I set out under the idea of visiting as many Buddhist Temples as possible and exploring the street scene of Bangkok and Chiang Mai and reconnecting with my old friend Dave...and beyond that, I just wanted to see what developed.
Along the way, I may have picked up some insight into a few things about Thailand, or just travel in general. Ten days in a foreign country does not qualify me for expert status on that country's nature, but I am qualified to share what I have learned. Most of it....not that useful to you...but, like most preachers, that doesn't stop us from sharing it anyway.
BEST LOCAL MARKET: For us, it was the one off Silom Road. By day it was the workingman/woman's neighborhood buy-this-and-that, buy-your-lunch-in-a-plastic-bag type and take it to work market. By night, the sellers stalls turned into Thai Street Food Central.
BEST RESTAURANT OFF SILOM: Hands down: Madam Suzy's. How can you go wrong with a name like that? What did they serve that was so great? Ambiance! How do we know? Where else can you dine AND rub shoulders with Toyota Corollas at your elbows....and the Toyotas are moving not stationary.
AND FINALLY, WHAT IS THIS WITH CROSSING THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE? First time I have gone that route. Very strange to lose a day then recover it when the trip is over. Perhaps it is a metaphor for life: we lose, we gain. And in the end, it is worth it all.
Peace, Bob
WHERE TO GO AND BAFFLE THE DESK CLERK AT YOUR HOTEL: the local wholesale flower and vegetable outlet. This place down by the Chao Praya River was on the map so we went. No other tourists around. Look at the colors! The Ice Man Cometh and he has shoulders that able to haul hundreds of lbs at a time!
WHAT PHRASE DRAWS UNIVERSAL CONTEMPT FROM CABBIES FAR AND WIDE IN BANGKOK! "Meter Please!" (It would be easier to arrange dinner with the King)
TAKING YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS AWARD (or perhaps into the hands of God) Any time you use the Chao Praya water taxi you had best stay alert at dockside. A few weeks training with Urban Meyer would be advisable to get you in shape.
MOST IN NEED OF A FEW SHOTS OF GLADE: Surprisingly enough, in this city of 12 million it was the take-off-your-sandals-because-it-is-a-tradition-in-Thailand-to-take-off-ones-shoes, in the Jim Thompson Store and Tour. What Thai tradition does not take into account is that it is not tradition to have a few thousand visit your home each day and thus store their shoes in one room. The locker room in my Junior High (which was built in 1918) was more inviting. (The rest of the Jim Thompson House was great.)
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE IT??? Is the lager Chang? Or Chong? or Shang? No matter. It was always delivered to the table.
WHAT TO SAY WHEN THE SALES LADY SAYS "IT IS PURE SILVER": Just smile and say, "And my name is Barak Obama." and buy it anyway if you like it.
HOW MANY AMULETS DO THEY SELL AT THE AMULET MARKET? As many as there are stars in the heavens. And what is it with Saffron-Robed Buddhist Monks and jewelers eye pieces....inspecting amulets and jewelry store gems?
FAVORITE THING TO DO IN A BUDDHIST TEMPLE Try, just try and concentrate on one thing. You cannot: the visual senses are on overload.
STOCK TIP FOR FOREIGN INVESTING I'd liquidate your 401k and put it all in 7/11 stores in Thailand. There are more of them than there are temples! No kidding.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH 2 BAHT IN THE NUMEROUS MARKETS? Pay your way into a restroom.
WHAT DOES THE RESTROOM COST IN THE FABULOUS ORIENTAL HOTEL? Nothing...if you have silver hair and act like your room is on the 15th floor. (The doorman will even open the doors for you.)
BEST ADVICE BEFORE USING A TUK-TUK. Get religion. Costlier than a metered taxi but more fun than anything Disneyland has produced. Worth the trip.
IS THERE A BREAKFAST BUFFET COMPLETE WITH FLOOR SHOW? Well, yes there is. Mulligan's Bar which is the restaurant for the Buddy Group. Great breakfast buffet with an unintentional floor show as night turns into morning. The cast changes and it's a new day.
ARE THOSE REALLY SAUSAGES OR ARE THEY JUST HOT DOGS? I really think it is the latter and they use the former name to dress it all up.
BEST WAY TO SEE THAILAND: AIM LOW. I am not talking about low life or low expectations but you don't have to see ONLY the best and most beautiful temples and stupas and palaces. Street life and street food and market places and tuk-tuks are decidedly very non-western and thus great fun to just walk through. No one was bothered by us nor did anyone bother us. Show respect and you will be shown the same.
AND FINALLY, WHAT IS IT WITH THIS LOSE A DAY THEN GAIN A DAY WHEN CROSSING THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE? That was the first time I have traveled across the Pacific. I suppose it is a metaphor for life: lose something, gain something. And in the end, it is worth it all.
Peace, Bob
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