The choice of hotels in Bangkok is vast and
many decent ones are less than $40 per night. These are the type that might be
$70 - $80 in Canada and most include breakfast in the cost. We knew we were in
a high class affair when we read the sign in the stairwell that warned us it
was illegal to bring prostitutes to our room. Sarah was disappointed but we
agreed to stay anyway.
Not long after our arrival we took a long-tail
boat through the Chao Phraya River and its various channels. Bangkok transports
thousands of its citizens per day using water taxis and the hundreds of canals
give it the title Venice of the East.
(It should be noted that several other cities in various countries also lay
claim to that title) We even saw crocodiles during our 1 hour trip, along with
hundreds of houses built just above the level of the water. Most of these
places were quite rundown and definitely not the sorts of mansions we often see
along the water in North America. Near the end of the boat trip, an elderly
woman rowed a boat toward us wearing a big smile and we thought how nice it was
she was coming to greet us. To our surprise (and pleasure) she was selling beer
right out of her boat. Naturally we accepted and she even talked us into buying
the boat’s pilot a beer as well.
Have you ever heard of Jim Thompson? We
certainly hadn’t but he was an American who revitalized the silk industry in
Thailand during the 1950s and 1960s. He was probably the most famous American
in Asia during that time but in 1967 he mysteriously disappeared in the jungle
of Malaysia and no trace of him has ever been found. He designed and built his
own house in Bangkok using traditional Thai styles as well as pieces from six
different dwellings. We visited this magnificent home which is now a museum.
Put up your hand if you’ve seen the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (Sorry, an
old teacher habit). It’s a mainly fictional story about a Japanese prisoner of
war camp in Burma (now called Myanmar) during World War Two. The Japanese
forced the prisoners to build a bridge over the river in order to transport
supplies between Burma and Siam (now called Thailand). The bridge was used for
two years before being blown up by the Allies. However, it was re-constructed
in the 1960s and is still in use today. We visited the area and took the train
over the bridge. By the way, the movie won 7 Academy Awards including Best
Picture.
A visit to see The Golden Buddha was
another of our Bangkok trips. This statue is 10 feet tall and weighs
approximately 5 tonnes. IT IS MADE OF SOLID GOLD! Using today’s gold prices,
the statue is worth 250 million dollars. It is believed that at one time the Buddha
was coated in stucco and painted to disguise its true value. Later, when Thais
were moving the Buddha, the statue fell and pieces of the stucco broke off,
revealing the golden interior. (Once I found $20 in a pair of shorts I hadn’t
worn for a year, so I know how the Thais must have felt)
Khao San Road is one of the more famous
areas of Bangkok. It is a street filled with bars, restaurants, live music,
sellers, buyers, food, drink and more. It is, depending on your taste, either
an assault on or a heavenly experience for your senses. This road was quite
close to our hotel so we visited there a couple of times to sample its
nightlife. Even though it was hot and humid, as well as being the low season,
the street was packed with revellers, mainly tourists like ourselves. An
amazing, if somewhat overwhelming, experience.
Until next time ……
