JFK to Bangkok
After the 16 hour plane to Hong Kong, and then to Thailand, we finally arrived at the luxurious Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. Porters greeted us with smiles and bows, "Sah wah tee ka!" and handed us orchid and jasmine garlands. Exhausted from our journey, we ate some exotic Water-Apples, and hit the sack.
The next day, we traveled around the city and took in the sights. We hailed a tuktuk (named for the noisy motorcart) and watched the morning fruit and vegetable markets in action. In Chinatown, floral merchants made lei necklaces from lotus blossoms and marigolds. Then, we hired a tour guide to take us around the Grand Palace. Thailand has only recently become a unified country, since they were able to finally to defeat the Burmese in the 1850s. I was surprised by the palace's detail and grandeur, having been erected within the last 100 years. There were at least 10 multi-tiered pagodas, coated with gold and mosaiced with colored glass. In the center of the palace stood the most important temple. We removed our shoes and took a seat on the crowded marble floor and looked up at a small golden buddha that sat on a 20 foot platform. Our guide told us that the king (Rama IX) will change his outfit for each season. For the rainy season, he wears a gold and diamond shawl, draped over one shoulder. In the winter, he has a $10 million gold, ruby, and diamond shawl that covered both shoulders; in summer, he wears decorative armor with many gems. I can understand how people worship these temples: the beauty is heavenly.
We started walking to another tourist sight, the Reclining Buddha statue, when a strange man stopped us: "You go to reclining buddha? It close at four o clock. I show you where to go. You have map?" He pointed out a bunch of different temples and places of interest, some weren't even on the map. He hailed us a tuktuk and told the driver that we were his friends; the driver charged us at least a quarter of what we were paying before. We followed the kind man's gudance: we saw the Sitting Buddha statue, the Thai museum, and the Golden Mount (the highest and most holy site in Bangkok). Exhausted from our day, we managed to hail a cab back to the hotel, rest, wash up for dinner, and eat some of the best food I have ever tasted. We ordered fried soft shell crab, tom yom soup with prawns and mushrooms, chili duck with sesame seeds, glazed sea bass with asparagus. Everything was so fresh and tasty with subtle, but complex flavors and spices.
Bound to Katmandu, Nepal!
The next day, we traveled around the city and took in the sights. We hailed a tuktuk (named for the noisy motorcart) and watched the morning fruit and vegetable markets in action. In Chinatown, floral merchants made lei necklaces from lotus blossoms and marigolds. Then, we hired a tour guide to take us around the Grand Palace. Thailand has only recently become a unified country, since they were able to finally to defeat the Burmese in the 1850s. I was surprised by the palace's detail and grandeur, having been erected within the last 100 years. There were at least 10 multi-tiered pagodas, coated with gold and mosaiced with colored glass. In the center of the palace stood the most important temple. We removed our shoes and took a seat on the crowded marble floor and looked up at a small golden buddha that sat on a 20 foot platform. Our guide told us that the king (Rama IX) will change his outfit for each season. For the rainy season, he wears a gold and diamond shawl, draped over one shoulder. In the winter, he has a $10 million gold, ruby, and diamond shawl that covered both shoulders; in summer, he wears decorative armor with many gems. I can understand how people worship these temples: the beauty is heavenly.
We started walking to another tourist sight, the Reclining Buddha statue, when a strange man stopped us: "You go to reclining buddha? It close at four o clock. I show you where to go. You have map?" He pointed out a bunch of different temples and places of interest, some weren't even on the map. He hailed us a tuktuk and told the driver that we were his friends; the driver charged us at least a quarter of what we were paying before. We followed the kind man's gudance: we saw the Sitting Buddha statue, the Thai museum, and the Golden Mount (the highest and most holy site in Bangkok). Exhausted from our day, we managed to hail a cab back to the hotel, rest, wash up for dinner, and eat some of the best food I have ever tasted. We ordered fried soft shell crab, tom yom soup with prawns and mushrooms, chili duck with sesame seeds, glazed sea bass with asparagus. Everything was so fresh and tasty with subtle, but complex flavors and spices.
Bound to Katmandu, Nepal!
posted by Jfefferman @ 6:12 AM
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