Arriving and Staying in Bangkok. After a two-hour flight on Air Bangkok (motto: And You Thought Vietnam Air’s Seats Were Uncomfortable!), we arrived in Thailand’s frenzied capital for the last few days of this wonderful tour.
In true A&K fashion, we were whisked through immigration in a VIP line and deposited on a comfortable, blissfully air-conditioned bus for our ride into the city.
Our base for the next couple of days: the Four Seasons, a posh palace plunked down in the middle of a rather unprepossessing part of the city. The Chao Praya river flows past the back of the hotel, offering nice views and a transportation artery to Bangkok’s main attractions.
Our final guided tour took in the Big Three sights: The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the adjacent Royal Palace, and the Reclining Buddha.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Royal Palace. We hopped on (actually, gingerly climbed into) a bobbing boat at the hotel’s dock, which deposited us (shaken, not stirred) half an hour later near the complex of sumptuous buildings comprising the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Along the way, we passed several interesting sights, including four diverse houses of worship and the impressive Temple of Dawn.
The Emerald Buddha complex (which effectively includes the Royal Palace) is a magnificent medley of gleaming towers, jeweled temples, and other religious and regal buildings, many guarded by fearsome mythical creatures.
Much of the ground-to-spire decoration on these structures consists of polished pieces of broken china, something I’ll keep in mind next time I accidentally shatter a plate on the kitchen floor.
After the Emerald Buddha, we took a short (and tame, compared to Vietnam) tuk-tuk ride to the Reclining Buddha.
The Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho). The Thai name for the temple housing the Reclining Buddha is Wat Pho, which my spell-check repeatedly attempted to change to “eat Pho” – generally admirable advice, but not in this instance.
The Reclining Buddha – 46 meters long and 15 meters high – represents the Buddha’s achievement of Nirvana. Alas (or thankfully), the temple smells of incense rather than teen spirit and, with all apologies, you can’t come as you are – long pants and shoeless feet are required.
(If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you know I can’t pass up an opportunity to make a musical reference, or two, or three.)
I saw these and, of course, T. Rex started running through my head.
ICONSIAM Mall Market Hall. On our final full day in Bangkok, we took a ten-minute boat ride fromour hotel to the ICONSIAM Mall. The Mall is a seven-story retail palace with the same high-end stores (Cartier, Gucci) and mall staples (Sephora, Auntie Anne’s) you’ll find anywhere – and a market hall unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
The market hall sits on the ground floor, steps from the dock. Here you’ll find all manner of exotic (to me) foods as well as kiosks selling colorful handmade clothes, wooden and stone crafts, and traditional medicines.
It’s a great place to people watch and ogle a wide variety of foods you probably wouldn’t find in the United States. (Whole roast crocodile, anyone? I will not inflict a picture on you; suffice to say your mental image probably doesn’t do justice to the hideousness of the poor creature.)
I think the Market Hall should be a stop on any Bangkok tour. The colors, smells, and sights are respectively vibrant, delicious, and eye-popping. (I can’t say the same for the sound; there was an endlessly repeating soundtrack of the same few Thai songs. I have to believe that even if you are a Thai who loves music, your ears eventually would resign in protest.)
I’ll move on in a moment to offering some travel tips and thanks, but first I want to make one restaurant recommendation: five of us had a delicious Thai meal, including a bottle of wine, two bottles of sparkling water, two bottles of still water, two appetizers, five entrees, and two desserts at a restaurant called Kurissara (1959/1, 75 Charoen Krung Road). The total cost, including a generous tip: around $140 US. The owner is delightful.
Indochina Travel Tips
I encourage everyone to come to this part of the world. There is a gentleness, serenity, and kindness that’s all too rare in the US, American tourists are genuinely welcomed, the food is fantastic, the cultures and history are fascinating, and the sights are stirring.
When planning a trip, however, keep two important things in mind.
First, it is HOT. Depending upon how refined you are, you will glow, glisten, perspire, sweat, or even schvitz. Your clothes will cling to you and you will probably want to shower more than once each day. Pack accordingly; you won’t be able to get as many days of wear from your outfits as you normally do.
Bring lots of sunscreen and something to cover your head. There’s lots of lightweight, sun-protective clothing out there. It’s worth getting some.
When you’re out, keeping a washcloth drenched in ice water under your hat is a great way to blunt the worst of the heat. It’s not exactly fashion-forward, but I’ll take comfort over heatstroke any day. (Bug spray also is a good idea.)
Second (and unfortunately, considering the heat), you must wear pants below your knees and cover your shoulders in the temples, whether they’re actively in use or ruins from centuries ago. You’ll need to remove your shoes before entering the temples, so it’s helpful to bring slip-ons and wear socks.
Thanks
Our guide for the past thirteen days, Mr. Ching, is unflappable, easygoing, informative, friendly, efficient, and always looking for ways to make our travel experience even more enjoyable. He’s a star! Thank you, Mr. Ching!!
Abercrombie & Kent delivered the goods. Our hotels were excellent, the local guides were wonderful, the itinerary was spot-on, and the company’s ability to speed us through airports was exceptional. Thank you, A&K!
I took this trip with two of my favorite people, Andy and Char, so I knew that even if the rest of our group wasn’t great I would still have a wonderful time. In reality, our group was better than great. I’ve met plenty of interesting people on my travels, but I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun or laughed so hard and so often. Thanks, fellow A&K travelers!
Finally, thanks to all of you who have put up with my puns, musical references, and opinions (and my penchant for parenthetical asides). If you like the blog, please follow it so I get a boost in search rankings and you get an email notification whenever I publish a new post.
Farewell for Now
My next trip will be in late July when I’m going hiking in Iceland. I’ll make a fresh round of posts then. In the meantime, I have several years of older posts covering every continent and dozens of countries, so feel free to do a deep dive into the archives.
I also have two other blogs that might be of interest: Jeff’s Puzzles, where I post a mini or midi grid every Wednesday and a regular size grid every Sunday, and It-Could-Be-Verse, where I post occasional poems, most of them humorous, some serious, and all seeking fresh ways to use the English language.
Ciao!
PuffinlessTravel 