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Bangkok, Thailand

From Chaing Mai the night train took us to Ayutthaya, the historic capital of Siam located just a couple hours north of the current capital city.  The train ride was comfortable enough, though I was disappointed that sleeper cars exclude the vendors which roam back and forth with all sorts of interesting food and drink items for sale.  Arriving into town just before 6am we wandered into the morning market at the perfect time to breakfast on donuts and soy milk again (these had sesame, though).

After depositing our bags we grabbed bikes to explore the city.  Ayutthaya sits at the junction of 3 rivers with canals dug centuries ago to make sure it is completely surrounded by water.  Scattered both on and off the island are countless wats (temples) and a few other ruins of the capital city chosen by King U Thong (later Ramathibodi) in 1351.  Though at least 100km from the sea Ayutthaya has historically been a shipping a trade center with countless European and Asian nations due to the strong tides which push as much as 180km upstream from the gulf of Thailand.  After visiting the tourist center for a brief orientation Kelly and I rode to Wat Chai Wattanaram, which was designed to resemble Angkor Wat in Cambodia and is one of the most impressive in this area.  Next we explored the huge reclining buddha – the sculpture is about 8m tall and 42m long!  By the time we reached Wat Rachaburana it was past the middle of the day and unbearably hot and muggy.  Add to this that I was tired and in desperate need of a shower and there was little to be appreciated about Buddhist ruins any longer.  After some refreshment we took a 2 hour boat ride around the island to see a couple more wats and mostly to enjoy the scenery (and the breeze !).

Then back to Bangkok to pick up our luggage from storage and unwind and transition into Chinese and Spanish modes, respectively.  I was not sorry at all to leave Bangkok a month ago, but after that experience, and time in Thailand in general, fewer things are new and odd or overwhelming so the city is just big rather than aggravating and not nearly so unpleasant.  It also helps that we chose a neighborhood slightly removed from some of the craziness, to the north, but still on the river since my favorite mode of transportation is the river taxi.  We just wandered the other night and came across the social gathering point at the base of the Rama VIII bridge.  There were skateboarders, bmxers, interpretive dancers, aerobics to obnoxious techno, and a crowd of couple, friends, and families enjoying stall food alongside the river.  The bridge is impressive when lit up at night while the groups below all compete for your attention with their choice of activity.

Since Kelly flew to Taiwan (to visit family and get her Chinese visa) yesterday we celebrated my birthday a couple days earlier on the 1st.  We wandered about the royal palace and the amulet market (I wish I was privy to knowledge of the powers associated with each one) before a massage and pedicure each.  Seeking a view of the city we headed to the Oriental Hotel for drinks before dinner.  I knew this was an upscale place, but just how upscale was surprising and intimidating.  They didn’t turn us away, though, and we splurged on drinks priced like home in order to enjoy the ambiance of the river at sunset.  We sought a meal that was delicious and inventive and figured we could find that nice night out in a city of this size even though Bangkok is not known for its cuisine.  Le Datal Indochine promised Vietnamese-French dining (how could such a combination go astray?!) in a charming old house set in the middle of the city and seemed to be our answer.  The atmosphere was wonderful, but the food only confirmed the rumors and my suspicions that in Thailand every extra baht you spend on a meal and every extra decoration or service, beyond the usual Thai hospitality, provided during dining is taken as a toll from the flavor and substance of the food itself.  To be safe always eat the cheapest food from either a cart or restaurant missing at least one wall (it’s even better if the menu is nonexistent or only in Thai).  The food was good and the dinner very enjoyable, but nothing to wow me.  Something that did catch my attention during our meal was the fact that I’ve forgotten how to use a knife and fork together.  Every culture has there own way of eating: Americans a bit grungy with the fork doubling as a knife and their left hand in their lap, Europeans (at least the French from my experience with the Seniows, my host mom simply ate fast so details were lost on me) always cutting with the right hand, fork in the left and both utensils angled politely onto the plate when in rest, and the Thais with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left to guide food onto it (soups, however require chopsticks for plucking of chunks and noodles  onto the soup spoon).   At this fancier, western-style restaurant we were presented with all the tools so instincts told me knife and fork.  I felt like a fool, but was honestly fumbling (and relieved and amused that kelly was also) so switched back to the spoon and fork (it really is an effective system, I recommend it).

The best part of the night came afterwards: wine and cake.  Wine is generally difficult to find and expensive around here so I’ve missed it thoroughly lately.  And no birthday is really a birthday without a cake.

Now that Kelly’s gone and I have a cozy room with my own hot water bathroom, AC, and ocassional wifi I’ve taken a lifestyle not conducive to writing interesting blogs.  It’s simply nice to stay in one place for more than  night or two and be able to catch up on things (like planning for my destination, Barcelona).  I did explore Lumphini park yesterday which is an oasis in the city, though not a secret one as the paths were filled (literally, I felt like frogger as I was nearly trampled) with joggers and one corner hosted more group aerobics set to techno music.  If for some reason I were to spend considerable time in Bangkok I would insist on being near Lumphini so that could I run amongst its lakes and trees and be reminded of what grass feels like.

Today, my official birthday, I had no special plans except to take advantage of the street food while I’m still able.  At the market around the block I gorged on noodle soup, handboughs, a deepfried patty of greens and rice paper, and the most wonderful hot and sugar-covered donuts I’ve discovered yet (Happy Birthday to me!).  The pineapple, pomelo, and cashews were for later.  Time to go finish off that wine…

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