We Found Elvis

Today was our last full day in Bangkok.  This city is so big, so full of stuff to see, and so crowded and electric that we decided to get a private tour guide to show us some of the sights.  That way we could go efficiently, learn about what we were seeing, and just take full advantage of what Bangkok had to offer us.

And that led us to Anan, our very experienced 67-year-old guide.  Anan grew up in an agricultural village way outside of Bangkok.  He told us he didn’t even wear pants until he was 8 years old, unless it was for the very occasional trip to Bangkok.  As a child he loved music and shared with us how he learned to speak English by singing western songs, The Beatles and Elvis were among his favorites.  Periodically during the day we spent with him, he would break into a couple of bars of music.  His knowledge of English was quite good, his knowledge of Thai history was even better.

Our first visit of the day was the Grand Palace.  We were not alone here as approximately 20,000 people per day visit it.  The palace was built in 1782 and its construction took only 2 years. 

Having Anan along to explain what we were seeing made quite a difference in our experience.  Things like pointing out how the stone pavers between the temples were rough stone versus the smooth, polished stone of the temples.  This was because life can be tough and there will be rough and trying times, but heaven will be smooth -- love stuff like that.  He also pointed out how the tamarind trees were trimmed to the same shape as the temples.

There were three large pagodas here with different architectural styles: Sri Lankan, Thai, and Hindu.  Unlike the gold covered pagodas in Myanmar, these were covered with ceramic mosaics. There was also a large model of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  When Cambodia was part of Siam, there was a plan to move the entire temple to Thailand.  More rational heads prevailed and a large model was built instead.

We continued walking around to Wat Phra Kaew, the temple that house the Emerald Buddha.  The Emerald Buddha is a bit of a misnomer.  It is actually made of jade, not emerald, but this 26” high, 600 year old Buddha is an important religious icon and considered a protector of Thailand.  Placed very high within the temple (where no photography is permitted) there is a chance to get a quick photo from the outside through a small opening.

Anan taught us about the design of the gable ends of buildings in Thailand.  At the top is Garuda, a mythical bird-like creature in the Hindu and Buddhist religions.  The eaves reach down from the peak like legs and they “stand’ on snakes which symbolize enemies.  In other words, the building shows good over evil.  There were also statues that reminded Julie of the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.

After seeing and learning so much, Anan led us through multiple forms of transportation.  We walked out of the Grand Palace, took a tuk tuk to a pier, caught a ferry to cross the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun (which Christopher wanted to see since he had seen it built out of Legos at Legoland Malaysia), to catch a cab to a little lunch place along a canal to eat before our afternoon on a long tail. 

Baan Silapin  in an artist colony that had been there for about 200 years.  We walked along a wooden sidewalk past shops and studios.  At one point Anan stopped and bought some multi colored “puffs”.  We weren’t sure what they were and I thought that they might be some sort of shrimp chip.  Turns out you tossed them into the canal and 100’s of large catfish would swarm and devour them.  After that we ate lunch at a little waterfront restaurant (the pandang curry was excellent).

We walked back the way we came to meet our long tail boat.  As we passed a monk in his golden robes, Anan made sure to tell me “don’t touch the monk”, which I successfully avoided doing.  A few minutes later imagine my surprise when I felt someone grab my shoulder only to realize it was the monk touching me.  After a moment’s panic, I composed myself and looked him in the eye.  He smiled at me and asked me in perfect English “Where are you from?”.  I told him “we live in Singapore, but are from San Francisco”.  I swear his eyes twinkled as he said “Such a beautiful city”.  As Julie says, it was a moment.

Our boat came and we hopped on board.  Our long tail, like every other one, had garlands of flowers draped on the bowsprit as offerings.  We tore up the canals, heading by waterfront homes and shops.  Some homes were fancy while others were shanties.  People, if their hands were free, waived as we passed.  We saw more than half a dozen very large (1.5 meters?) monitor lizards swimming through the water.  Anan told us how they help keep the canals clean by eating the decaying carcasses of dead animals.  The circle of life in action.

We ended up at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market .  This is a small market with only a few boats, but was a lot of fun.  There were westerners there, but we were definitely in the minority as families were buying, eating, and just hanging.  My second favorite thing there was a little girl singing with her brother playing the ranat ek (a Thai wooded xylophone).

What was my favorite thing?  Well, remember how Anan liked to sing?  We got to see it in action.  We were just chilling with him enjoying a beer and a guy on a small stage was playing guitar.  He had an open microphone and some folks went up for a little karaoke (and most weren’t any good).  We encouraged Anan to go up, he did, and man did he deliver the goods .  It was a great way to end a memorable day and trip to Bangkok.