13th Nov – Bangkok, Thailand.
Today was a huge day. I did a tour with internet people. And what a brilliant day it was. We met at 7am for our (maybe) two-hour ride into Bangkok. Andy stayed to mind the ship. The drive was up the freeway but there was heaps to see.
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings right in the middle of Bangkok and was the official residence of the kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held here every year. It’s one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. Construction started in 1782 when the capital city moved from Thonburi to Bangkok. Each successive king adds many new buildings. A bit of a pissing contest really.
You walked in through the entrance and BAM…there they were ….so many grand temples – everywhere. So close to each other and so many of them. So brightly coloured and the buildings are so different. And quiet amazing.
The centrepiece is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. ‘Wat Phra Kaew’, regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand.
The place had thousands of tourists all crowding in the beating sun with much pushing. So hot. There were so many more pavilions and buildings. All with different textures, styles, colours, materials and purposes. The main theme was gold gilding. It was such a sensory overload. Amazing but overloading.
A Long Tail Boat ride up the Chaophraya River, Bangkok was fantastic. As we got in we could see a huge storm coming. It did come and yes we got very wet. Soaked. But lovely.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to real estate along the river. A huge mix or houses – some fancy, some falling apart. Then a rubbish tip between a few. And in different states of repair – check out the piers.
We saw the floating shops, where they come up to you to sell things, as there are no roads. And there are’ road signs’. For us it was tourist gear and drinks. One lady sold beers, so we all had one. When we asked the driver if he wanted a drink, he grabbed a beer too. And drove us alone drinking his beer.
They are called Long Tailed Boats as the propeller is on the end of a pole about 4 metres long. The driver sits up the back and steers with the end of the propeller pole.
We went through a series of locks.
Through some markets.
Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
On the way back the infamous Bangkok traffic caught us. Our two hour trip up was a four and a half hour trip back. Lucky we gave ourselves a huge margin before the ship left.
Bangkok was great. Crazy but great.
Next Tab – Shinoukville, Cambodia