Well, this past weekend was about as good as they come! As I wrote previously, I had a mini-vacation in Bangkok with my friend Jamie from Villanova. Only a two-and-a-half hour flight from Hong Kong, Bangkok feels worlds apart. Coupled with my first trip to Northern Thailand back in February, this past weekend convinced me that the country is one of the world's most spectacular ‘must-visit’ destinations.
We Americans like to think of Europe as the only place to go for culture and international travel, but in my book, Asia really wins in many regards. There is really so much to explore, and Bangkok is a perfect case in point. In addition to being an easy, cheap and accessible weekend destination for us Hong Kongers, Bangkok is one of the most popular locales in Asia, thanks to its grand sights, delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. So far, it is the most exotic place I have ever visited, literally unlike anywhere else I've been. Now sitting in my office again for another week at work, I am left questioning, "Why on Earth did I wait more than eight months to make the trip?" If I could do it all again, I would have first gone within weeks of arriving in Hong Kong, and I plan on making subsequent trips several times per year! There is so much to see, and the experience was wonderful.
We Americans like to think of Europe as the only place to go for culture and international travel, but in my book, Asia really wins in many regards. There is really so much to explore, and Bangkok is a perfect case in point. In addition to being an easy, cheap and accessible weekend destination for us Hong Kongers, Bangkok is one of the most popular locales in Asia, thanks to its grand sights, delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. So far, it is the most exotic place I have ever visited, literally unlike anywhere else I've been. Now sitting in my office again for another week at work, I am left questioning, "Why on Earth did I wait more than eight months to make the trip?" If I could do it all again, I would have first gone within weeks of arriving in Hong Kong, and I plan on making subsequent trips several times per year! There is so much to see, and the experience was wonderful.
Even if the trip had been arduous and expensive, it would have been completely worth it. Luckily it was neither—a breeze in terms of easiness and I spent about as much as I would have had I simply stayed in Hong Kong! I guess it’s the 32-to-1 exchange rate the US dollar enjoys against the Thai baht.
So… on Friday afternoon I left work a little bit early, at 4:30pm. Since I got my ticket at “In Town Check-In” earlier in the day, I simply took the Airport Express and proceeded straight to my gate. Thai Airways’s motto is ‘Smooth as Silk’ and I was very impressed with my flight. The food was good, and I sat next to a fascinating guy—a Belgian diamond salesman who now lives in Botswana and spends his time visiting diamond mines and factories around Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jamie and I had booked a guesthouse on the river as our accommodation, called the Arun Residence. And since I arrived about two hours before him, I headed to the guesthouse and sat out on the deck overlooking its namesake, Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn), quenching my thirst with some Singha as I awaited his arrival.
So… on Friday afternoon I left work a little bit early, at 4:30pm. Since I got my ticket at “In Town Check-In” earlier in the day, I simply took the Airport Express and proceeded straight to my gate. Thai Airways’s motto is ‘Smooth as Silk’ and I was very impressed with my flight. The food was good, and I sat next to a fascinating guy—a Belgian diamond salesman who now lives in Botswana and spends his time visiting diamond mines and factories around Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jamie and I had booked a guesthouse on the river as our accommodation, called the Arun Residence. And since I arrived about two hours before him, I headed to the guesthouse and sat out on the deck overlooking its namesake, Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn), quenching my thirst with some Singha as I awaited his arrival.
Incredible view of Wat Arun (or the Temple of Dawn) from our guesthouse
Bangkok is known for many things, including its nightlife. Since we only had two nights there, we had to go out that first one, even though we had booked a tour to pick us up at our hotel the next morning at 7:30am. Out on the town, we met a lot of great locals who really took pride in showing off some of the charms of the city. But we did have to be up very early the next morning, which we were mindful of throughout the evening. "Mindful" meaning we were well aware of the fact, though it didn't really persuade us to cut our night short.
Jamie and I got to try fried crickets from a local food stall our first night out in Bangkok.
Just before 8am the next morning, we were off to Kanchanaburi for the jam-packed kind of day that can only be had in Thailand. First off was a stop at the Kanchanaburi Military Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of allied soldiers who died of starvation and disease while building the infamous “Death Railway” connecting Thailand and Burma during World War II.
The war cemetery
After a few moments at the poignant cemetery, we were whisked to the famous “Bridge on the River Kwai” itself, where we got to explore the bridge up close before crossing it via train during an hour-and-a-half long ride on the railway, past lush Thai landscapes, mountains, wats and farms.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge movie fan, and The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the most incredible films of all time. Starring two of my favorite actors, Alec Guinness and William Holden, the David Lean-directed classic won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1957. (Guinness also won the Best Actor award that year for his incredible performance, and Lean was named Best Director.) I highly recommend seeing it at some point, even if you don't plan on coming to Thailand. Having seen the film and known the history of the spot greatly enhanced the experience of visiting the actual site, even if the movie itself was filmed in Sri Lanka!
The actual Bridge on the River Kwai...
Errr, well the rebuilt one, since the original blows up in the film's famous finale!
The ride itself was extremely interesting. Our tour guide gave us lots of local color along the way, pointing out different crops and sights passing by. Our 300 baht tickets also included tea and cookies, though we preferred to bring our own Singha! At first, we were supposed to simply stop and explore the bridge before driving on to the next part of the tour, but luckily Jamie and I both insisted that we actually take the famous train itself. And, of course, we whistled the "Colonel Bogey" theme from the movie as we did so.
With a very austere-looking official on the train ride
After the ride, we had a quick lunch in a local Thai restaurant before one of the weekend’s most memorable adventures—the elephant encounter! Jamie and I (with a guide of course) mounted a domesticated Thai elephant who gave us the ride of our life, up and down hills and into the River Kwai! He sprayed water at us with his trunk (see the first picture at the top of this post) and then got us completely soaked when he entirely submerged himself in the river! I don’t think I will ever forget that ride.
Riding the elephant
Without warning, he completely submerged himself in the water during our ride!
As if that weren’t enough, next we went to the famous Tiger Temple where monks, tigers and international volunteers live peacefully side by side. We got loads of photos with the tigers, and got to explore the compound. I even chatted with a Norwegian volunteer living with the tigers for six months who really seems to be enjoying her experience, “even though there is a lot of meditation time,” as she told me.
With a baby cub at Tiger Temple
Jamie and me with another tiger
Back in Bangkok that night we strolled around the markets of Sukhumvit, one of the city’s most well-known tourist spots. Afterwards we found a phenomenal poolside lounge with huge, comfortable seats, where we intended to have a drink or two before heading out. But we got a little too content, and a little too comfortable, and both fell asleep until the manager woke us up to say they were closing!!
Sunday we had to cram in all of the Bangkok tourist spots we wanted to see, since we had spent all day on Saturday in Kanchanaburi. First up was Wat Po, right near our guest house. Wat Po’s most extraordinary feature is the spectacular Reclining Buddha. The statue is almost 150 feet long and about 50 feet high—truly a sight to behold. It took us about ten minutes to walk around the entire Buddha.
Sunday we had to cram in all of the Bangkok tourist spots we wanted to see, since we had spent all day on Saturday in Kanchanaburi. First up was Wat Po, right near our guest house. Wat Po’s most extraordinary feature is the spectacular Reclining Buddha. The statue is almost 150 feet long and about 50 feet high—truly a sight to behold. It took us about ten minutes to walk around the entire Buddha.
Wat Po
The huge reclining Buddha inside the temple
Next up was the Grand Palace, perhaps the most impressive royal residence I have ever visited in my life! Since shorts are not allowed at the Grand Palace, Jamie and I had to fork over 130 baht to purchase the most ridiculous pants to wear over our shorts. I will never understand the mindset of the dress code! It’s considered disrespectful to wear a pair of brown shorts around the Grand Palace, but somehow completely fine to walk around in bright blue and green fish-print pants that stick out like a sore thumb.
Note the pants
Long pants or no long pants, the complex was stunning, filled with wats, models, gardens, a museum and the official residences of King Rama IX. The fusion of Eastern and Western architecture and design made for a dazzling display of intricate craftsmanship. For me, this attraction ranks pretty much at the top of my list of favorite Asian sights so far.
After a three baht (nine cents!!!) ferry ride across the Chao Phraya River, we finally got to see the Wat Arun up close. The Arun Residence is directly opposite the Wat on the other side of the river, so we could see it from our room, from the restaurant, from the hallway windows and from the hotel bar. But until you climb the structure, it’s impossible to fully grasp the intricate decorative details that grace its façade. Imbedded in the cement are hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces of glass—old bowls and ceramics donated by the locals—that come together to form a sort of mosaic covering the temple. Every view of Wat Arun is spectacular, and nobody should miss this sight when in Bangkok.
After a three baht (nine cents!!!) ferry ride across the Chao Phraya River, we finally got to see the Wat Arun up close. The Arun Residence is directly opposite the Wat on the other side of the river, so we could see it from our room, from the restaurant, from the hallway windows and from the hotel bar. But until you climb the structure, it’s impossible to fully grasp the intricate decorative details that grace its façade. Imbedded in the cement are hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces of glass—old bowls and ceramics donated by the locals—that come together to form a sort of mosaic covering the temple. Every view of Wat Arun is spectacular, and nobody should miss this sight when in Bangkok.
Wat Arun up close, with the Grand Palace across the river
After a quick lunch at a local restaurant, it was time for Jamie to make his way to the airport. He headed off in his taxi, and I sat out on the deck at our guesthouse for another two hours, gazing across the river at Wat Arun, enjoying some Singha until my own flight home later that afternoon. It was a phenomenal weekend that I will never forget. Now I’m looking forward to Jamie’s visit to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks, and—if you couldn’t guess from this blog entry—I definitely cannot wait to go back to Bangkok!
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