The stupa, wrapped in a sacred red cloth.

From the nearest canal boat pier to me, you can get to Pratunam in the city centre and there you can pick up another boat to Saphan Panfah which is near Khao San Road. A short walk from that pier is a lovely temple called Wat Saket. This one is even worth visiting when you get ‘templed out’, something which can happen very quickly with me. It is also known as the Temple of the Golden Mount and, at one time, was Bangkok’s best viewpoint. I think it is still one of the best. The mount is man-made and was started between 1840 and 1842, under the reign of King Rama III. It was abandoned when the structure started to give way and was eventually completed by King Rama IV (I don’t know the exact completion date as all of the history books I have seen omit this salient fact) who put a stupa and an enclosed gallery around it at the top. However, they weren’t finished until the next reign, that of King Rama V and, again, no exact dates seem to be available.

The outer edge of the fair.

A stupa, or chedi as it is called in Thailand, is essentially a ‘mound like structure containing Buddhist relics’. They date back to the time of the Buddha whose ashes were divided and buried under eight stupas with two further stupas encasing the urn and the embers. Each country in this region seems to have developed its own style of stupa but the golden mount does not have the usual design for Thailand. The Buddha relic in this stupa was given to the king of Thailand by the British.

Climbing the mount.

The hill, or mount, represents the replica on earth of Mount Meru which is a sacred mountain in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythology and is believed to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.   Mount Meru is believed to be eighty thousand vojanas tall. The exact measure of the yojana is uncertain. Some accounts put it at about twenty four thousand feet, or approximately four and a half miles, but other accounts put it at about seven to nine miles. It also descends beneath the surface of the surrounding waters to a depth of eighty thousand vojanas, where it is thought to be founded upon the basal layer of Earth. Meru (which is sometimes called Sumeru just to confuse us) is often used as a simile for both size and stability in Buddhist texts. Mount Meru is said to be shaped like an hourglass, with a top and base of eighty thousand vojanas square, but narrowing in the middle (presumably at a height of forty thousand vojanas) to twenty thousand vojanas square. It is believed to be the polar center of a mandala-like complex of seas and mountains. The square base of Mount Meru is surrounded by a square moat-like ocean, which is in turn surrounded by a ring (or rather square) wall of mountains, which is in turn surrounded by a sea, each diminishing in width and height from the one closer to Meru. There are seven seas and seven surrounding mountain-walls, until one comes to the vast outer sea which forms most of the surface of the world, in which the known continents are merely small islands. The known world, which is located on the continent of Jambudvipa, is directly south of Meru. And the miracle is that I can tell you all that without ever having read a Terry Pratchet book.

Old fashioned chicken stall.

Anyway, the top of the mount really is a good viewpoint and you only have to climb three hundred and eighteen steps to get up there. For me with my long legs, it was even less: just one hundred and fifty nine as I took the small steps two at a time.  As recently as the 1960’s, it was one of Bangkok’s highest points. Inevitably, I suppose, the city is now full of skyscrapers and, as I write this, yet another ‘tallest building’ has been given the go ahead – something my non-technical mind finds quite scary in this sinking city.

One view from the top.

The temple itself is the location for an important annual fair in November, finishing on Loy Kratong Day. I think it is a lovely place but that hasn’t always been the case. For instance, in 1897, a guy called Sommerville in his book ‘Siam on the Meinam from Gulf to Ayuthia’ described it as “one of the most offensive and horrible sights of Bangkok”. Apparently it was then used as a cremation ground for the poor and the destitute and Somerville was referring to the ashes of the human remains floating around, dogs chewing the bones, vultures in the trees and the corpses of prisoners that had been dumped there. Of this, he wrote: “One of the custodians quickly raised the body of the prisoner up in the box and with a sharp knife cut a number of strips of flesh from the arms and thighs and callously threw piece after piece to the more greedy birds, who eagerly crowded around”.

Reclining Buddha at the top, guess he was knackered after the climb up!

About a quarter of a century earlier though, another guy (Frank Vincent in ‘The Land of the White Elephant’) said of the view from here: “The general appearance of Bangkok is that of a large, primitive village, situated in and mostly concealed by a virgin forest of almost impenetrable density”.  It must have been a lovely sight and is still definitely worth seeing.

All the fun of the fair!

The November temple fair is the biggest temple fair I have been to and all of the surrounding streets are taken over by it. It lasts for eight days and includes a daily candle lit procession up the mount. On the first day, a sacred red cloth is paraded round the base of the mount and then wrapped around the stupa. Rides, side-shows, market stalls, food stalls and more abound. I love these Thai fairs as they remind me of travelling funfairs back home when I was a boy but I’m pleased that I now seem to be old enough to resist going in to the freak show.

Making a sweet pastry that looks like a rolled up net, traditionally from the southern part of Thailand,

Anywhere in the world, food is usually an important part of a festival or a day out and Thailand is certainly no exception to that. The range of food stalls here is mind-blowing including many old fashioned ones which you won’t normally see any more. If you only ever go to one temple fair in Thailand, you should try and make this the one.

Discussing herbs at the outdoor massage stall.

Our second day started with an early shopping in Pratunam Market. It was where my friends went insane over the very cheap prices of all kinds of clothes! We were planning to go shopping on the third day but, no, early morning shopping at Pratunam is so much fun that if the stalls do not close by 8am, we might have gone on  shopping the whole day. If you go to this district, you have to be firm when negotiating the price. I am not the type of person who negotiates prices. I usually pay the market price without asking for the lowest rate they can give me.  I feel like I am taking advantage of the vendors when I do this. I think the vendors can see right through me and she would know that I would pay the market price, no matter what. So instead of resorting to the battle of wills, I just usually pay without haggling. Of course this is not practical. But what can I do? I can’t haggle, I may be a heckler, but I am not a haggler. Yes, I can negotiate with politicians and some other high profile people, but with vendors? No, I really can’t.

Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo

Anyway, after bargain shopping, we went back to the hotel because Prema will pick us up at noon for a trip to Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. The ride to the zoo took us about 45 minutes. But we did not mind the ride, Prema was very nice and she gave us some tips on how to go about the city on our own—how to talk to abusive taxi drivers, how to haggle for tuk tuk rides, where to go at night et cetera.

We stopped by a gas station before going straight to the zoo. We bought some water and some lunch as we did not have the chance to grab something to eat at the hotel. At the convenience store, everything was much, much cheaper than here in the Philippines. Their Doublemint candy costs only around 7pesos, Clorets costs around 15pesos only and so on. We were so excited with the prices that one of my friends wanted to hoard the candies and bring them home as pasalubong. Haha!

When we get to the zoo, it was a clear day. It was very sunny but the zoo is covered with a lot of trees so it is also shady there. We first went to the tigers to get our pictures taken for a 100THB. The tigers were growling and we were screaming in fright. Talk about chaos! Finally, after several clicks, the camera man was able to get a decent shot.

Nakamura: Crowd Favorite

We then went to the 30-minute elephant show. The elephants served as the actors in the show on the history of Thailand. They also had a recap of the recently held World Cup. There was this elephant who was a crowd favourite. He seemed like he was just enjoying what he was doing. He was also such a braggart. When he sees that the crowd is pleased with him, he swings his trunks while smiling as it to say, “Oh yeah, thanks for the applause! More!” But he was cute.

I actually marvel at the patience and the efforts that the trainers have put into the show. Training any animal is not as easy as it looks. An elephant may be a friendlier animal than others but a lot of patience is still needed to be able to come up with such kind of amusement, which is both fun and educating.

After the elephant show, we went to the crocodile show. I am not a fan of reptiles so I chose not to see the show. I just stayed on the sidelines and ate my seaweed snacks (which also costs about 75% less than it costs here). After the show, we took our pictures with elephants. This was the most exciting part because we get to be hugged by an elephant. He was so big, he was also warm and ticklish. And he smells. Haha!

There was not much to see in the zoo, just the elephants and the crocodiles. Going in the zoo is a one-time experience too, just like the dinner cruise. I figured the show will be boring after seeing it the first time. But if you are into such stuffs, you might still enjoy it the second time around.

Uy! Si Crush!

After the zoo, we went back to the hotel. The traffic was so heavy that we just got back in time for the pick up for the Calypso Cabaret Show. I think this was the most fun part of our trip. I really enjoyed watching the kathoeys prance around the stage and give fabulous production numbers. There was love story, there was comedy, there was mystery, etc! It was an all-in-one entertainment show. Plus, the ladyboys were so beautiful. If we did not know that they were biologically males, we might have gone insanely jealous of their beauty and hotness. Hehe. We took pictures of them after the show. They were as beautiful up close. I had a crush on one of them. I stand at 5’6” and she is still taller than me. I reckoned she stands at 6-feet at the least. And she was very beautiful! After taking pics with them, we took off to our nightmares—the Patpong District.

Patpong is probably the most famous red light district in Bangkok. Bars which show women and men dancers and other types of performances thrive in this area. It was also a bargain shopping district where you can see lots of knock-offs of expensive labels. But the prices were still expensive compared here in the Philippines so we decided to just watch the ping-pong shows. A woman approached us and offered us a no-charge, no entrance fee show. She said we only have to pay 100THB for our drinks, nothing more. Since she was a woman, we reckoned she might be trusted even if only a little.

Entrance to the Cabaret

Inside, we were ushered into a table right beside the stage. So we were kinda glad because we would see the performances clearly. Hehe. There was some girls at the stage. One had her legs clamped tightly together, holding a beer bottle in between. She was trying to open the beer using her muscles there. After a few seconds, there was a pop and the beer went gushing between her legs. Whoa! Kegel exercises must be doing her a whole lot of good.

The second act was a woman blowing the candles out on a birthday cake. She placed something in between her legs where the air would come out from there and she blew the 30 candles one by one. Tell you what, she was a sharp shooter. It took her only one try to put out each candle.

The third act was a woman blowing a horn – the type that pan de sal vendors use to alert people that they are coming. The fourth act was a woman inserting razor blades in there. The razor blades are strung together so that when she pull them out, it looked like she was just pulling some metallic papers.

After the fourth act, a performer approached us and asked if we can buy her some drinks. I did not want to, in fact, I offered her mine because I was not drinking it anyway. But my friend took pity on her and bought her a drink. What we did not realize is that her departure was the signal to the three Amazonas to approach us and charge us with 10 times the agreed price. They asked us to pay 1,000THB each. They even itemized the things we have to pay for. While they were presenting the list, they were looking at us like they would kills us if we will not pay. Frankly, I felt like they could. And would. Really, if eyes could kill, we’d be dead by now.

After much threats and persuasion (I’m quite proud to say that we did not beg), they gave us ‘discounts’ and just asked us to pay 500THB each. They said we can stay but we opted to leave right then and there because we got scared.

While we were threatened left and right, each one of us was thinking of an easy way out. One wanted to run. One wanted to just pay the thousand baht. One wanted to haggle. I wanted to threaten them too. But we were in a foreign land and we did not have any one to run to. We did not want to risk anything just because we were too stupid to believe the woman who told us we can watch the show for only 100THB. We contented ourselves to cursing them to hell—the recruiter and the bouncers. Even the girl to whom my friend took pity. If not for her, we might not have to pay that much. Damn her really! Damn every one of them in Patpong! Even the police who were protecting these people.

Anyway, that was our second day in Bangkok. I will be posting next about our third and last day which is about our encounter with a magulang taxi driver, the tour of the Grand Palace and more shopping! And my friends’ excess check-in baggages. Haha! Until later!

Not to mention the strange but true facts - that the people in Phuket spoke much more fluent English than the people in Bangkok itself,  that no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t get lost, every single price was negotiable right from a handbag at the street store to the foot massage at a suave-looking parlor!!!

The Patong beach itself was not very attractive and moreover it was “too busy” for our taste…so we found a quiet corner in the Kata beach further south of Patong and had a whale of a time. On the third day, we even ventured out on a rented motorbike and drove up and down the entire stretch ranging from Patong to Kata beach 4 times, looking for food, fun and souvenirs…and not to mention baby elephants that were swaying their way to glory, as they ate their meal!

Food was costly and there were very few options to get a decent meal without paying up at least 100Bhat/person, going upward with addition of a beverage and any interesting experimentation with the dishes . One can have a pancake snack with interesting combinations like banana and nutella for 50Bhat. Comparatively the massages were cheaper. One can get a good foot massage for 200Bhat and a good Thai massage for  300Bhat (and these are mid-range prices), they can get really low in cheap parlors that have girls sitting outside and shouting “Helloooooooooo! Massaaaaaaaage” to very high in well…high-end massage parlors.

While Phuket was a seaside and wandering experience, Bangkok was more of a shopping spree, for us. We went from one kind of market to another – night market (Pat Pong), street-side markets (near some subway stations), day time markets (Pratunam) and some of the larger airconditioned markets in full fledged buildings (Big C, Platinum Fashion Market) – comparing prices, haggling over 50Bhat price differences, snacking on fresh cut fruit on the street stalls and wading our way through the never ending shipping list – was a vacation well worth the price!

I totally agree. Exploring Bangkok on foot was the most memorable part of our trip to Krung Thep.

Unlike the guided tour in the morning of our first full day in Bangkok, the adventure on foot wasn’t rushed. (My post about the guided tour)

And unlike the tuk tuk ride that we had in the afternoon of that day, the journey on foot didn’t involve any money. (My post about the tuk tuk ride)

Our exploration began in Pratunam Market, just a stone’s throw away from our hotel.

It ended in Lumpini Park, which was named after the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal.

Sudah menjadi rahasia umum, bahwa kehidupan malam di Bangkok lebih terbuka dibanding Indonesia. Tempat pijat, bar, night club sudah menjadi pemandangan biasa. Bahkan tempat hiburan khusus dewasa sangat mudah dijumpai di Bangkok.

1. Sukhumvit Area. Inilah kawasan paling populer bagi turis dengan jumlah hotel sangat banyak dari Bintang 5 hingga budget hotel, yang tersebar dari Soi 1 hingga 50-an. Sukhumvit sendiri merupakan sentra turis di Bangkok, hampir semua aktifitas disini terkait dengan industri wisata. Anda tidak akan sulit mendapatkan tempat belanja, makan, dan hiburan disini. Untuk wsiata dengan keluarga saya lebih merekomendasikan Sukhumvit dibandingkan Silom. Sukhumvit juga sangat strategis karena dilewati oleh jalur BTS Skytrain. Hotel- hotel yang berada di area ini diantaranya adalah : Westin Grande, Sheraton Grande, JW Marriot, Grand Sukhumvit, Sofitel Residence, The Landmark, Grand Millennium, President Solitaire, Grand Mercure. Untuk berlibur bersama keluarga saya rekomendasikan untuk tinggal di kawasan ini.
2. Silom Area. Kawasan ini juga dikenal sebagai Little Tokyo. Banyak hotel berada di sini seperti Dusit Thani Hotel. Silom terkenal dengan kawasan tempat hiburan khusus dewasa. Penjual DVD rating X3-pun secara terang-terangan menawarkan dagangannya disini. Pertunjukan-pertunjukan seperti tari erotis sangat mudah didapat, dengan kawasan populer PatPong Night Market. Disini juga ada night bazaar, Anda juga dapat curi-curi pandang apa yang terlihat di dalam. Saya sangat tidak menganjurkan Anda tinggal di kawasan ini jika berlibur dengan anak-anak. Tapi lain ceritanya jika Anda termasuk pengikut genre ‘petualang malam’.
3. Siam Area. Sebenarnya Siam ini berdekatan dengan Sukhumvit dan dilalui oleh BTS. Banyak pusat perbelanjaan di kawasan ini, diantaranya Siam paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery. MBK Center juga tidak terlalu jauh dari ketiga mall itu. Hotel di kawasan ini diantaranya adalah Novotel Siam Square, Pathumwan Princes, Siam at Siam Design, Courtyard by Marriot, Evergreen Place, Asia, dan Diamond City. Bagi Shopaholic sangat cocok untuk tinggal di Siam.
4. Riverside Area. Inilah kawasan berada di tepi Chao Phraya River, dengan pemandangan banyak kuil dan tentu saja sungai. Hotel- hotel mewah banyak berada di area ini diantaranya adalah : Millennium Hotel, Marriot Hotel & Spa, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-la, Royal Orchid Sheraton, Ramada Plaza, Best Western Svana. Suasananya relatif tenang dan tidak terlalu hiruk pikuk seperti di Silom.
5. Pratunam District. Kawasan ini lebih kurang populer bagi kalangan turis. Tidak terlalu banyak hotel disana kecuali yang terkenal Indra Regent, lokasinya dekat dengan Pratunam Market, sehingga gampang untuk beli oleh-oleh. Namun Pratunam memiliki pusat belanja khusus seperti Pantip Plaza untuk IT, Platinum Fashion Mall untuk pakaian. Pratunam juga terkenal dengan grosir pakaiannya, street market, dan outlet pakaian. Selain Indra Regent hotel-hotel di kawasan ini adalah Best Western Mayfair Suites, Siam City, Amary Watergate, Ramada D’MA, Century Park, Baiyoke Sky, Hotel de Bangkok dan masih banyak lagi.

Disamping hotel-hotel tadi, di masing-masing kawasan juga tersedia budget hotel di bawah 1000 Baht. Untuk memesan hotel online dapat melalui agoda.com atau asiaroom.com disamping biro perjalanan di Indonesia. Selamat berlibur.

Artikel Bangkok lainnya :

• Bangkok : dari MRT hingga Ojek
• Antara Jakarta dan Bangkok

itu penggalan lagu milik Ru Paul.. judulnya super model

tapi kita disini gak kayak model hidupnya hehehehe.

bukan berarti kita tidurnya tempel tempelan gini yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa amit amit sama bli surya kayak gini

bangun pagi, setelah sikat gigi jeng liem dan bli surya turun ke lantai satu untuk sarapan, hal ini dilakukan setelah jeng liem tidak bisa tidur tenang gara gara bli surya tidur grasak grusuk pake acara giginya bunyi bunyi segala, dan anehnya dia gak nyadar,bener bener lelaki aneh.

sampai diruang sarapan, ketemulah dengan rombongan ebes ebes alais ibu ibu pkk yang ternyata dari Jakarta aja gitu…. duh ebes ebes dimana mana emang ribet ya hahaha udah tahu jalan jalan kok sasak tinggi amat, plus baju berbahan kilap, taruhan dalam waktu sejam ebes ebes ini sudah bekuah semua udah kayak tom yam gung

setelah menikmati sarapan yang sudah disediakan pihak hotel, jeng liem dan bli surya balik ke kamar 309 JL Bangkok hotel untuk mandi, penuh kehati hatian jeng liem melakukan prosesi mandi pagi mengingat bli surya selalu antusias mengintip orang mandi hahahaha

jam 10.30 wakto bangkok, jeng liem dan bli surya keluar dari hotel, dengan saran dari si pemilik hotel mereka mencoba menuju pusat kota bangkok dengan menggunakan alat transportasi air, lewat sungai.

inilah boat yang membawa kita mengambang di sungai dari dermaga hotel menuju pratunam

kapal kayu dengan mesin motor siap mengantar kita dari ramkamhaeng soi 23 pier menuju pratunam pier dengan biaya cuma 14 bath saja atau kalau dikali dengan kurs sekarang berarti dikali 342 menjadi sekitar 4800 rupiah saja. jauh dekat bayarnya sama ya, tapi ini benar benar menguji mental, jeng liem ini anak orang kaya banget, mungkin kalo orang tuanya tahu dia naik kapal gini di sungai, bisa bisa warisan yang melimpah dipakai delapan turunan gak dikasih hahahaha

ada cerita nih dari bli surya yang sedikit berbagi filosofi

pier itu artinya dermaga, beda dengan habour yang artinya pelabuhan.

pier itu tempat pemberhentian seperti halte bus, beda dengan habour yang menjadi tempat pembongkaran kapal.

jadi hati hati kalo ngomong sama pasangan…. jangan bilang “aku sudah menemukan dermaga cinta ku”… karena dermaga seperti halte berarti banyak dong ada dimana mana…. tapi katakan pada pasangan mu bahwa “aku sudah menemukan pelabuhan cinta ku” mmmm itupun kalo cintanya lewat laut ya…. kalo lewat udara gak pake pelabuhan  ya mak….

begitulah bli surya… banyak filosofi hahahaha

di Pratunam plaza, jeng liem membeli pesanan pasangan imaginer, pisau untuk mengiris pepaya atau kalo di bangkok terkenal dengan som tam.

ini adalah salad pepaya yang sering juga disajikan dengan sea food hmmm enak banget.

disini juga jeng liem membeli sumpit, untuk keperluan onde onde restaurant.

pelit banget nih bli surya, akunting dimana mana pelit ya, mau murah tapi bagus

niat hati mau membeli banyak, tapi karena departemen keuangan onde onde restaurant bilang tidak alkan mengganti pembelanjaan yang berlebihan maka niat hati itu tinggallah kenangan, sumpit dibeli secukupnya sesuai kebutuhan bukan keinginan.

lanjut dari pratunam dengan menggunakan transportasi darat alias jalan kaki, high heel udah mau lepas, betis udah kayak ronaldino, tapi semanagt jalan masih ada. sampailah kita di Four Faces Budha yang sangat terkenal itu, disini banyak melihat masyarakat bangkok dan juga pendatang yang mau ibadah datang untuk bersembahyang.

pemandangan yang indah, mengingat bukan gak mungkin sebagian orang yang ada disini nanti malam bisa ketemu di lokasi hiburan sesat hehehehe

hidup ini indah, bersyukur dalam segala hal

tapi satu hal yang terpenting disini adalah jeng liem diajarkan bahwa jangan pernah lupa bahwa semua yang didapat sekarang ini adalah anugerah, karena itu jangan lupa untuk selalu bersyukur

Als Startpunkt diente uns die Sukhumvit Road und wir beginnen den Tag an der BTS Skytrain-Station Ekkamai mit einem außergewöhnlichen Frühstück – wer das schon hatte, kann uns auch gerne erst ab der zweiten Station begleiten…

9.00 EKKAMAI
Der Garten des Baan Rie Café, unter der BTS und gegenüber vom Busbahnhof, erinnert mit seiner gewollt zerfallen wirkende Ziegelmauer eher an die Ruinen alter Königsstädte als an Bangkok Downtown. Es gibt ein echtes thailändisches Frühstück mit süßem Kaffee aus einheimischen Anbau und dazu einen milden Papayasalat (Somtam) oder ein erfrischend scharfes Fischtörtchen, köstlich! Mit dem Stadtplan bewaffnet erklimmen wir anschließend die Stufen zum Skytrain.

9.30 BTS SIAM SQUARE
Auf dem Weg von der Station Chidlom zur nächsten Station Siam Square blicken wir aus dem rechten Fenster der Hochbahn und lassen uns nach all den Hochhäusern und Straßenschluchten überraschen vom unerwarteten Anblick eines kleinen Wäldchens mit einer verstreuten Tempelanlage – direkt vor dem Hintergrund der Siam Paragon-Mall, Südostasiens größtes und modernstes Einkaufszentrum.

9.45 WAT PATHUM
Doch wir sind nicht zum Shoppen gekommen (ohnehin besser auf dem Rückflug) und wollen uns den “Dschungel-Tempel” aus der Nähe ansehen. Vorbei an einem Losverkäufer und ein paar Garküchen, befindet sich der Eingang zum Wat Pathum Wanaram. Während die umliegenden Shoppingmalls noch geschlossen sind, empfangen die Mönche bereits Almosen von den Gläubigen und segnen sie dafür mit buddhistischen Gebeten. Die wabernden Gesänge der Mönche werden über Lautsprecher auch in den hinteren Garten übertragen, in dem wir einige Yogis vor einer Marmorstatue in stiller Andacht beobachten können.

10.15 KLONG BOOT
Sein altes Netz aus Kanälen brachte Bangkok einst den Beinamen „Venedig des Ostens“ ein. Auch wenn die meisten davon inzwischen kanalisiert oder zu Straßen gemacht wurden, bleibt das Boot eine der besten Alternativen zu den verstopften Straßen. Um mit dem Expressboot über den Klong Saen Saeb in den alten Tempelbezirk der Stadt zu gelangen, gehen wir zu Fuß am Paragon vorbei bis zur Kreuzung von Rama I und Phaya Thai Road und dort rechts ab zum Hua Chang Pier, der etwas versteckt links unter der Brücke liegt. Wenn das Boot anhält muss es schnell gehen: Kopf tief einziehen, Platz suchen, hinsetzen, bevor es unter schrillem Pfeifen weitergeht. Die Kassierer balancieren wagemutig auf dem Außenrand hin und her. Eine Plane schützt uns vor Spritzern aus dem schwarzen Kanal, während der Motor bei voller Fahrt dicke Abgase aushustet.

11.10 GOLDEN MOUNT
Schon beim Verlassen der Endstation in Banglamphu sehen wir die Pagode des Golden Mount über den Dächern im Sonnenlicht strahlen. Nach ein paar MInuten Fußmarsch erreichen wir den Eingang in der Mitte der Boriphat Road. Am Fuß des Hügels befindet sich der Wat Saketh, dessen Friedhof sich zwischen Bäumen und Sträuchern um den Sockel des Golden Mounts verteilt. Noch vor wenigen Jahrzehnten war dies die höchste Erhebung der ganzen Stadt. Wir glauben es sofort, als wir die 318 Stufen zum Gipfel auf uns nehmen – die Sonne steht bereits hoch am Himmel. Von der Dachterrasse aus bietet sich ein atemberaubendes Panorama auf Bangkoks Häusermeer, das am Horizont mit den Bürotürmen der Sukhumvit und Silom Road abschließt. Beim Abstieg erfrischen wir uns im Café Boon mit einer frischen Kokosnuss.

12.05 WAT RACHANADDA
Wir verlassen den Golden Mount auf dem selben Weg wie wir gekommen sind und biegen am alten Mahanak Fort rechts die Rachadamoen Road ab, auf der in einiger Entfernung die vier gelben Flügel des Democracy Monument aus dem Verkehr ragen. Auf einem kleinen Platz bewacht eine Statue des Königs Rama III den Wat Rachanadda. Leider sind die eigentlichen Gebäude nur während der abendlichen Gebete zugänglich, aber den ceylonesisch beeinflussten Metallpalast auf dem westlichen Teil des Geländes wollen wir uns nicht entgehen lassen. Über eine Wendeltreppe gelangen wir auf die einzelnen Ebenen. Der Innenraum des ungewöhnlichen Tempels sieht durch die geschickte Architektur auf jeder Etage anders aus. In den an ein Labyrinth erinnernden Gängen erkennt man noch die zugemauerten Zellen der Mönche, die hier einst meditierten.

13.00 LITTLE INDIA
Wir verlassen den Tempel durch den Ausgang zur Mahachai Road. An den Ständen des Devotionalienmarktes gibt es Statuen und Amulette in allen Preisklassen. Dass die Großpackung hier schon für weniger als 100 Baht zu haben ist, lässt den mystischen Charme der Schutz- und Glücksbringer jedoch schnell verblassen. Wir halten ein Taxi in Richtung Süden an und lassen uns in die Pahurat Road bringen, nach “Little India” an die Pahurat Road kurz vor Chinatown. Dort verlaufen wir uns in den Düften, Klängen und Bildern des kleinen Ständelabyrinths.

13.40 SIKH TEMPEL
Der Markt wird überragt vom sechsstöckigen Sri Gurusingh Sabha Tempel, den wir uns aus der Nähe ansehen wollen, bevor es zum indischen MIttagessen geht. Das etwas mulmige Gefühl während unserer Fahrt in den fünften Stock legt sich, als der freundliche Leiter des Tempels uns in die mit Teppichen ausgelegte Gebetshalle führt. Nach einer kurzen, aber interessanten Führung durch den Glauben der turbantragenden Inder schleppen wir unsere knurrenden Mägen auf die andere Seite der Chakraphet Road, wo wir nach der kleinen Gasse mit dem Schild Royal India Restaurant Ausschau halten. Auch wenn es zunächst anders wirkt: Dieser kleine Inder ist kein Geheimtipp – seine köstliche und günstige Küche stadtbekannt.

15.00 BLUMENMARKT
Zum Blumengroßmarkt ist es uns genau die richtige Entfernung für ein Tuktuk. An dieser Ecke kommt ständig eines vorbei und wir fahren für weniger als einen Euro am Rama I Denkmal und der Freundschaftsbrücke vorbei in ein Meer von bunten Blumen auf beiden Straßenseiten. Es duftet nach Jasmin, Orchideen und Rosen, die hier zu Händlerpreisen erhältlich sind. Wir folgen der Mahathat Road und machen einen kurzen Verdauungsspaziergang die Straße hinunter zum Wat Pho.

15.50 WAT PHO MASSAGE
Die Schlange am Eingang lässt keinen Zweifel daran, dass wir es hier mit einer Hauptattraktion der Stadt zu tun haben. Der 45 Meter lange liegende Buddha ist der Besuchermagnet und seine mit riesigen und doch filigranen Perlmutt-Mustern verzierte Fußsohlen. Auf dem Gelände sind mehrere Gebetshallen und unzählige, mit Porzellan besetzte Pagoden verteilt. Wir bewundern den bunten asiatischen Stilmix, den die gestifteten chinesischen Figuren vor den siamesischen Bauten abgeben. Am Ausgang zur Flußseite liegt vor dem Tempel die berühmte Wat Pho Massageschule, in der wir uns eine Fußmassage nicht entgehen lassen wollen.

17.30 CHAO PHRAYA
Anschließend schweben wir auf unseren neugeborenen Füßen eine Straßenecke weiter Richtung Königspalast, biegen aber links ab und schlendern zwischen den hübschen Häusern zum Pier. Wir entschließen uns zu einem unspektakulâren Drink direkt am Wasser mit um so beeindruckerendem Blick auf Wat Arun am anderen Ufer. Von hier sind es nur noch ein paar Schritte zum Tha Thian Pier (N7) von dem wir mit dem Rivertaxi für ein paar Baht gen Norden fahren. Auf dem Weg zum Anleger Tha Phra Athit (N13) beobachten wir das Leben auf den Stelzenhäusern am Ufer des mächtigen Chao Phraya.

18.00 PHRA SUMEN FORT
Wir gehen vom Anleger ein paar Meter weiter Richtung Norden und kommen zu einem letzten Überrest der einstigen Stadtmauer der Königsstadt Rattanakosin: Dem Kanonenturm des Fort Phra Sumen. Im umliegenden Santichaiprakarn Park versammeln sich schon seit dem späten Nachmittag Einheimische und Backpacker aus der nahen Khaosan Road zum Sonnenuntergang. Wir setzen uns für einen Crepés vor das Roti Mataba und schauen zu, wie die Sonne hinter dem Turm im Fluss versinkt.

18.45 RAMBUTTRI UND KHAOSAN
Wir sind vom Tag überwältigt – und erledigt! Wer nach dem Sonnenuntergang noch etwas Trubel braucht, oder dem Treiben einfach nur vom Außentisch eines Lokals zuschauen möchte, der schlendert von hier zur nahegelegenen Khaosan Road. Die eigenwillige Touristenmeile ist längst zum Anziehungspunkt einheimischer Ausflügler geworden, die sich über die schlampigen “Farang Khi Nok” amüsieren. Am gemütlichsten ist der Weg dorthin über die Rambuttri Road, die mittlerweile zur kleineren Version ihres berühmten Vorbildes geworden ist.

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Der Beitrag “12 Stunden Bangkok – Eine etwas andere Stadtrundfahrt” entstand mit Alexander Heitkamp und ist in Gänze auf http://www.thaizeit.de zu lesen.

Smile! We were all camera crazy inside the train!

After the meetings, we went to the nearest MRT station, at the Thai Cultural Center. All of us were excited, even me, as I do not use the subway really. The last time I used it was a long time ago. If I have a choice I would use the sky train. But actually I did not have any qualms using the same thing in London, Manila, Netherlands, Singapore, Tokyo and Toronto . Except here because of some safety issues. But maybe it is better now. We used the subway to go to Chatuchak Market/Mochit Station so we could transfer to the BTS/sky train. We were quite a big group and so it was quite a worry maybe for the guides in case some of us got lost! It was quite easy in the subway as there was not much crowd there. So we got to the Chatuchak Station and we went up to connect to the sky train. We noticed immediately that the two stations are not connected as one has to go out to the road to get up to the sky train station. It would have been better if a connection from the inside goes directly up to the sky train. With our big group joining the outside crowd, it was hard keeping up. Some of us were already up in the BTS station while the others were still walking on the road trying to catch up with the first group. Anyway we finally got together and my, what a crowd! We waited for the card tickets and some of us were given the coins to experience the use of the card machines. Nice. Some went to the mini-mart nearby to buy some cold drinks and gum. Another convenience. We were on a field trip so we had to observe these things that will make transport system in Bangkok more efficient and effective. Once everyone had the card, we went up to wait for the train.

Some of us had to stand. Some were shy to look at the camera

There was one waiting already but we did not take it. So we just moved to the side to wait for the next train. Unfortunately those in our group who came up last thought we were already in the train, and so they ran into the train. The train was about to leave and there we were, shouting, “come out! come out!” They had to hurry to come out or else they would not know where to go once they were on the train, and they would probably not know how to contact us. If that happened, probably they would just go shopping! Anyway, one of them said that the way we were screaming “come out! come out!” was so frightening!!

When the next train came, we got on. It was good to get seats and a relief as inside was so cool. Even cold. We got off at the Victory Monument, where we really felt lost in the crowd. We had to keep our eyes on our leader, Amorn, a PhD student. But after some time we lost him. But I knew we were going to look at the Victory Monument and the transportation dynamics there, so I just kept on. The others followed. After that we saw him again so we knew we were on the right track. We continued also to take photos. It was fun for me to be in Bangkok and not in the car for once. I get to see and experience some other different things. Anyway, time was up and our vans were waiting under.

Traffic was ok at this time but could get worse during rush hour and heavy rains.

Our next stop was the canal for the boat transport in Pratunam near the Central World. It was a short drive and surprisingly there was no traffic in Petchburi Road. We got off our vans and walked up to the bridge and observed the boats with passengers. At first we thought we would ride the boats but we just observed it. Even looked around as there were many other things to see, such as the sidewalk vendors and the pedestrians. It seems the water in the canal is cleaner than before and there was not much smell. Anyway, it is surely a cheaper and faster means of transport but people can get wet from the water spray.

We did not try the buses, taxis, motorcycles and tuktuks, but I bet that everyone had a chance somehow to experience them during other times, esp. when they went out to go shopping!

Didn't get on the boat this time.

After the trip we went up to cross the flyover to go to Central World to have our dinner. However, for me and two friends from Kenya (Edith and Lillian), we crossed back again to go to Big C, where food and other stuff are cheaper. We had about 1.5 hours before we got back to AIT. We had dinner at the Food Center and they were quite impressed with the taste of the food and the price, which was quite cheap. They ordered Thai fried rice which cost 30 baht per plate. For me I ordered Pad Thai. Then we bought drinks and our dinner was less than 100 Baht per person. One of them said that food was cheap, and wondered why the previous night they paid more than 1,000 Baht for their dinner. Probably they had it in a posh hotel? We then moved around the hypermart and grocery section to buy some stuff.

Then off to the meeting place in front of Arnoma Hotel. It was a long wait for the vans to arrive due to traffic (as usual). It was indeed a long day and we arrived back at AIT at around 9 pm.

Above, a common scene at Pratunam Market, with the famous Tuk-tuk taxi and some foreign tourists.

New-found friends: Dave and company from Chelsea, UK, with Marti and Ludette near Baiyoke Sky.