Wednesday, July 5, 2023 – After a night’s rest and a sampling from the hotel’s extensive breakfast buffet, we set out to explore Bangkok. We did not have much of a plan except for an audio tour we downloaded to guide us through four of the main Buddhist temples in the city. We used the Grab app (similar to Uber and Lyft) to catch a ride to the Grand Palace, which we thought would be our first stop for the day. Little did we know that our day would go in a different, yet enjoyable, direction.
After exiting our Grab we gave in to a new tourist ploy to take a Tuk Tuk ride to explore some local sites before heading into the Grand Palace. Our Tuk Tuk driver would be our guide for 50 Thai baht each (about $1.50 US). It sounded like an interesting way to start our Bangkok experience. And with that decision, our morning itinerary changed to include a nearby neighborhood temple, a tailor shop, a jewelry and souvenir shop, and Wat Benchamapophit (the “Marble Temple”). We ultimately discovered that the planned route was choreographed to generate additional compensation to the Tuk Tuk driver for providing visitors to local businesses. We did enjoy the introductory temple visits and the Tuk Tuk ride experience. Although we said no to most of the items being pitched our way, we agreed to purchase some new custom made cashmere clothing: a suit and two suit coats for Greg and a black dress for Karen
The hot and humid afternoon was spent exploring the expansive Grand Palace which includes Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Grand Palace is a complex of various buildings in the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been used as the residence of the Kings of Siam (later Thailand) since 1782. The tall pointed structures you will see in our pictures are chedis. They are built to honor kings and leaders. In some of the temples, the person’s ashes are actually entombed in the chedi.
The Emerald Buddha is quite something to see. No photography is allowed so you will need to make an internet search for an image. The Emerald Buddha, as you can probably guess from its name, is covered in emeralds. It is only 26 inches (66 cm) tall. An interesting fact is that the Emerald Buddha has four different elaborately jeweled outfits, one for each season. The only person who can change the outfits is the King of Thailand.
Our lunch was a traditional Thai soup from a small street side shop. We boarded a water ferry to cross the Chao Phraya river to the Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn). This is one of Thailand’s oldest and most famous temples. Built in 1767 by King Taksin after the capitol was destroyed by the Burmese, it dates back to before Bangkok was founded. We discovered that this famous temple is frequently used as a photo backdrop for many Thai people. You will see a couple of pictures we captured while people were getting their professional photos taken. This temple has steep stairs you can climb to a small terrace around the perimeter of the prang (a tall tower with a broad base that narrows as it goes up).
While we were in this temple a monk was providing small Buddas and a red string bracelet with 5 beads for those that made a donation. As he tied the bracket on our wrists he provided a prayer for “good luck and be happy.”
At this point the two of us were dripping in sweat (Bangkok is VERY hot and humid!). We made our way back across the river and figured out the Metro system to take a nice air-conditioned subway back to our hotel. After showers, a change of clothes and drinks at the bar we experienced our first (and probably last) Thai massage. Unlike the traditional western style massage, a Thai massage is given while dressed in a loose fitting outfit provided to you. The massage therapist goes through a series of stretches and compression on your body with their hands, forearms, elbows, and knees. One place we saw Thai massages referenced “a bit of pain.” We would agree. We are glad we experienced it, but once is enough for us.
Our evening ended with a visit from the tailor for the initial fitting for our custom made clothes. Amazingly the clothes were about 80% fnshed and will be ready for a final fitting when we return to Bangkok before heading home.
Hammond Adventures 