We wake up in the morning to get our first view of Bangkok in the daylight. The view from our 22nd floor hotel window is of a chaotic city-scape on many levels. Down at street level we can see a small market, ramshackle houses and a railway line. Above this an elevated highway with cars whizzing along is crossed by the airport express railway. It is like looking out on a full-sized working scalextric model.
Bangkok city-scape view from our bedroom window
Our hotel , is ultra modern and the beautiful pool is on the 10th floor and long enough to plough up and down, if you have the energy.
Swimming pool
We set off with the group on the morning of our first day in Bangkok to do some sightseeing. Our first stop is at the oldest temple in Bangkok – Wat Pho.
Mum at Wat Pho
One building in the temple houses a 45m long reclining Buddha. He is made from plaster- covered brick and inlaid with gold leaf. The building is not vastly bigger than the statue, making it difficult to take in the whole image at one time. The soles of his feet are beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Reclining Buddha
Soles of the Buddha’s feet
The building is also a centre of public learning because the wall and pillars are covered with inscriptions, diagrams and pictures of history, literature and astrology.
Wall painting
The temple has many many pegodas, which are decorated with coloured ceramics. This is different from the golden pegodas we saw in Chiang Mai. The largest pegodas house the ashes of former kings.
Pegodas
Buddha images
Next we go to visit the Grand Palace and another temple, Wat Phra Kaeo, within the grounds of the palace. This is the King’s own temple and is the holiest Buddhist site in Thailand. There is a strict dress code at this site, with knees and shoulders covered. One lady in our group is wearing a sleeveless dress and she has a shawl to cover her shoulders. This is not good enough and she is taken to one side at the entrance and loaned a blouse with sleeves to wear over her dress. At we arrive a group of guards dressed in white march past.
Palace guards
We go into the temple and we are greeted by a feast of visual delights. Everywhere you look there are beautiful buildings encrusted with mosaics of mirrors and coloured tiles, statues and golden Buddha images. The marble floors add an additional shine to the whole place and the eaves of the buildings are hung with small bells which jingle gently in the breeze. The whole effect is of a brightly lit stage set of a fairy tale. After a short while I get temple and beauty overload and cannot continue to appreciate each subsequent delight, ‘Oh yeah, another beautiful thing - very nice mmm.’
Wat Phra Kaeo
Spot the demons!
After the temple we visit the Grand Palace. This was built in 1785 to found Bangkok as the new capital of Thailand and mark the end of the Burmese occupation. It is no long the home of the royal family and is now only used for ceremonial and official occasions.
Grand Palace
Me at the Grand palace
After lunch we go to see a cultural show highlighting some traditional aspects of Thai life. We see some dancing, a representation of Tai boxing, a wedding ceremony etc.
Dancing
At the end of the show the performers invite members of the audience to join them on the stage for a final dance. Guess who is one of the first people up there?
Me and some of the dancers
The next day the arranged excursion is to the River Kwai world war 2 site, cemetery and museum. Mum and I agree that this is not really our cup of tea and we would also rather see more of Bangkok itself while we are here. We take a taxi to the river and arrange an hour’s long tail boat ride to the Thonburi side of the city. Many of the usual boats are not running because the river and the water in the canals is so high.
Long tail boat
Many of the small houses built alongside the canal are under water and we watch people wading around knee deep in water as they hang out washing to dry.
Houses by the canal - some drier than others
Several small boats go from house to house selling supplies and some are selling souvenirs to tourists in the boats. This lady paddled out to us and tempted us with a folding hat that also doubles up as a fan.
Lady selling souvenirs
On the way back a flotilla of small rubber boats whizz by containing members of the Royal Thai Navy.
Thai navy
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