Thailand
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As beautiful as Singapore is, there’s not
much to do but shop. We could have spent another day there but
only to witness the Chingay parade. The city was ready to
explode with the celebration. Singapore’s airport is second to
none. There’s even 15 minutes free internet available. We flew
Royal Thai Airlines. The staff was very helpful and the plane
empty. It stunk however like the food served. I got used to
the smell but it was shocking to begin with.
Bangkok was ablaze when we arrived. There could be a thousand
high rise structures. I can only imagine what it looked like
when the Vietnam War was going on and all the soldiers were
here for R&R. There are 10 million people living in the city
now. Unfortunately, one of the hospitality industries created
to serve all those soldiers was left behind and flourished.
Everywhere you walk there seems to be evidence of that trade.
Our
hotel, Jasmine Executive Suites, is located right off Sukhumvit Road near the Asoke station of the BTS (skyway). It
is very convenient. The monorail system works efficiently and
fast but does little for the roadway beneath it. As a matter
of fact, it is very unappealing below the sky train. We walked
along the street to find dinner. McD’s was the first place we
came to and settled on it. There are McD’s everywhere in Asia.
Singapore was full of them too. The prices are very cheap
compared with USA. Burgers and fries are still the equivalent
of 50 cents.
Along the sidewalk, we were greeted by two different, huge
rats (DW saw more). They set the tone for our first day in Bangkok
experience. Here we are walking out of a 5 star property
frightened by a rat! The city didn’t look good up close in the
dark. I was worried what we’d find by light. Our hotel room is
quite large with a kitchenette, work station desk, and has
broadband (for a charge). The rooftop pool is surrounded by
vegetation and has a nice view of the city. Hotels don’t seem
to have the grand European style lobby but a very minimalist
public area. The Lobby is on an upper floor with the bell
people down at the street. That is mostly because lower floors
are all shopping or parking.
The first two weeks in Thailand have been some of most
challenging in the 6 months of traveling. Our time didn't
start out well the first night. What was aptly labeled the
"rat walk" the first day here has not lived up to the reputation. No more rats
have been seen. The hotel in Bangkok has been pure luxury.
The word for the day is “rats”. As TD
explained they have clouded our experience. AD and I walked
home alone tonight and I was scared out of my wits and never
even saw one. Just the need to look along the darkened streets
and alleyways for rats is really frightening. Oh well, on to
the day.
We
began with a trip to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. It was very
easy to get to via the monorail system and proved to be an
amazing array of vendors selling all sorts of things. There
are 15,000 stalls crammed together with two person wide
walkways filled with tourists, locals and their backpacks and
bags. A claustrophobics nightmare and a bargain hunters dream.
TD and I love it, however AD soon tired of all the people, the
heat and the junk. So after a couple hours we headed for the
hotel, stopping at Mc D’s for lunch. We went immediately down
to the pool which has cold water and took a swim to cool off.
The temperatures are not as hot as Bali but 90 - 100 degrees F
is still hot.
After
our rest break we headed back on the monorail to see some
sights. Our first stop was a temple that ended up being
closed, so the guard hailed us a taxi and sent us to the house
of Jim Thompson. We soon found out about the horrific traffic
here as we sat in stopped traffic for what seemed like hours
but at least we were not hoofing it in the heat. Jim Thompson
was an American who single handedly created a market in the
world for Thai silk products. He had served in Asia during
WWII and loved it. He settled in Thailand for the rest of his
life. Unfortunately during a trip to the Cameron Highlands of
Malaysia, he disappeared.
In
the late 1950’s he collected a number of traditional Thai
homes and had them assembled and connected together in a quiet
Bangkok neighborhood. The home was given to a foundation to
take care of after his disappearance. They are furnished with
Thai furnishings and art. The gardens are a quiet oasis in the
middle of a jungle of high rise buildings now. In 40 years the
city completely changed.
We walked down the road following the BTS and visited a number
of the shopping malls. The stores and street were full of
people. We found an Outback Steak House in the Siam Discovery
Center and had dinner.
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AD Journal |
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