A summary of our Thailand experience

Posted by admin on December 4th, 2007 filed in Transportation, Culture & customs, Bangkok, Top attractions, People

Once we arrived in Bangkok the first impression of this huge city had a severe impact. The heat, the humidity, the variety of seemingly chaotic activities, the enormous skyscrapers, huge shopping complexes, and the odd smell of traffic mixed with the smell of street food. I was amazed by the many food stalls, preparing and serving meals at the strangest and most impossible places. However, the food which I saw looked pretty tasty but I couldn’t recognise any of the used ingredients. I decided it was better, especially on the first day of our trip, not to sample some of the dishes.

We went for a visit to the colourful Chinatown. The entire area is crammed with tiny businesses. It seemed liked a whole street consisted out of numerous little companies, all practicing the same craft. These shops looked a little bit like the garage boxes at home. In another street everybody was busy recycling old iron-made products and dismantling old cars, while saving the still useable parts. When I interestingly watched the scene, I noticed that nobody here seemed to care about labour conditions and safety measures. Chinatown represents many specialised shops such as outlets solely selling ladders and complete streets selling golden necklaces and rings.

After two hours we thought we had seen enough and decided to take a taxi to the Royal Palace. Taxis aren’t very expensive in Thailand. However, you should take a metered taxi and make sure the driver turns the meter on before the ride begins. A taxi ride to a local destination will usually not cost more than two or three euro. The taxi driver could hardly speak some English and due to this he dropped us off in front of the national museum. Fortunately we could spot the palace’s towers rising out above the trees. While we were walking into the direction of the palace we could feel a few drops of rain falling on our face but suddenly a heavy rain shower poured down on us. By the time we reached a shop for cover we were already soaked to the bone. Now I also experienced some of the country’s rainy season, which soon should have been over.

The palace is truly a building of outstanding beauty with plenty of gold and fascinating ornaments. However, for us westerners it might look rather bombastic. Like anywhere in Thailand, you’ll find in Bangkok an abundance of various Buddha statues. There is a strict dress code for entering the palace. The knees should be covered. We were all wearing shorts and the guard did not allow us to enter. Luckily there’s a free service, which provides suitable clothes for not correctly dressed, interested visitors.
We also had to take off our shoes for entering the famous Buddhist temple nearby the palace. We were informed not to point with the soles of our feet in the direction of the Buddha. The Thais experience such behaviour as very insulting. The Thai guide told us that the also nearby ancient Chedi contains a bone of the lord Buddha.

In the afternoon we headed by water taxi to another part of Bangkok. At this location we enjoyed strolling around a lively market where we could taste a selection of Thai fruits such as durian, dragon fruit, papaya and other varieties which I never had eaten before.

After this it was time for navigating a part of the network of klongs (moats). A long tail boat provided the transport and we had the option to observe some of the local’s daily life on the water. I reached for my camera endlessly! The boat was able to reach pretty high speeds, which made the whole event even a greater experience. For the first time we saw a totally different part of Bangkok and realised we’d arrived in a tropic country.

Along the klongs we could spot many exotic plants and flowers. Most of the houses along the waterside were made out of bamboo and it was strange to see the many TV satellites on the roofs. People living along the water fully used the klongs. We saw people bathing, washing clothes and doing the dishes in it. In between the houses we saw numerous Buddhist temples, explaining how important these religious buildings are for the mainly Buddhist Thai population. Often temples are being financed by the people and by the government as well.

Back in Bangkok we intentionally wanted to see the declining Buddha. However, the attraction is closed on Sundays so we headed to Wat Srakes. In English the temple is known as the Golden Mount. This stunning temple is positioned on the top of a mountain and can be reached by climbing an enormous stairway.

There’s so much more to tell about our great trip that I really don’t know where to start. About three weeks before my flight to Bangkok I discovered a very useful resource on the internet. This comprehensive reliable and up-to-date site contains numerous fabulous pictures of Bangkok as well. The professionally written Bangkok travel-related content on the site really helped me planning my trip.