one of the less lethal ones.  The dirt paths through the village were lined with stalls, most of which offered beautiful textile items made right there by women who were working their looms as they tended to their retail operations.

A bit farther upriver, we stopped at the Pak Ou caves, where thousands of Buddha statues of varying size, material, age, and decoration are displayed.

Our lunch was on a restaurant balcony just across the river from the caves and we enjoyed the views of the river traffic, mountains and the small riverside peanut, corn, and bean farm below our perch.

Back downriver at Luang Prabang, our driver was waiting to take us to another trip into the nearby countryside.  The town is cradled by green mountains and bordered by lush farmland and small villages and we thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see them.  Our destination was the Kuang Si Waterfalls, about 45 minutes outside of Luang Prabang, and they were simply spectacular -- in the middle of a forest, water cascading from high above, forming multiple levels of turquoise pools.  The whole scene was magical, so perfect that it seemed as if were a tropical resort or a movie set.

Tonight's dinner was on the porch of a colonial house, watching the action on Luang Prabang's main drag, followed by one last walk through the night market. One thing we've noticed this afternoon and evening is that the sidewalk is lined with women and young girls at small tables, all selling lottery tickets; the lucky numbers will be announced tomorrow, and it appears that everyone wants to win!

We've enjoyed our short time in Laos and feel we've only scratched the surface of this country, except for temples; we've got them covered!

Tomorrow, we fly to Bangkok, our last destination on this trip.

Thursday, November 21 - Luang Prabang

For the second consecutive morning, we rose early to be present at a unique local event.  We left the hotel at 5:30 to watch the parade of hundreds of Buddhist monks and novices after their morning prayers.  At dawn each day,  barefoot, saffron-robed, and carrying bowls, they walk single file from the many temples in this town so that townspeople and visitors can place food in their bowls.  There is a protocol to this: those wishing to donate food sit on rug squares or low stools placed on bamboo mats and wear sashes diagonally across their bodies.  (Food is available for purchase along the street, and use of a sash is included.)  As the line of monks passes by, donors place food in their bowls; touching the monks is taboo.  Among the common food items for donation is sticky rice, which the vendors sell in covered bamboo containers, and which each donor portions into small balls for distribution.  Mel participated in the ritual, but opted to donate wrapped crackers; it's hard to imagine the monks' eating the rice that's been pre-handled by scores of people! 

After breakfast and a chance to re-group back at the hotel, we were back on the go with guide and driver.  We visited several temple complexes and pagodas, none of whose names I can remember, taking our shoes off at each one.  Buddhas of all sizes, shapes and positions have begun to run together for us.  This was a "high wat-age" morning. 

We also visited the National Museum (more Buddhas on display!), once the palace of the king.  There were several large rooms painted a deep, deep red and beautifully decorated with a profusion of metallic mosaics.  Most of the museum was dedicated to the living quarters and public rooms of the royal family and various artifacts related to them.

For the first time on this trip, we were actually cool when we started out this morning, but that didn't last for long and we were happy to stop for lunch on the upper balcony of a restaurant in an old colonial building on the main street of Luang Prabang.  We cooled off and enjoyed the passing scene of school children going home for lunch and young novice monks strolling along, using umbrellas for protection from the sun.  Tom felt he should introduce them to baseball caps to cover their shaved heads!

We had some time on our own after lunch, during which we took a walk through town and along the Mekong River and rested up in our room for a mid-afternoon challenge -- a walk up the 328 steps to the top of Mount Phousi, in the center of town.  Fortunately, the sun had given way to clouds and our path was shaded by the hill's forest, otherwise it would have been much more challenging than it already was.  There's a temple atop the hill, terraces with views over two rivers to the mountains beyond and, on the way down -- more Buddhas, as well as impressions of two of his footprints in the rocks!!!

At the bottom of the hill, we strolled around the grounds of a Buddhist monastery and school.  Our guide is a former monk and he lived, studied, and later taught at the school.  We were able to see the young novices in a math class and others horsing around and just acting like real boys as they re-wound their robes after leaving their bath house.  It's been quite interesting to have a former novice and monk with us to explain some of the rituals and daily activities of life within a monastery.

Tonight, we started out to a restaurant for dinner, but were sidetracked when we walked through an alley that was lined with buffet stands and grills.  We were attracted by good-looking food, CHEAP prices, and a lot of westerners, so we decided to throw caution to the wind and eat there.

We're looking forward to rising a lot later than the monks tomorrow morning!

Wednesday, November 20 - Cambodia to Laos

Wednesday, November 20 - Cambodia to Laos

Tom often gets up to take photos of the sunrise in spectacular places; it's generally a solitary experience, or one shared by a small number of intrepid souls.  Not so at Angkor Wat today.  Our guide and driver picked us up at 5:00 and we soon joined a sizable parade of cars and tuk-tuks, headlights shining in the darkness, to the great temple. We approached by flashlight, via the king's causeway across the wide moat and outer compound, to take our places along the shore of a small lake in front of the great temple.  Before long, people were standing eight to ten deep with enterprising vendors selling coffee, books, and the usual schlock.  A memorable experience, to be sure...

We returned to the hotel for a couple of hours for breakfast and to check out before our guide and driver joined us again.  Today, we drove to Bantay Srei, about 20 km out of town, but still part of the Angkor Wat complex.  Dating from the tenth century and constructed of rose-colored stone, it is much smaller than most of the other wats, but has many detailed carvings.  We also visited the much larger Pre Rup temple, but declined to climb its steep steps to the high towers.

Near these temples is the Land Mine Museum.  As we've mentioned, Cambodia was riddled with land mines, which caused great injury and suffering to children, farmers, and the general population, long after the civil wars had ended.  Several times during our stay in Cambodia, we've encountered ensembles of musicians composed of victims of land mines.  The museum is part of an NGO's ongoing efforts to clear mines, educate the world about the horrors that have resulted from their use, and also to house and educate some of Cambodia's many orphaned children.

After lunch, we visited the War Museum, where we were guided by a veteran of the country's decades-long civil wars.  At age nine, he lost his entire family to Pol Pot, and lived on his own until, at age13, he joined the national army, simply in order to eat.  He was wounded multiple times, lost a leg and his eyesight (since partially restored), offered various pieces of shrapnel still in his body to anyone who wanted to feel them, and yet had a wonderful sense of humor and bantering wit.  The open-air museum was mostly composed of rusting hulks of tanks, artillery, and other armaments that were antiquated when the Cambodians got them from the Russians and the Chinese.

We arrived at the Siem Reap airport early for our one-hour flight to Luang Prabang, Laos, where we had a quick walk around the night market before calling it a day.

Comments about Cambodia:

●     Because of its history of instability and war, Cambodia's tourism industry is relatively young.  Nevertheless, those in its employ seem highly professional.  Guides and hotel personnel consistently welcomed warmly and thanked us for coming to their country. 

●     We were routinely greeted with the sampeah, a bow with hands pressed together.

●     The political system seems to be as corrupt as anywhere else.  Elections last summer are widely regarded as fraudulent and the old boys' network is alive and well.

●     The US dollar is the currency of choice.  Prices are quoted in dollars and ATM withdrawals are delivered in dollars.  Easy for us, but not quite as thrilling as walking around with millions in Vietnam, where a dollar is worth 21,000 Vietnamese dong!