Thailand (Part 1)

Another 3am start can only mean one thing, a big day of big travels! We arrived in Sydney for a short layover bleary eyed and sleepy, so sleepy that Mike forgot he had his full bottle of water in his hand luggage, prompting his second thorough search and swab of the day, oops! 

After 22 hours of travel we were very glad to arrive in Bangkok and despite the nerve-wracking taxi ride (Thailand has a unique driving style, and no limits on how many devices you can use while driving...) we soon crashed out for some much needed sleep.

We chose to use our feet to explore the city the following day and so we were glad to have brought some air masks, Bangkok was suffering from a severe smog problem due to unseasonable weather and the air quality was noticeably reduced. The masks meant we could breathe in sweaty comfort yet still experience the vast array of smells Bangkok has to offer. Having spent so long in the tranquillity of New Zealand, Bangkok was truly an assault on ALL of the senses. Especially Durian fruit, which definitely live up to their reputation of being stinky and are strictly an outdoor-only food.

After navigating pavements of varying structure and questionable safety we made it to the Erawan shrine. Erawan is a mythical elephant god with at least 3 heads (sometimes as many as 33) and is widely worshipped amongst both Hindu and Buddhist populations.

The shrine was very beautiful however the heat of the day prompted us to seek shade so we wiled away a happy couple of hours in a large air conditioned shopping mall where we found a fantastic Japanese restaurant and the "Thai supermodel 2019" contest. Street vendors and supermodels really help to highlight the many contrasts this developing country has to offer.

After another stroll through the humid heat of Bangkok we had a look around the temple complex of Wat Pathum Wanaram, built in Thai Buddhist style complete with monastery and gilded elephant statues. We were blown away by the beauty and scale of our first Thai temple.

One essential thing to do in Bangkok is to take a Tuk Tuk, so we did... No longer the sedate pedal of older times the souped up trikes race around with tuned exhausts, it was like being in a real life game of Mario Cart!

The following day we headed out to explore Lumphini park, home to giant lake lizards, Chinese pagodas, outdoor gyms and lorry tankers watering the plants. (Not all pictured below as irrigation is not that fascinating...)

Fancying a slightly different temple we headed to the Hindu temple Wat Phra Si Maha Utama Devi, renowned for it's 5 tiered tower of ornate, colourful carvings.

The next day after making it to the tour start point we had some spare time so went exploring. We found the river, loads of markets, an old fort and a wonderful temple. As the temple was hidden amongst the backstreets we were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves, free to explore and wonder in peace.

Back at the hotel we introduced ourselves to the group we would be travelling with and headed out towards the bustling Khao San Road area, famous for being backpacker party street.

The tour guide Mickey and his intern Andy gave us some tips on Thai culture, including how it is extremely disrespectful to point your feet at anyone, bathroom etiquette (paper goes in bins only) and Thai language. One thing that we liked about the language is that they have no gendered words, everyone is referred to in a neutral way and the speaker ends sentences with their preferred gendered pronoun, ka for women and khrup for men.

Hello – Sawadee (khrup/ka)

Thank you – khop khun (khrup/ka)

Our first tour stop was the famous floating markets where we tried local culinary treats such as coconut ice cream, roast apple with chili salt and coconut jelly things wrapped in banana leaves - all delicious.

In the afternoon we reached the town of Kanchanaburi and took a boat cruise along the river Kwai to visit the cave temples, with some interesting transport up the hill!

 

 

In the cave temple Mickey gave us an insight into Buddhism including how to correctly pray and why all temples are strictly no shoe zones. The Buddha was barefoot and wearing shoes in his presence makes you higher off the ground than him, a sign of disrespect. Also shoes are generally regarded as being dirty and are removed before entering homes. 

 

After trying our hands at fortune sticks and spotting some horseshoe bat colonies we headed back down the river towards the famous WWII railway bridge over the river Kwai where we caught a fantastic sunset.

After a wonderful meal we treated ourselves to the first of many Thai massages, Mike insists it was very relaxing despite his squeals. 

The next day had us hiking through Erawan National Park to the very top of the seven tiered Erawan falls, where a swim in the pool provided some much needed relief from the heat. The curious fish nibbling at any exposed skin was not so relaxing!

The following day we packed up early to take the long minibus ride to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. Once there we saddled up on some vintage bicycles and braved Thai traffic to explore the ruins. Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam, and a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767AD. 

** Fun fact **
In Thailand they use the Buddha era calender and so they are currently in the year 2562BE. Having the ruins and temples suddenly 500 years older made them even more spectacular.

It is tradition to have an item of value,usually gold, hidden within the heads of the Buddha statues and so all the statues within the city had been beheaded during the destruction. One head which had not been looted ended up getting caught within the roots of this tree.

Hopping back on the bikes we cycled over the river to the remains of a giant reclining Buddha where we joined in with ceremonial offerings of incense, flowers and gold leaf.

As we cycled back to the hotel we passed a temple where they were ringing the bells to summon the monks to prayer, the many residents stray dogs howled along with the bells to give a very atmospheric feel to the rapidly approaching dusk.

Reunited with our luggage the group took another racing Tuk Tuk ride to the train station where we would be catching the overnight train to Chiang Mai. 

While not as fancy as The Canadian the train was comfortable and surprisingly spacious, there was even the entertainment of a thunder storm during the night.

Next up: Northern Thailand and Bangkok revisited!