The Kimchi Life: Thailand Part 1: Bangkok

For Chirstmas vacation I traveled to Thailand for my first trip abroad. Finally, the title of my blog, "Asian" Adventures, fits. No longer simply "Korean" adventures. My sister's good friend, Molly, was kind enough to house me for the first leg of my trip in Bangkok. Molly is a US government contractor in Bangkok and she has a lovely apartment in the heart of the city.

Bangkok is like any other city: large, busy, polluted, too many people. Like Seoul, but even to more extreme of an extent, one can see the old and new side by side in stark contrast to one another. Along the Chow Phraya River that divides the city in two, one sees rusted tin roof shacks built right over the edge of the river. Colorful laundry dries on lines beside towering luxury hotels, where people pay prime money for posh suites that overlook the city.

The first day I was in Bangkok, I ventured out by myself and saw a snake show at the Red Cross where I saw lots of deadly snakes and got to hold a boa constrictor and saw them milk a poisonous snake. This is where they create all the anti venoms in Southeast Asia. Then I went to The Jim Thompson House. He is an American who revitalized the Thai silk industry in the 50's and 60's. I also went to the night bazaar where I bought my souvenirs, which is really neat.

One of the funnest things I did was to take a 50 cent express water taxi up the river with Molly. Public transportation in Bangkok is not good, and this is one of the best, and most unique ways to get around the city. I love being on the water as it is, but it provides a unique view of the city as you watch ornate temples and gleaming skyscrapers go by. Traffic on the river rivals traffic in the streets as longboats transport people, tour boats transport tourists, and huge barges transport goods up and down the river.

The Grand Palace was one of the highlights of my trip. The Thai architecture is gorgeous with its bright colors that sparkle in the sun and roof ornaments that look like griffins straining for the sky. The Grand Palace is a huge complex that includes Wat Phra Kaeo, which houses the Emerald Buddha. It's not really Emerald, it's jade, and it's kind of small, but it's very important in Thai Buddhism. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

The king of Thailand is probably the most loved monarch in the world. His birthday, which is in early December, is a huge holiday in Thailand. Decorations honoring him still covered the city.

When my plane landed in Bangkok we were greeted by huge signs that said "Long Live the King!" In Thailand the king has an almost demigod status. The people have a religious connection to their king, not simply a political one. In Thailand everyday has a color connected with it. Since the king was born on a Monday, yellow is his color, and everyone wears yellow on that day. Many have shirts with his emblem that say, "We love our king!". The Monday I was there about half the Thais were wearing yellow. It happened to be a holiday, however, and Molly said that on normal Mondays, 90% of the Thais where yellow. Despite his official designation as a constitutional monarch, the king is very powerful in Thailand. Nothing major gets done without his approval. Defamation of the monarchy is offense that will get one thrown in jail.

Later that day I went with Molly to Wat Pho- The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The statue of the Reclining Buddha is 150 feet long and completely plated in gold. It's quite impressive. Though it was quite crowded it still managed to be a peaceful temple. Lined along the back wall of the temple are about a hundred brass buckets in which you drop a small coin offering in order to receive your wish or your prayer. One walks down the line with a cup of tiny half baht coins and drop them in each bucket one by one. The temple is filled inside and out with the constant soft sound of tinkling coins. It's very peaceful.

I then went across the river to see the Temple of Dawn- Wat Arun. At the center of the temple is a huge tower. One can climb some very steep stairs to get a good view of the city. At sunset I went back across the river to take some sunset photos. After doing some hunting I found the perfect spot on a dock. Some lady told me I had to pay 30 baht in order to stand there. I told her it wasn't her dock so she couldn't charge me. I finally coughed up 10 baht (30 cents) to make her happy and leave me alone. It worked. And I got some great pics too!

The above photo was taken in Lumpini Park on the Sunday before Christmas, where I saw the orchestra play Christmas carols . Molly is the one in green. It was odd being in a a hot climate during Christmas. Somehow seeing reindeer, ornaments, and Christmas trees in the 90 degree heat just didn't seem to fit. It was interesting to see how much the Thais decorate for a holiday they don't even celebrate. Christmas Day is not a holiday in Thailand. Even in Korea, where 30% of the population is Christian, they only get Christmas Day off. They don't celebrate Christmas like we do.

Christmas Day was spent wondering the city stopping by some sights I had yet to see. Then I had dinner with Molly and her friends. It was a delicious traditional holiday meal with a turkey and all the fixings; I ate until I thought I was going to die of gluttony. The people were quite interesting too, being that most of them were ex patriots. Between the ten of us we had been over the entire world. Including Afghanistan. Ex patriots are some of the most interesting group of people that I've met. I will write down my thoughts on them in another blog. To say the least though, the conversation was fascinating listening to the exchange of adventures people had had around the world.

The next day I took a flight to Krabi, which is a town on the southern mainland of Thailand, on the west coast. This is where the second half of my trip takes place.