Finally , I too see Thailand ( June 2019)
Sawasdee. (pronounced sah wah dee kha)
Welcome.
A word we heard wherever we went-
Finally I too saw Bangkok — -probably the only person not to have seen it till now 😊
Good impressions started from the airport itself — — sleek, clean lines, modern and spacious — not to say huge and bustling — but without giving the impression of business and crowds seen in JFK/ O’Hare. However, as soon as we stepped out — the heat and mugginess hit — reminded me of Calcutta- till we sat in our vehicle, once again encapsulated in cool AC-ed environs
Bangkok, the city gave me a sense of Déjà vu — it had such a similarity to Delhi.
The same trees/ plants ( gulmohar, amaltas, neem, peepal, acacia, champa, palms, mango, banana, ferns and money plant varieties seen in Delhi) only they were cleaner ( no dust) greener, larger healthier blooms. The buildings seen enroute were right till the edge of the highway- multi-storeyed each with its respective distinctive top- a colourful dome, or a peaked triangle, a crescent moon, or a ship like aft structure on top. (a friend mentioned there is so much construction in Bangkok that the city is sinking — fact or fiction need to check it out)
The city streets typically had shops on the ground floor with residences on top- the run down buildings interspersed with those with smart exteriors
with a lot of glass, next to another with black rain streaks running down it. Shops were all jumbled together — a smart boutique may be next to a run down sewing machine shop, follwed by a local dilapidated eating joint, a massage parlour, a jeweller and so on.
The roads and pavements were clean- with no litter — dotting the edges nor street corners. However, the ugly site of overhead electric wires was much in evidence. All along the road, like in Delhi, were the overhead thick electric wires running throughout , looped around poles and themselves
ugly overhead wires
undaunted by the trees that came in their path. The difference being the leaves and branches around the wire were cleared but the remaining tree was as overgrown and unruly as it is in Delhi. Huge electric Transformers were everywhere-in the middle of the pavement- but they were beautified with thick canopy of trees painted/ wallpaper coverings- so they were not too much of an eyesore.
Drove through their Chandni Chowk clone (wholesalers market in Delhi) for a quick overview of the city. The flower market was beautiful- huge bundles of colourful flowers- roses, marigold, champa, chameli as well as
banana leaves — fashioned into, delicate bracelets and headgear and other arrangements. The electronics market saw these outdoors repair shops on carts and tables set up on the sidewalk- each doing brisk business, the gold street showcased thick bundles of gold chains strung together, one after the other , seen through the glass facades ……would love to simply meander through these streets on foot — — -maybe another day.
The entire city had this festive look- with the streets festooned with colourful banners and rosettes along the walls and these huge portraits ( or smaller) , in gilded frames of the newly coronated king ( the 10th king of Thailand) adorned with huge flowery arrangements outside building at street corners — -in fact everywhere. The king is revered as an avatar of God Vishnu ( is addressed as Rama) — the same friend (referred to earlier), mentioned the last time he was there, the entire city was in mourning for the king who had passed away and the same colourful banners were at that time totally black with citizens wearing black as well.
Saw the Wat Pho — the temple of the reclining Buddha. A huge complex filled with multiple buildings-each with elaborate roofs with curved claw like structures pointing in the air around the edges of the sloping roofs ( depicting wings of the Garuda bird- Vahaan of Vishnu) — the roof a deep vermillion- to show the colour of the bird. Each entrance to the building had an elaborate and intricately carved head at the top — in gold and red colour. The various buildings housed the standing buddha , another a huge meditation hall with the tall statue of Buddha sitting in mediation surrounded by his disciples in the four corners, of course the other had this huge huge reclining Buddha — this head supported on his elbow was nearly as high as A 68 the whole house is. Yet another had a row of Buddhas sitting in their various poses- meditating, blessing, teaching, etc ( much like what we saw in Shravanbelagola with the row of Mahavirji statues). All statues covered in gold leaf.
bonsai
The areas around the main buildings had beautiful bonsai like trees in huge urns as well as some old ancient gnarled trees with terracotta and stone statues of animals frolicking underneath. Also there were these stupa like structures ( 15–20 ft tall) — with intricate detailing of flowers and geometric shapes in ceramic tile and gold leaf and mirror ( or some other reflecting material) — these held the ashes of previous Ramas ( kings) the colour of the stupa ( blue , green , mauve, etc) denoted the colour of the king ( given to him at time of his being made the king)
Interestingly there are head statue of the 8 headed Naga snake — representing Shiva at the corners of the main temple with the meditation hall.
The people are Buddhists , believing in Vishnu — and his avataar Rama ( as they call their king) who they see as their God. A humble and deeply religious race- greeting with folded hands, smiling faces and a slightly bent posture with a swadika on their lips. ( even shop keepers who see us walking away from their shops!!)
Another thing we saw all over the city were these small squarish carved shrines on pillars ( about 4–6 ft high) each was with fresh offerings of incense and flowers.
Apparently these are the spirit Gods — a patron or a grandparent, a guardian etc who protects the place and its surroundings. These were seen either at entrances or near trees or at peripheries of the properties.
Stayed at a resort at Hua Hin (3- 3.5 hrs drive from Bangkok) beautiful resort — as resorts go- enjoyed the spa, the swims, the breakfasts — too hot during the day to do anything really — went out in the evenings . visited the night market at two different places. Similar with one being slightly more upmarket and elaborate than the other.
Imagine the janpath street — with multiple rows running in a rectangular area. Shops had cotton t- shirts, dresses ( indigo being the latest trend) straw bags , hats, sandals and local chappals- ( purchased a nice flat foot ware made from a cork like substance- quite comfortable to wear) , crockery, paintings and sketches being done there and then, woodwork, jewellery, etc.
The food street was interesting — each place displayed their sea food ( raw on these huge ice covered booths) with a barbeque right next where they cooked. Rock prawns, regular red prawns, squids, red snapper, some other kind of fishes … with shop keepers trying to entice you to choose their place to eat.
Another shop had beef, fish balls, squid, bacon wrapped mushrooms, pork , okra etc on skewers which they bbQ’d and gave, some sold sticky rice with coconut cream and mango slices ( nice sweet and tart taste), others sold rice or noodles with chicken, beef, pork stir fried options or curries (called it soup) , the dessert sections with coconut varieties, pancakes, ice cream, etc- also had a pizza place ( and of course dad had to have that )
What I enjoyed eating most was the soup with a broth of chicken or pork, in which they put glass noodles/ egg noodles/ sprouts, some greens , with a whole lot of optional toppings — -served at breakfast time mostly — had it on all days we were there — -will definitely try to recreate some version of it at home and see if we can adopt it :0
short trip- just impressions- maybe another one in the future….menawhile
Khap khun kha. Thankyou.
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