Bangkok Sights and Massages

A little sightseeing followed by a massage: That’s the prescription for our first few days in Bangkok after the turmoil in Egypt. What a pleasant change of pace – not to mention wearing shorts and sandals in February! Bangkok is like no place I’ve been before – exotic, beautiful, and more than a little chaotic.

We’re in a lovely hotel, Shangri-la, overlooking the Chao Phraya River. Maggie booked it for us with her knowledge of the area. The entrance was graced with two large, red elephants; a big improvement over the tanks. I couldn’t help but emit a little yelp of joy when we walked into the spacious room and saw the view. That was quickly followed by breakfast outside in the warmth which was quickly followed by a luxurious shower. We hadn’t slept much in the last two nights and the shower refreshed and gave us the energy to continue the day.

As it happened, we arrived on the first day of the three day Chinese New Year celebration. So we headed by boat to Chinatown to stay awake and recover from jet lag. Chinatown is a helter-skelter area of Bangkok. Narrow alleys cut between the car-packed, exhaust-filled streets and every inch is lined with vendors. I have no idea what they were selling – most things were unrecognizable to our eyes. We identified dozens of types of dried fish, bags of puffed fried things, pickled cabbage, nuts, fruits (many types that we didn’t recognize), mushrooms, and so much more. I tried a couple of items that looked reasonably safe – some meatball thing on a stick, a chicken skewer, and a sweet, sticky rice thingy cooked inside a piece of bamboo. But the odors are what I’ll remember – pungent and sweet smells of hot oil, peppers and unknown spices, sugar from sweets cooking on hot stoves, and incense mixed with exhaust made for a most unusual aroma. Many of the shops had family shrines set up for the New Year celebration. All the shrines had similar ingredients – several types of food like Peking duck and fruit, yellow marigolds strung together, incense burning in front, and folded gold paper things like wreaths. We started to pick one up of the wreaths and they came running with, “No, no, no!” Oops. So sorry. We learned later that this was an offering to their ancestors. After burning the incense, the family would be allowed to eat the food as a feast.

On our way back, we walked past a small massage shop advertising Thai foot massage. The price was about $12 – yes, $12. We both relaxed while cute Thai girls massaged, rubbed and poked our feet. It was heaven! And that’s how the pattern started…..take in some sights and have a massage.

The next day was Chinese New Year – the Year of the Rabbit which represents inspiration and family. The hotel hosted a traditional Chinese ceremony and dance. We had front row seats … behind the government dignitaries, of course. Tiny men in elaborate costumes portrayed the lion awakening and searching for cabbage (I never knew lions liked cabbage). The dignitaries performed the “awakening” by painting the lion’s eye lids and tying pink bows on their heads. Everyone was entranced by the spectacle of color and noise – beating drums and clanging cymbals. Noise is important for driving away evil spirits. After the dancing, long strings of fireworks in the trees were set off adding even more noise. There were no evil spirits for blocks!



We took a boat to the Grand Palace the next day and were sucked into a scam about the palace being closed in order to get us into a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is like a motorized rickshaw that wheels through the heavy traffic jostling between cars and buses. It cost us a grand total of $2 for three hours of touring. It may have been a scam, but it worked out fine. First stop was the Golden Mount. This was the highest point in the city but now skyscrapers are everywhere offering better views. The Golden Mount contains a Buddha image – the first of many we would see. After climbing the stairs we gonged the gong and rang the bells before entering the chamber with the image of the Buddha. Local people were everywhere. Paying respect to the Buddha is part of the New Year’s celebration. At the Golden Mount, monks in orange were saying prayers (we think) over small groups of people and then sprinkling them with a small broom dipped in water. Others were carefully holding a small piece of white paper that contained and even smaller (1 cm square) of gold foil. People would kneel in front of the Buddha and carefully place the gold square on the statute. Consequently, the statue was covered with tiny scraps of paper. It looked like the Buddha was made of paper mache. Others were burning sticks of incense, hanging small bells, or stringing banners of paper money like pendants. All were different types of offerings to the Buddha and we would see more in coming days. After stops at more temples, we were back on the boat headed home – sticky with sweat and weary. Mike headed for the sauna at the hotel and I headed back to the massage shop for a full body massage (an extravagant $35).

We finally made it to the Grand Palace the next morning, hired a guide and prepared to enter the palace grounds. But first, we had to be appropriately attired, which we weren't. We were in shorts which is not acceptable. Fortunately, the guides are prepared with skirts and pants. Perfect - well, accept they weren't the most stylish. The ensemble effect was rather unfortunate. There was nothing to do but laugh, put them on, and pose for photos. We entered the grounds to an explosion of color and glitter. The temple was covered in bits of blue, red and gold tiles that gleamed and sparkled in the sun. Roof lines ended with a graceful bird head while a serpent – the protector of the Thai King – wound down the eaves. We saw the emerald Buddha (it’s actually jade) which was wearing his winter outfit (he has an outfit for each season – winter, summer and rainy), a cloak of woven gold. Dazzling. We saw the palace which is a shocking contradiction. The building was constructed by King Rama V who traveled in Europe and brought back European architecture. The first two floors are an understated English design but on top was a multi-colored Thai roof with its swooping, extravagant lines. A pavilion was in front where the King was carried after his coronation. Next to it was a place to tie up the elephants - an elephant hitching post.

Our next stop was Wat Po “Wat” means “temple,” and there are “wats” everywhere. Wat Po is famous for the enormous reclining Buddha. Long and gold, he looks peaceful lying with his head on two ornate cushions. We snapped some shots, walked around the complex filled with giant statues sporting a variety of postures and expressions. Tiring from the heat, we caught the boat back to our hotel and yet another massage. This one was a foot and back massage. It was a perfect way to end a day of walking in the heat, humidity and smog.

There were tailor shops all around the hotel. Custom-made suits and dresses are a specialty and they were embarrassingly cheap. Mike decided to take advantage of the opportunity and have a coat and trousers made. They gave him a custom-made shirt for the same price. They took measurements and asked for a deposit but we were short some of the cash and had to run over to the hotel. By the time we got back – 15 minutes – they already had cut out the suit coat and did his first fitting. That was with no deposit and within minutes of the order. Crazy.

One thing that is remarkably common in Thailand, Egypt and Turkey is the recognition that goes to Barak Obama. Taxi drivers, tour guides, tuk-tuk drivers and hotel staff ask where we’re from. We tell them that we live in the US near Washington, D.C. “Oh,” they say, “Barak Obama!” “He a good president.” One taxi driver in Bangkok said, “His skin the same color as mine!” The level of recognition and respect that he commands in this part of the world is really extraordinary.

While this is a common sentiment, we’ve been struck by the contradictions between Bangkok and Cairo. In Cairo, the appearance of the people, their dark hair and eyes and wielding clubs, presented an uncomfortable impression and yet they were polite and kind. The Thai people – delicate, diminutive, and graceful - give an impression of graciousness, but put them behind the wheel of any motorized contraption and watch out! I’m not sure whether I felt more threatened by driving by a tank in Giza or crossing the street in Bangkok. Both held equally deadly weapons. Cars and motorcycles zip past with only occasional acknowledgment of a pedestrian. To cross the street, we congregated with others on the curb – preferably locals – and dashed when they dashed. It doesn’t help that the traffic drives on the left side so we had to remember which way to look first.

The other contradiction is the image of Thailand as green, peaceful and temple-filled. And it is. However, Bangkok is a hectic city with all the difficulties that accompany large urban areas. Masses of electrical cables are strung along crowded streets and sidewalks are filled with cart after cart of vendors selling any kind of food you can imagine and many you can’t imagine. The streets are packed with traffic – bumper to bumper –and with the air pollution that accompanies it. At major intersections, dozens of motorcycles crowd the front of the queue while their tail pipes spout concentrated smoke. As I ran along these streets to reach the relative peace of a large park, I quickly learned to stand back and inhale as little as possible. The park was a welcome oasis in this huge city. I enjoyed practicing chi gong in the park knowing that no one would wonder what I was doing.

There have also been so many small, pleasant things about the Thais. For example, they have a delightful custom of folding their hands and bowing slightly to say just about anything – welcome, thank you, or whatever. It is charming. And it can be amusing, too. The tiny, young woman who cleans our room nearly dropped an armload of linens in order to fold hands and bow. Mike asked to take her picture and you’d thought she and her co-worked had won the lotto. They were thrilled and said that no one had ever asked for their picture before. It was so cute.

While I could do without the air pollution and the noise of the street, I love our introduction to Bangkok and its sparkling color, graceful beauty and Buddhas, and, of course, the massages.