Bangkok 

First, let me preface these observations with noting that we’ve never been to Thailand before, we have only been here 3 days, and are limited in what we’ve seen. So, for what it’s worth…

If you are arriving from a country like Japan, which is currently cool and rainy, the heat that smacks you in the face the minute you exit the airport terminal in Bangkok is noticeable. Very noticeable. The next thing that you realize is that Bangkok appears to be a city of considerable contradictions. There are very new, very modern, and very, very tall buildings everywhere. The architecture is interesting, beautiful, varied, and sometimes startling. These buildings are high rise condominiums, offices, hotels, etc. 

The contradiction is the overwhelming poverty in between and all around these symbols of wealth and prosperity. Side by side with the symbols of wealth are extreme slums that resemble the hutongs in Beijing; long alleys lined with old dilapidated, small, crowded, dirty and seemingly falling down houses; and through it all are lush tropical greenery. Sharing the space with the wealth and poverty are the Buddhist temples. They are everywhere, over 33, 000 nationwide, and most are ornate and very beautiful.

Just to complicate things are the masses of cars, motorcycles, and bicycles all driving by whatever rules they choose to follow or make up as they go. One afternoon  I held my breath as our driver, along with hundreds of other drivers, created a third lane on a two lane freeway.  

No matter how scary the ride is, there are many, many sites worth seeing and experiencing.  The first night we had dinner on the 78th floor of a tower. Although the food wasn’t very good, the view was spectacular. Other than not having a rotating floor, we also have an incredible view from our hotel room located on our hotel’s 33rd floor. 

The first day we had a private tour a couple of hours out in the countryside. We saw a lot of salt farms, where sea salt is extracted from ocean water, then boarded a local train that took us to the Railway Market. As the train pulls into the station, you realize that the market overlaps the tracks - literally. Within inches of the train are crowds of locals and tourists waving at you and taking pictures of you just like you are of them. You exit the train into sheer chaos and as soon as the train pulls out, the vendors extend their stalls to the absolute edge of the tracks and shoppers swarm all over the tracks. Shortly afterward the signal goes out that the train is returning. Everyone is supposed to get behind a red line, and the vendors roll back awnings, barrels, tubs, fish, fruit, vegetables, clothes, and whatever else they are selling, just enough to let the train go by, and then it starts all over again. And the heat is nearly unbearable. 

From the Railway Market, a short drive brought us to the Floating Market. We boarded a long tail boat powered by a man with a paddle. Our boat played bumper cars with the other boats as we traversed the floating market, where you could buy all kinds of food, fruits, vegetables, and tourist goods. I even saw someone’s pet python in a stall. 

   

 

 Sunday was Election Day in Thailand. While we waited for the train, we were next to an open air polling place where we were able to watch the local people vote. And we can’t forget one of the biggest highlights of this tour was an early pit stop where we  found a Krispy Kreme store.

  As we traveled along, I couldn’t help but notice an unusual decoration in front of most of the houses.  They look like miniature temples on a  post; all different sizes , colors, and varying degrees of elaboration. These are Spirit Houses, placed outside as a home for the spirits for protection of the  family.

All over both the city and countryside, markets are everywhere and frequently are open only at night when it’s cooler.  At the same time, the biggest “market” I’ve ever been in is the giant mall “Icon Siam “ on the river in Bangkok.  As modern a shopping center as you could wish for, it has a gigantic food hall and an endless number of stores.

  Another thing that is absolutely everywhere `are pictures of the King with proclamations of “Long Live the King”. Frequently the Queen is with him in the pictures. In Thailand any criticism or anything negative about the King and his family are illegal.  That’s part of what makes the election outcome so interesting.

Their elections resemble Great Britain’s as they are voting for their representatives and the preferred party. The winning party then selects the Prime Minister. Our guide on Monday’s tour was so excited about the election results that he just had to share the good news. It was a landslide from all corners of the country and now, for the first time in their history, the government will be run young people; people in their 30’s and 40’s. For a long time, they have suffered under a repressive military regime that jailed people for simply speaking out. This time 75% of eligible citizens actually voted and the military lost. Since there is a movement to eliminate the monarchy, perhaps the new government will change the status quo. We were on a dinner cruise when we passed the Grand Palace and all I could think of was that Anna just wanted a house outside the palace walls.  

 Our tour yesterday was long - 12 hours, but was well worth the time. We were close to the Myanmar border to see the actual Bridge on the River Kwai as well as one of three cemeteries where P.O.W.’s are buried (after their bodies were located in the jungles alongside the railroad tracks when the war was over), and a museum located in one of the prison camps. After walking out on the bridge that was built by the P.O.W.’s, we boarded a train that crossed it and continued for an hour and a half on the actual track built by the starving, sick, and dying prisoners. We found out that the steel bridge did blow up (not by William Holden; but by American planes dropping bombs.) A temporary wooden bridge was then built, but was torn down after the war when Thailand rebuilt the damaged span. Although these events took place before we were born, the sight of the graves, being in one of the “barracks”, and standing on the original span, was extremely moving.  

As I write this we are in the airport awaiting our flight to Chaing Mai and the elephant preserve.