BKK Hols Day 2 - Devoutness & Decadence
Slipped into my red Addidas swimsuit, wrapped myself in the bathrobe and padded off for a swim in the pool. Utterly refreshing, even if it's 9 am in the morning. The only thing I didn't like was to cut across the coffee house in my bathrobe, and swimming in front of diners (the pool is right next to the coffee house). Felt very much like a goldfish, although this goldfish is not so sleek at certain parts!
Everyone looked half-dazed at the breakfast table. The pork porridge was the best, and Yunru discovered that I have an obsession, no, an ADDICTION, to ... pork! I was heard proclaiming that I can't live without pork and that I suffered terribly, oh so terribly, when Singapore had the Nipah virus scare 4 years ago and I was deprived of my favorite meat...
We joined Zach, Mary & Eleanor on a tour of the Chao Phraya River. Mary was in her element, bargaining with the tour agent who ultimately gave in and gave us a discount per head. Enroute to the Grand Palace (which Ellen said you shouldn't miss) we stopped by the Flower Market, where blooms of all varieties, shapes and sizes could be had for a song. A few songs in fact. Imagine, 24 stalks of roses for less than S$4?! Lilies (a bunch) for that sum?! Impossible back home! There were also all kinds of plants and food stuff in that area too.
For the uninitiated, the long-tailed boat is powered by an outboard motor. The trick is in getting on board gracefully - you need to step on the edge of the boat before you could get in, while the boat seems to sink periliously to the side... And once in, all must spread out to prevent it from capsizing. Moange our tour guide, a wiry and tanned Thai, spoke fairly good English and is humorous to boot.
As the boat sped its way towards the Grand Palace, we saw how ordinary Thais lived along the canals of the Chao Phraya. Almost all homes have a little jetty (be it wood or concrete) at the backyard where they could hop onto a river taxi to go to work. Some houses are rather dilapidated, not more than a few planks of wood nailed together, while others boast of concrete walls and a porch leading into the river.
The Grand Palace -one must be appropriately attired (no bare arms and ankles must be covered) to enter the premises. I cannot begin to tell you about the murals (apparently no two bodhisattvas were drawn alike), the manicured lawns and Chinese and Hindu influences on the temple structures.
The temple of the Emerald Buddha is a must-see. Imagine a very retro looking temple exterior covered with tiles in red, green, yellow, blue and gold and set with little mirror discs! With such a striking exterior you can say that it shimmers in the distance. High ceilings, multi-tiered chandeliers and a dim interior made it a cool respite for many of us (poor Eleanor was quite ready to faint from the heat, especially since they gave her a heavy sarong skirt to cover up). The Throne Room, though grand, seemed to pale in comparison.
It was too late for us to make it to the Temple of the Dawn, so our boat just sailed past it.
Leaving Moange, it was off for dinner at Robinson Shopping Centre's Food Fusion - somewhat similar to Marche in its concept. Had one of the best Tom Yam Gung and Minced Pork salad (60 Baht each dish) and sadly for Ellen, I beat her to the last cup of coconut juice... muahhaha! Food Fusion is one up than Marche - there was a live jazz band playing music that no one could make out.
Took a tuk-tuk to Suan Lom Night Bazaar. It was quite a scream for 4 Chinese to pile up in this tiny three-wheeler, with the driver expertly cutting corners . While we were no suave Mr Brosnans, we certainly arrived in 1 piece! Ellen swore that she saw 7 ang mohs piling into the back of a tuk-tuk - the vehicle looked as if it was about to sink on its back wheels!
Unleashing our shopping prowess is what women are good at & Ellen, Yunru and myself went on a shopping spree. It was nice and cool at Suan Lom and many things were quite funky, and interesting. Thais do drive a hard bargain in making us part with our cash, but experience tells us that if you are polite and not unreasonable, it might be possible to compromise at a price that both buyer and seller agree.
There was also a live show (pretty much like those getai). The music was good, the band was better, and the performers (was that a woman or a man?!) were the best. Dressed in a hot pink dress that could get one arrested if it's any skimpier, the performer sang, danced and pranced in front of a bunch of ogling ang mohs. I can't help by gawk - he/she is really good (never mind about the dress!)
Flopped onto my bed after a hard night of shopping. A most unusual evening. On one hand devoutness by almost an entire nation to Buddhism, on the other, an enterprising mindset in pursuing the best (and perhaps the kitschy) things that life can offer - re Siam Square, funky shops, imitation clothes and bags, go go/lady boy shows - the ultimate in decadence.
A strange, wonderful, if not bewildering kaleidoscope that is Thailand.
PS: the joke of the day was by Moange: Zach was asking if there are any crocodiles in the Chao Phraya. Moange replied that crocs are afraid of the Thais, cos they eat anything that moves! Now that's even better than the Chinese!
Everyone looked half-dazed at the breakfast table. The pork porridge was the best, and Yunru discovered that I have an obsession, no, an ADDICTION, to ... pork! I was heard proclaiming that I can't live without pork and that I suffered terribly, oh so terribly, when Singapore had the Nipah virus scare 4 years ago and I was deprived of my favorite meat...
We joined Zach, Mary & Eleanor on a tour of the Chao Phraya River. Mary was in her element, bargaining with the tour agent who ultimately gave in and gave us a discount per head. Enroute to the Grand Palace (which Ellen said you shouldn't miss) we stopped by the Flower Market, where blooms of all varieties, shapes and sizes could be had for a song. A few songs in fact. Imagine, 24 stalks of roses for less than S$4?! Lilies (a bunch) for that sum?! Impossible back home! There were also all kinds of plants and food stuff in that area too.
For the uninitiated, the long-tailed boat is powered by an outboard motor. The trick is in getting on board gracefully - you need to step on the edge of the boat before you could get in, while the boat seems to sink periliously to the side... And once in, all must spread out to prevent it from capsizing. Moange our tour guide, a wiry and tanned Thai, spoke fairly good English and is humorous to boot.
As the boat sped its way towards the Grand Palace, we saw how ordinary Thais lived along the canals of the Chao Phraya. Almost all homes have a little jetty (be it wood or concrete) at the backyard where they could hop onto a river taxi to go to work. Some houses are rather dilapidated, not more than a few planks of wood nailed together, while others boast of concrete walls and a porch leading into the river.
The Grand Palace -one must be appropriately attired (no bare arms and ankles must be covered) to enter the premises. I cannot begin to tell you about the murals (apparently no two bodhisattvas were drawn alike), the manicured lawns and Chinese and Hindu influences on the temple structures.
The temple of the Emerald Buddha is a must-see. Imagine a very retro looking temple exterior covered with tiles in red, green, yellow, blue and gold and set with little mirror discs! With such a striking exterior you can say that it shimmers in the distance. High ceilings, multi-tiered chandeliers and a dim interior made it a cool respite for many of us (poor Eleanor was quite ready to faint from the heat, especially since they gave her a heavy sarong skirt to cover up). The Throne Room, though grand, seemed to pale in comparison.
It was too late for us to make it to the Temple of the Dawn, so our boat just sailed past it.
Leaving Moange, it was off for dinner at Robinson Shopping Centre's Food Fusion - somewhat similar to Marche in its concept. Had one of the best Tom Yam Gung and Minced Pork salad (60 Baht each dish) and sadly for Ellen, I beat her to the last cup of coconut juice... muahhaha! Food Fusion is one up than Marche - there was a live jazz band playing music that no one could make out.
Took a tuk-tuk to Suan Lom Night Bazaar. It was quite a scream for 4 Chinese to pile up in this tiny three-wheeler, with the driver expertly cutting corners . While we were no suave Mr Brosnans, we certainly arrived in 1 piece! Ellen swore that she saw 7 ang mohs piling into the back of a tuk-tuk - the vehicle looked as if it was about to sink on its back wheels!
Unleashing our shopping prowess is what women are good at & Ellen, Yunru and myself went on a shopping spree. It was nice and cool at Suan Lom and many things were quite funky, and interesting. Thais do drive a hard bargain in making us part with our cash, but experience tells us that if you are polite and not unreasonable, it might be possible to compromise at a price that both buyer and seller agree.
There was also a live show (pretty much like those getai). The music was good, the band was better, and the performers (was that a woman or a man?!) were the best. Dressed in a hot pink dress that could get one arrested if it's any skimpier, the performer sang, danced and pranced in front of a bunch of ogling ang mohs. I can't help by gawk - he/she is really good (never mind about the dress!)
Flopped onto my bed after a hard night of shopping. A most unusual evening. On one hand devoutness by almost an entire nation to Buddhism, on the other, an enterprising mindset in pursuing the best (and perhaps the kitschy) things that life can offer - re Siam Square, funky shops, imitation clothes and bags, go go/lady boy shows - the ultimate in decadence.
A strange, wonderful, if not bewildering kaleidoscope that is Thailand.
PS: the joke of the day was by Moange: Zach was asking if there are any crocodiles in the Chao Phraya. Moange replied that crocs are afraid of the Thais, cos they eat anything that moves! Now that's even better than the Chinese!
posted by Leng @ 11:40 AM
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