Bangkok and beyond

Considering that not every day of my life is incredibly different from the last - nor are many of my weeks - I have decided to write a "filler" blog. In actuality, this should be of some interest as I intend to go back in time and write about my arrival in Bangkok. With all of the hoopla surrounding my arrival - well, if not hoopla, general laziness - I did not write about my first few days here before.

I arrived at 1am making it very fortunate that I have a friend currently living in Bangkok. I think that after 25 hours of being on planes (three to be precise) and in airports (I've been to Taiwan! - for three hours! - in the airport...) I would have been lost. My friend met me inside, helped with my luggage (oh so nice) and hailed a cab. I didn't have to do anything. Can you tell what a relief that was?
I worried before flying to this side of the world that 1) my flight would be way too long and 2) I would have major jet lag. These proved false. Modern convenience ensures that each person on a China Airlines flight gets their own personal screen - so three movies and several naps later I arrived - not too difficult. As for the second, for some reason I woke up at 7 am the morning after my arrival and felt ready for the day. Actually, I should credit my 4:15 am start time at Starbucks for keeping my body on it's toes.

The first thing I noticed about Bangkok was that it seemed everyone was up. At nearly 2am there were food stalls still hopping with business. There were still quite a few cars and motorbikes on the rode and people were still talking and joking around. I found that amazing. I wonder when the city sleeps.

My first day in Bangkok was relatively low-key. We went to Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is the the big Thai market. I actually was quite amazed at the labyrinth - stalls stacked close together, awnings overhead making it quite enclosed, very narrow walkways. I was glad we had gone in the morning, because as the day wore on it became much more suffocating. After wandering around we had lunch and took off. Being that it was the weekend, the sidewalks were packed with vendors around the market, and I found it difficult to both walk (without tripping!) and see everything.

The next day proved far more interesting. We widened our circle of exploration and took in the popular tourist area (Ko Ratanakosin) that houses Wat Phra Kaew, the Grand Palace, and Wat Pho. Wat (temple) Phra Kaew houses the Emerald Buddha, which I overlooked the first time I went inside. This buddha is quite popular and from the guidebooks I thought it would be easy to spot. After much contemplation and a determination that I had not in fact seen the Emerald Buddha my first trip inside the wat I went back. This time I spotted it. Seated at the top of a very elaborate altar I was reminded of the beauty of simplicity. For all the attention paid to where the buddha rests, it is swallowed up and it's significance is greatly diminished.

Next I saw Wat Pho and was again surprised that I didn't see the main attraction right away. Wat Pho houses the reclining Buddha, which is 151 feet long and 49 feet high. This time I didn't see it because it was too big and is tightly enclosed on all sides. I'm sure in both these instances it would have helped if I knew what exactly I was looking for. At any rate, once I saw the buddha it was impressive for it's size.

Before coming here I wondered how I would feel walking into these temples that represent a belief I do not believe in. I actually thought I would feel uncomfortable. Instead, I felt only as if I were looking at art. These wats are so touristy that it is very difficult not to see them as anything else.

We finished off the day by taking a boat down Mae Nom Chao river. I enjoyed getting to see the city from a little distance instead of feeling penned in by people, buildings, stalls, and heat. We also looked in a couple of the fancy hotels and even were asked to leave one. Apparently we didn't look fancy enough to belong there! It was a first for me and I thought it was rather snooty.

My last day in Bangkok I spent literally wandering everywhere and purposely getting lost. I thoroughly enjoyed it - but I was exhausted at the end of the day.

So here are some of my impressions: there are dogs that look half dead lying everywhere because of the heat, people drink their beverages out of a straw in small plastic bags, when at a restaurant the server "hovers" waiting for the order (this makes me feel rushed, but I am getting used to it), there are a large number of motorbikes and it is amazing the number of things/people that fit on them (and it's odd seeing little kids on them - someone at the school here saw a baby being breast fed as the mother drove down the road!), lastly I felt like I did not want to take a deep breath.

In retrospect I like Bangkok. I think it is an interesting city because it is changing so quickly. There are still ghost buildings from the asian crash in the late nineties, buildings of historical importance, buildings of those that are poor, and through it all the Skytrain which, from what I have read, is like a symbol of the city moving forward and trying to realize the dreams that were almost lost 10 years ago. Personally I am looking forward to going back and eating more street food!