Thai sites for sore eyes
. The stone statues with big noses, beards, and top hats are caricatures of Westerners that are scary images to the Thai.
Chedis of the Four Kings, dedicated to the first four Chakri Kings: the green one to Rama I, the white to Rama II; the yellow to Rama III: and the blue one to Rama IV
The other side of the Farang gate
Wat Pho’s bot, (ordination hall) houses a bronze meditating Buddha image salvaged form the old capital Ayutthaya by King Rama I’s brother.
Pictures of the Reclining Buddha that is 150ft long and covered in gold leaf.
Applying gold leaf to Buddha images is a popular act of merit-making. Books of gold leaf can be readily purchased in the temples (wats), and the thin gold leaves are applied in profusion on Buddha images, wat decoration, and murals. It was also interesting to note that the Thai recognise that Buddha was a real person and so they will often clothe the images of Buddha to keep him warm in winter and provide other ‘clothing’ appropriate for the other seasons. We were there, this time, in the Thai winter and saw many images of Buddha, clothed in saffron coloured robes.
John next to Reclining Buddha
The striking intricate mother-of-pearl images on the soles of the Reclining Buddha represent the 108 lakshanas, which are the auspicious signs of the true Buddha. I have rotated the picture of the feet so that the images are more easily seen.
On the previous page another picture of the reclining Buddha with a monk nearby, that enables one to appreciate the size of the image.
This next picture was affected by the very white walls surrounding the area known as the ‘Garden of the Transplanted Tree’, but I wanted in include it because of its significance. The picture is of a Bodhi Tree that is said to have grown from a cutting of a Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka which in turn was grown from a cutting of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, meditated in India.
Other images from Wat Pho
As we were resting near the Bodhi Tree, we noticed a group of school children nearby. They were primary school age children and we were witnessing a presentation day of the pupils. When ever they could the children were running around playing chasing etc, but the teachers would call them into lines, with them all lining up in four groups according to the colour of the tee-shirts. It was funny to watch the older children try to be ‘cool’, while the younger ones just wanted to play around. There were obviously some very proud parents watching as well, with many presentations being captured on their cameras.
I know that I am repeating myself, but I stress that Wat Pho really is a ‘must see’ site in Bangkok. Although it was winter it was still quite warm for us, about thirty degrees centigrade so we did not stay long after lunch (we bought a couple of salad rolls from a cafeteria in the grounds of the temple). We walked back to the jetty and caught the next commuter boat back to Taksin pier, and then the sky-train and taxi back to Adam and Rosalind’s apartment. Adam was later than he had hoped, and the reason for his lateness was interesting. Apparently as his flight from Singapore to Bangkok was about to land they were diverted to a military airfield about ten minutes flight from Bangkok airport. They landed and waited on the tarmac for about twenty minutes before taking off and flying into Bangkok’s main airport. The reason for their flight being diverted was that the Crown Prince wanted to take his plane for a flight, and he took precedence. Adam was not impressed, nor I guess were all the other flights that were disrupted on a whim of the Crown Prince. Apparently the Crown Prince, who is in his fifties, does not enjoy a popular reputation with the majority of the Thai people, and there is some talk of the constitution being changed so that one of the Crown Princesses will be able to rule after the current King, Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Rama IX is much loved by the Thai people, though I was told by many Thai, that this love and respect is not extended to current Queen Sirikit or their son. Apparently the Thai people enjoy talking about two main things food, and gossip, but I should not pass on all the gossip I heard about the Royal Family. Though I must admit it makes all the talk about Prince Charles, and Mrs. Parker Bowles very tame by comparison.
Adam got changed quickly, and Adam and I walked quickly don to Soi Nang Linchi to get a tuk tuk to take us to the Thai boxing. The plan was to meet the ladies later at a restaurant, at which Adam had made a booking. The site for the fights is the Lumpini Boxing Stadium, on Rama IV road, not very far away. While we were in Bangkok we heard that a new stadium was going to be built in Soi (road) Nang Linchi, and that will be nearer to their apartment. However though I said it was not far away, that was in distance. In terms of time it was eons away, as the traffic on Rama IV was gridlocked. We were on the outside of the four lanes headed west, and Adam pointed out the stadium was located almost opposite us on the other side of the four lanes heading east. Adam looked at his watch, looked at me, and then the stadium. “Hey Dad, do you think you could make it over the fence?” Adam pointed out a metre and a half high metal fence on a narrow reserve, which divided the eight lanes of Rama IV into two lots of four. “I am game if you are”, I replied. Adam paid the tuk tuk driver adding his usual large tip, and jumped out and over the fence. I was close behind and pleased that I made it over the fence without crushing any of my more sensitive bits. Rama IV was congested on the side that we left, but the side we were contemplating crossing was moving well.
In fact all four lanes were moving at about one hundred kilometers an hour with little or no gaps in the traffic. “Follow me when there is gap in the traffic” shouted Adam above the roar of the traffic. “Yes no worries I replied”. Suddenly Adam was gone into the traffic and emerged a nano-second later on the kerb the other side of the four lanes. It was one of those situations when one sees something happen, you think about it, decide to take action and by the time that has all been computed by one’s brain, it is too late. I was just going to select my own opportunity and take it when I could. A couple of minutes passed, and I could see Adam and the far side talking to a Thai lady, who had a large leather bag and a clip board. Afterwards I discovered that she had sold Adam the tickets for that nights boxing in the stadium. Well back to the traffic, I made a couple of determined lunges, but each time the traffic in one lane or the other seemed to speed up, and close off any perceived gap through which I thought I might wriggle. “If the meal seems too big take it one bite at a time”, a strange thought to me as I have never thought any meal too big, but Rama IV did appear to be a case of ‘biting of more than I could chew’. “Ah bugger it”, I thought; and took a couple of large strides across the first lane, and then stood to attention as lanes three and four rushed past me on either side. A couple of times I felt some wing mirrors brush past my arms, but it seemed to me to be part of the ‘rich’ Thai experience. Another couple of large strides and lanes three and two were whizzing past, as I stood to attention again. A couple of times car horns blared in my ears as they went passed something which I did not appreciate. A couple of false starts and then large strides across lane two, leaving just the ‘slow’ lanes of one and two keeping me isolated from the kerb. I started to feel a bit fed up with the time it was taking, so just smiled at the traffic in lane one, and strode out in front of the ‘slow ‘lane, about 90kph, and reached the kerb feeling quite pleased with myself. The lady who had sold Adam the tickets, was patting her heart saying that she almost had a heart attack watching me and also mentioning that I was very lucky that the police were not around as what I had done was illegal and could result in a large fine. Adam was I think somewhat relieved also, but then could not stop laughing as he said that my crossing the road was like a video game called ‘Frogga’, where a frog tries to cross a four lane highway without getting squashed. Anyway the fights were just about to start so we hurriedly entered the stadium, and found our seats which were located about three rows from ringside. The Lumpinee Stadium, www.muaythailumpini.com or www.muaythaitour.com was currently the premier stadium, but was really only a very large shed with a concrete floor, and a tin roof. Most of the Thai observers were crammed onto a sloping concrete area separated, from the seating area by cyclone fencing. The seats are very basic folding chairs and are not built for comfort, rather I think for being light and easy to stack.
Thai Boxing or the Art of Muay Thai is very popular in Thailand, and in many other parts of Asia. It has a long and distinguished history in Thailand. The fighters utilize many different parts of their bodies as muay thai weapons, including hands, elbows, knees, head and feet. They are known as the ‘Nawa Awut’, nine weapons. There is a philosophy associated with it, which suggests that the fighters will be most effective when the combine their souls, sprits, incantations, music, literature, virtue, ethics and manners.
Before the fighter can compete, they must perform, in the ring, an important tradition of Muay Thai, which is Wai Khru. Wai Khru is an ancient custom requiring that the fighter pay his utmost respect to his parents, teachers and the sacred things that the fighters respects. It is also done to ask for protection and victory in the competition. Wai Khru also helps to stimulate the mind of the fighter and intimidate his opponent. If both fighters perform the same form of Wai Khru, it means that they have the same teacher. When the fighters perform the ritual of Wai Khru they must turn their face towards the residences of the King, their parents and teacher. It is done to show their reverence towards the King and their gratitude towards their parents and teachers.
The score is determined by:
The fighter who uses Muay Thai’s weapons (punches, elbows, knees and feet) correctly according to the rules, and can weaken or damage his opponent the most will be the winner.
The fighter who uses Muay Thai’s weapons to cause more cuts and bruises will be the winner. (I don’t see much difference between 1 and 2, but them’s the rules)
The fighter who makes more moves will be the winner.
The fighter who can protect himself, can fight back when he gets hit, and can avoid being hit according to Muay Thai’s techniques will be the winner.
The fighter who commits no fouls or fewer fouls will be the winner. (Though no-one seemed to be able to tell me what constituted a foul)
There are twelve ‘moves’ that are described as follows:
1. Chakr Naraya: a fast turn around hitting the opponent’s jaw or chin with the back of your elbow.
2. Bata Lubpaktr: when your opponent tries to hit you with their left fist you hit it to your right with your right hand, and kick or give a vigorous shove with your right foot to the tip of their chin or face.
3. Hak Kow A-rawan when you jump and hold your opponents neck and bend him forward so you can hit him with your knee to his face.
4. A-rawan Seuy Nga: is using your fist to fend off a blow from your opponent, and then immediately hitting inside his blow to strike him on the chin.
5. Kwang Leaw Lang, a backwards kick or vigorous shove followed up immediately with a kick to the tip of the chin or stomach.
6. Phra Ram Daen Dong, an important technique, which utilises the propulsion of a jump to deliver a knee into the chin or face of your opponent.
7. Phra Ram Sakodtup, this is meant to use the power of surprise, combining the power of a jump, and a kick using the heel of your foot to the stomach or chin of your opponent.
8. Taen Kwadlan, when you move alongside your opponent and deliver kicks to his ankles.
9. Jorakae-Fedhang, after using the heel of your foot to deflect your opponent’s attack you swing around and use your swinging heel to hit your opponent’s stomach or neck.
10. Naraya Kam Samutr (sounds like Kama Sutra to me.) to perform this you must be competent and intelligent; it involves a high jump over the kick from your opponent delivering a kick to his face or neck.
11. Dub Chawala, this involves evading a blow from your opponent by moving to your left, and then moving back to your right, and hitting your opponent’s eyes or face.
12. Chawa Sadhok, here you duck left under a blow from your opponent’s right hand, and hit him in the stomach with your right elbow.
Before the start of the proper bouts we were ‘treated’ to a traditional bout where the two fighters did not wear gloves, but instead had their hand bound with cords. I think it was meant to be just a display, but after a couple of hits in the mouth with hands covered in heavy rope I think they became genuine in their endeavors to do some damage to each other. I should also mention the live orchestra. There were about five musicians on a little stage about twenty feet from the ring. Throughout all the bouts their music was very loud, the instruments include drums and a ‘chanter’ from a set of bagpipes I think. The music sounded to me very Turkish.
There were six fights on the program, four preliminaries, and then a title bout followed by one more. The boxing trunks were very colourful, as were the cords and feathers that most wore around their biceps. The Wai Khru ceremony each fighter performed before their bout was fascinating, it appeared to me that some of them were trying to replicate the soaring actions of eagles as they ‘danced’ around the ring. I think that each bout comprised three rounds; after the first bout in which the fighter from the ‘blue’ corner won I asked Adam which corner he fancied for the next bout. Adam selected red and I went for blue again. I said that I was working on the principle that the blue corner fighters would win for a couple of bouts to encourage the punters to bet on the blue corner then when the most money was on the fighter in the red would win. Adam said that betting was illegal, but it was very apparent that many bets were being made and taken in the ‘bleechers’. Bouts one, two, three and four were all won by the fighters in the blue corner. Bout number four was interesting as it was won by a knockout in the last round, Adam said that this was most unusual, as very few are won by knockouts. Most of the attacks seem to me to involve knees into the ribs and by the time each bout finished most of the fighters and very red looking ribs. The one who got knocked out had a very red face as well as he spilt a bit of ‘claret’ around. The fifth bout which was the title bout involved the nineteen year old champion, in the red corner, who looked like a very young Mohamed Ali to me, and an older looking opponent with a broken nose and a very mean look. I said to Adam that this was the time that the red corner would win as all the superstitious money would be on the blue, and the pretty boy champion would need to retain his championship against the mean looking contender making more money for the bookie. Round one the champion did not look to be doing any good, and three or four of his owners took the end of the round as an opportunity to get up close, and personal, and provide some very loud and ‘sage ‘ advice about what he should be doing. The rest of the rounds went the same and it was no surprise when the contender was declared the winner, from the blue corner, and a new champion was given his very large ‘belt’.
Well so much for my theory of it changing to the red corner. I went to the ‘gents’ and was quite surprised to find that they also served as the fighter’s dressing room, and their first aid station. When I got back to Adam, he said that we would not be able to stay for the last bout as we were already late for meeting the girls for diner where they were already waiting for us. Adam had made a reservation at an Art restaurant, which displays works of art for sale as well as providing fine meals. It is called ‘ Eat Me’ and as it is run by an Australian queen, perhaps the title is appropriate though not very subtle. The girls were seated at a table on an outside balcony, and had already enjoyed a couple of aperitifs. The meals and wines were excellent and we were all so full of bonhomie that we were again the last customers to leave, getting home about 0100.
Sheila and I were up at 0550 next morning so that we could have an early breakfast, before Rosalind drove us to the Hotel Shangri-La. Sheila had organized for us to go on a day trip, and the trip was under the aegis of the Hotel, and was the place we were to leave from. Rosalind is an excellent driver in Bangkok, and even though we went to the Oriental Hotel first, Rosalind had no problem getting back into the main road traffic, and doing a quick u-turn and dropping us at the Shangri-La, which is very close to the Oriental. We had plenty of time to spare before the scheduled 0800 departure time, and a very pleasant lady, at an enquiry desk in the lobby suggested, that we might like to have a coffee in the lobby lounge area, overlooking the river. We did as she suggested, and I would have to say that the décor, surroundings and the staff underline the hotels reputation as one of the best in the world.
Hotel Shangri-La in Bangkok
The large air-conditioned coach arrived in front of the reception area at 0756, I was impressed; and our male tour guide invited the twenty of so tourists, including us to get aboard the coach. Our first destination 60 kilometres north of Bangkok was Ayutthaya, the capital city of Thailand before Bangkok. We were pleased that the coach was air-conditioned, and only about half full as it was a warm day. The coach was equipped with a very good sound system, that the guide was using to full effect as we headed north, it was also fitted with little frilly curtains on the windows. It was a pity that not as much effort had gone into the clutch, as about fifteen kilometers along the motorway we noticed a bit of a smell in the cabin which preceded the coach driver taking the next off ramp and just about reaching a truck parking area and bus interchange. It was quickly apparent that the clutch had ‘died’ and that coach was going no-where. This was confirmed by two Japanese tourists in our group, one of whom was a bus engineer and his brother a driver. Our tour guide tried to make ‘light’ of it and told us that he had used his mobile telephone to call up a replacement bus, and that it would be with us in fifteen minutes. I was somewhat skeptical, and thought we would be subject to a Thai interpretation of time that is more flexible than we might be used to expect at home. However, his forecast was correct and within twenty minutes we had transferred to another bus, albeit a little smaller, but still large enough for our group, and also with the all important air-conditioning working well. The guide told us that we were to meet our boat at 1300 for lunch and a four hour trip back down the river to Bangkok, and because of the unfortunate delay we would have to trim a few minutes off each of the sites we were to visit. As we approached the outskirts of Ayutthaya, I was surprised at how open and green it seemed, when compared to Bangkok. It has a population of about 900,000 and to me appeared to be a far more pleasant place in which to live, and is not very far from Bangkok. Though, I guess that the Bangkok traffic would make commuting to and from Bangkok each day an impossible dream.
Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I, Ayutthaya grew from a small town with mud walls on an artificial island on the Chao Phraya River into one of the largest most cosmopolitan cities in Southeast Asia. It was conceived, like Bangkok later, as an island fortress, formed by digging a canal at a point where the Lopburi River curved sharply. Later canals were dug linking the city with the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers, and these in time became the main courses of the two rivers. Canals also provided avenues of communication within the walled city, as well as out into the surrounding countryside. Huge water gates blocked the access to the city when they were under attack.
It was the centre of Thai power for more than 400 years, its rule extending over the entire Central plains as well as many areas of the far east and south. The 33 rulers of Ayutthaya adopted the Khmer concept of divine kingship, complete with Brahminic rituals, and built spectacular palaces as well as great Buddhist monuments; most of the major remains visitors see today were constructed in the city’s first 150 years. I found it fascinating to see the very obvious influence of ancient Indian architecture. The peak of the city’s opulence was in the 17th century, when ships from all over the world sailed up the Chao Phraya River to trade and Ayutthaya had a population of mote than a million. During the reign of King Narai (1657-1688), French ambassadors came from the court of Louis XIV in 1685 and 1687, following a request for a visit, delivered by a second Thai ambassador who was sent to Paris in 1684; the first was lost at sea in 1681. Ayutthayan power began to decline after the death of King Narai, and a series of wars ensued with Burma.
In 1767, after a 15 month siege, the city fell to an invading army that burned almost every building, when it fell to the Burmese, and 990,000 out of 1,000,000 people were killed. Led by the future King Taksin, the Thai expelled the Burmese, but Ayutthaya was so thoroughly destroyed that the capital was moved further downriver to Thonburi, then Bangkok.
Some views of Ayutthaya, the Reclining Buddha, dressed for winter, in a ruined ‘wihan’ at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. The chedi in the background, one of the largest in Ayutthaya, was built by King Naresuan (1590-1605) to celebrate his victory over the Burmese at Nong Sarai in 1593.Flanking steps to the chedi are two mon-dops housing seated Buddha. These can be seen on the next pages:
About fifty metres in front of this chedi is a small shrine at the foot of a Bodhi tree. Apparently at some time in the past, some Burmese invaders knocked a head off a Buddha image and it rolled to the foot of a Bodhi tree, and then over many years the roots of the tree encased the head and this unnatural phenomena has become s site of worship.
Bodhi tree with Buddha image, at Ayutthaya
Al though it was very warm we enjoyed walking around the area and taking photographs of the different architecture.
Ayutthaya scenes on the next few pages
The ‘Indian’ influence on the large ‘prang’ in the background
It was with some relief that we got back to the bus and its air-conditioning. However just as we were about to board the coach we noticed a young Thai lady with a table set up by the coach steps. She pointed to the table, then at Sheila, and to a particular ‘plate’. On this plate was a colour photograph of Sheila. We had no idea when they took the photograph, but were very impressed with the speed with which they had organised everything. It looked a real bit of ‘kitch’, but we felt that her ingenuity deserved some reward and we paid the equivalent of Australian $5.00, it still sits on a chest of drawers at home.
The ‘plate’
The next stop, nearby was the elephant coral at Ang Thong. We took a couple of photographs here; but may have been a little more circumspect, if we had known what we were told after we returned; that a Newsagent from Bathurst had been killed about ten years ago, by an elephant here. Given that elephants have good memories, it was probably appropriate that we did not mention we were from Bathurst. We were impressed with some ‘photo albums’ made of paper manufactured from elephant dung. However we did not buy them as we thought that they might not get through quarantine and inspection. We have been told since that it would not have been a problem.
Elephants at Ang Thong
A few miles down the Chao Phraya River from Ayutthaya is the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace. The site was first used by the royal court as a retreat from the hot weather, in the 17th century, but fell into ruin after the fall of Ayutthaya; it was restored by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century, though most of the buildings that exist today date from the reign of King Rama V, who regularly spent his summers there. We were told by our guide that Queen Elizabeth II of England, and Princess Alexandra were guests there in 2004. Typically of the King Rama V reign, the structure represents a variety of architectural styles, set in a large park around ponds and waterways. The only one of the royal residences open to the public is the Chinese-style Vehat Chamroon Palace, constructed entirely of materials imported from China. In addition, there is an Italian-style palace, a circular pavilion with steps leading down to a pool, the very graceful Thai- style Aisawan Tippaya Asna pavilion in the middle of a lake, and across one of the waterways, a Buddhist chapel in neo-gothic style with stained glassed windows. Scattered around the extensive gardens are European statues, as well as monuments erected by King Rama V in memory of members of his family, one of whom was a much loved Queen, who was drowned in a boating accident. As we drew into the car-park our guide said that we would find at least twenty good photo-opportunities. I must admit I treated this remark with some distain; but he proved to be accurate. As we disembarked, we noticed a large number of buses entering the car-park just after us; and they were all full of school children. It transpired that it was National Children’s day, and the Summer Palace was a favorite destination, I was a little concerned that we might be overrun by hordes of screaming children, but my fears were ill-founded as the grounds are very extensive, and they children happy excited, but well behaved. To enter the grounds everyone has to pass through metal detectors, and submit their bags for a search. I guess that as it is an official royal residence security would be an issue. This would also explain the presence of armed soldiers discretely guarding the various parts of the palace.
Because of our need to be at the boat at 1300 we were only able to spend forty minutes at the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace; and if and when we go back to Bangkok, it is another place that we want to see again with much more time to appreciate the buildings, and the immaculate gardens. It is possible to hire ‘golf buggies’ to drive around, but we opted to walk so that we had more freedom to wander where we wanted.
On the next few pages are some of the many photographs that we took in a very short time.
Sheila and John, just inside the gardens of the Summer Palace at Bang Pa-In. In the background is the Aisawan Tippaya Ansa pavilion.
A closer view of the Aisawan Tippaya Ansa pavilion
Sheila and I were very impressed with every aspect of the Summer Palace, and adored the whimsical topiary, featuring elephants, deer, and rabbits.
Just to the left of this lake is the Chinese-Style Vehat Chamroon Palace. We did not have time to go inside, but I did climb the pagoda style tower nearby and take a couple of photographs from near the top.
While I was climbing the tower, Sheila made friends with some of the school children, they were keen to try out their English “hello”, but thrilled when Sheila greeted them in Thai using the correct female suffix.
I am not sure of the ‘style’ of this tower though it did remind Sheila and I, of Dream World on the Gold Coast Queensland, for some reason that we could not recall.
In this photograph are featured some of the European statues, and some ‘local’ live ones.
This visit was over all too soon, but we were pleased to get back on the coach on times as the guide had warned us that the coach would have to leave at the designated time and that if anyone missed the departure they would have to find their own way back to Bangkok via taxi. I am not sure if he would have carried out his threat, but as I appreciate people being punctual I was happy that it had the desired effect and everyone in our group were back in time, and we left for the boat.
The jetty was quite close to Bang Pa-In, in a small riverside village called Bang Sai; it was established in 1982 by Queen Sirikit as a place where farmers are given the opportunity to learn traditional crafts and thus acquire a supplementary source of income. There are regular demonstrations of basket making, cloth weaving, and leatherwork. There was a large modern impressive building, near the jetty, that houses the demonstrations and also a souvenir shop that markets the finished products.
The boat is about sixty feet long with a very large dining room between decks that has tables for four on each side next to very large windows the whole length of the dining room. As we were seated we were given cold towels to refresh ourselves and cool drinks. The table cloths were white linen and everything was very clean and tidy. Lunch was announced son after we pulled away from the jetty. It was a huge smorgasbord of dishes hot and cold; European, Thai and Japanese and with some acknowledgement of American tastes with various flavored sauces for the ice-cream. The quality and quantity of the food was excellent, and when followed by coffees and teas the afternoon slowly drifting down the river was an ideal way to travel back to Bangkok. I took a number f photographs trying to show the huge difference between some of the palatial private houses of wealthy businessmen, with the ‘shacks’ of some of their neighbors. I was also very interested in the tiny boats that were pulling strings of large barges behind them. These barges are used for transporting many things on the river including rice, cement etc. It seemed to me that when they had the full barges in tow they were barely making any headway, and it would take them many days to reach the docks. On many of the barges were little shelters that I guess were the family home for many of the families on the river.
Some laden barges
A new temple being built alongside the river
Some of the mansions and some of their neighbors
The four hour trip ended back at the Shagri-La Hotel at 1658, and Rosalind drove into the pick-up area by reception at 1700; very impressive, followed by a very quick trip back to their apartment. On the way I did ask Rosalind why some cars in Bangkok have red number plates. The answer is that every new car is obliged to be driven with red number plates for the first eight weeks after purchase, regardless of how long the driver may have had their licence. During that week the car is not supposed be driven after dark. We did not find out the rationale behind this regulation, but I guess that it might be something to do with the driver not being familiar with the new car.
Adam cooked dinner which featured his famous mushroom and chicken risotto, again accompanied by some superb wines, and a very pleasant night just chatting.
Sunday morning, Sheila and I were hoping for a ‘vege-out’ day to recover from a long at Ayutthaya. Sheila was so impressed with the sound of the word Ayutthaya that she kept saying “what a great name it would be for a grand-daughter! Subtle is not a word that figures much in Sheila’s vocabulary.
We did have a late slow breakfast, which merged into lunch at ‘The Food Loft’ in the Chitlom Central store. Parking near the store was at a premium with us ending up on the roof where they also have hoists to double park cars one over the top of another. This reminds me of another Thailand parking phenomena. In the car parks if all of the spaces are filled cars then start to park in the laneways across the noses/tails of the cars in the spaces. However the cars that are parked in this way are meant to be parked with their handbrakes off, so that if a car is parked in front of you, and you wish to leave your space, you just push the line of cars along until you have created enough space to get out. Of course chaos rules if someone forgets to leave their brakes off, and a line of cars is held in place until they return. After lunch we walked to the Narai Phrand, basement store, where the ladies wanted to look at more ‘designer’ handbags and purses. I was also keen to get Adam’s opinion on some Buddha images in a little shop not far from the handbags. Adam said that he knew of a couple of shops within walking distance at the Emporium ‘The Ultimate Shopping Experience; so we left the girls looking in the basement and we searched a couple of very expensive shops in the Emporium. Adam then said that he did know of another shop near the Thammasat University, in the old city, just north-west of the Chinatown district of Bangkok. He had tried to return to it a couple of times, to show some other friends, but each time he forgot its precise location which is very unusual for Adam. His friends were convinced that he would not find it on purpose to keep it as his secret supplier. First of all we had to find the girls again as Rosalind had the car-parking ticket. When we got back to Narai Phrand Adam went clockwise around the basement and me anti-clockwise. We both hoped that the girls had not already bought their bargains and headed home with the ticket. Nah, they still had plenty of ‘looking’ time in them and I had to spend a couple of minutes providing the appropriate levels of ‘ooh and ah’ when being shown their shopping triumphs. We got into the old city with no problem and found a parking spot near the university. Adam like a man on a mission led me on a fast trot along a couple of roads, and some very dingy laneways; that I thought would have looked very much in context on the set of a ‘Fu Manchu’ movie. As we got further and further from the car and investigated more and more dingy laneways, Adam’s consternation grew. “Not again, honest I am really trying to find it; I know it is around here somewhere.” I did not doubt his sincerity; I was just having doubts about my ability to keep up. We retraced our steps to the car, parked alongside the walls of the Wat Mahathat, I think. Going past the car, Adam shouted that he was sure we were near the shop, as he remembered it being located near the shops that made and sold academic gowns; and we were seeing quite a few of these shops. Adam darted down a wide soi towards the river and then with a shout of joy indicated that he had found it. This shout of joy was quickly followed by an expletive, as he realized that it was closed. No mater how long we looked at it the shutters did not rise although we could se through some gaps in the shutters that the owner did in deed have a very extensive collection of Buddhas. We went back to the car and stated to drive home. All of a sudden the traffic stopped and everyone stood to attention. Apparently at 1800 the National Anthem is played through loud speakers across the city, and everyone just stops and stands to attention until it has finished playing. I was very impressed with this nationalism, but could not imagine it catching on in Australia.
As we started up again, Adam said that sometimes when he drove around here he would end up in China-Town and at a particular intersection of five little roads. He said that he was keen to avoid it as once he got to that intersection he invariably found his way back to it a number of times until he escaped. By now it was getting dark, and yes we did find ourselves in China-Town after going past the Chitralada Palace and quite a long trip along a freeway across the Chao Phraya River to the Western suburbs. A very loud expletive announced the fact that we had also found the intersection of the five little roads. In fact we found it about five times in the next hour, and this included driving very fast down a one-way street the wrong way, and having the wing mirrors knocked back by close shaves with the walls.
It really is a labyrinth and I kept expecting to see ‘farang’ skeletons in cars that had run out of petrol as they tried to find their way out of China-Town. We got a call from Rosalind, asking where we were; Adam was able to reply, at that point with certainty and relief that we had been lost, ‘but now were found’ and we were back at their apartment in twenty minutes. I think that if it happened to me again I would hail a taxi and hire him to drive in front of us until we were back at the apartment. Rosalind had ordered another Lebanese feast that was supposedly half of what was ordered last time, but it was still far beyond our capacity to consume. After dinner Adam and Rosalind introduced us to a board game called ‘Analyst’, which we played until 0100. I will not try and explain the game except to say, it is about knowing the ‘motives’ behind the behavior of people that you play the game with. Adam won the game, Sheila was second and Rosalind third; I think it is only worth mentioning the first three place getters.
On Monday we started breakfast about 1000, and then Kuhn Boon Chuay drove Rosalind, Sheila and I to a dressmaker, who was making three pair of shorts for Sheila, copying a pair that Sheila had provided. They were excellent and Sheila believes that the copies are far superior to the original and is organising to send some fabric to the lady, and get some trousers and other things made. The name of her business is Veronica, and I guess that is the western name that she had selected to use on a daily basis. Throughout Asia it is common practice to select a western name, almost like a nick-name, though the choices are not ones I would make e.g. Florence, Fabian, Constance, Bruce. According to her business card her name is Pawana Sangsithi, which I think sounds much better. The Show room is at 1091/70 Phetchaburi 33 Phetchaburi Rd, Makkasan Rajchathewi Bangkok 10400. When we returned to the apartment the ladies had to have a dressing up time and fashion parade to show off the acquisitions, I read my book.
For or last evening in Bangkok, Sheila had organized for us to take Adam and Rosalind on a dinner cruise, aboard a converted rice barge, the Tahsaneeya Nava, a unique and beautiful antique teakwood rice barge, and cruises along the historic Chao Phraya River, which flows between the ancient and modern capitals of the kingdom and is the focal point for festivals and royal ceremonies. Loy Nava, the originator of Chao Phraya cruises and operator of the antique teak-wood rice barge the Tahsaneeya Nava, awaited with pleasure the opportunity to serve us as special guests with the same attention to detail and standards as they have offered to royalty, celebrities and visitors from all parts of the world over the past thirty years. We were promised a journey through Thai history, culture and gastronomy in a truly romantic ambiance and a guarantee that it will be one of your most memorable experiences of your time in Thailand.
It was good that they were waiting with pleasure as the traffic proved to be a little irksome. Adam was driving and had allowed forty minutes for the 5 km trip and then another half an hour just to be on the safe side. Well, all of the allowances were not sufficient, and the boat was due to leave as we parked underneath the Oriental Hotel. Adam and I dashed ahead to the northern side of the hotel to the pier from which we thought it would be leaving. As the girls caught up we were told that it was in fact leaving from a pier just south of the hotel. Adam and I dashed of again, just as a small coach drew up to the laneway to the pier. It seemed that they were destined for the same cruise, and they also had troubles with the traffic. A young man dressed immaculately in a Thai costume asked if we were ‘Mr Adam’ and was pleased when Adam confirmed we were. The young man escorted us to the end of the pier telling us that they thought we were not coming as they had not been advised that we were running late. The boat was not waiting for us however and it was about another three minutes before it came alongside to pick us up. The boat is immaculate and the tables very elegant with two rows down each side of the open sided deck. The dinner is superb, the wine list excellent, and the night-time sights of the Chao Phraya very memorable. Between courses we were entertained by some very graceful Thai dancers, whose beauty was enhanced by their very intricate costumes.
The sights that we saw included the following:
Assumption Cathedral: The largest church for Thailand’s 250,000 Catholics, it was constructed in 1910 as a replacement for an earlier church dating from 1822.
East Asiatic Company Building: Built by H.N. Anderson, in 1901; he was a young Dane who arrived in Thailand, in 1884, to make his fortune; he was the founder of Denmark’s East Asiatic Company.
The Oriental Hotel: Regularly voted the ‘world’s best hotel’, the premises have undergone radical expansion in the past 20 years. There has been a hotel on this site since 1865. The hotel has served as a temporary home for numerous famous writers, including Somerset Maugharn and Joseph Conrad. Almost opposite is the also famous Peninsula Hotel that owes its origins to the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.
French Embassy: Built in the mid 19th century, and the second oldest embassy in Bangkok, the building is typical of European residences in Thailand at the time.
Old Customs House: This was the main customs house of Bangkok, until the construction of the Klong Toey Port Further down river. The Old Customs House site was originally at the outer limits of the city.
Portuguese Embassy: The oldest embassy in Bangkok, it has been Portuguese property since 1820. The Portuguese were the first European visitors to Thailand, and their presence dates from 1512, soon after their conquest of Malacca.
River City: A shopping complex selling mainly genuine Thai crafts and antiques with certificates of authenticity and export licenses, which are vital for Thai artifacts. In this precinct one is advised to beware of pick-pockets and con-men that prey on the large number of foreign visitors.
Holy Rosary Church: The second oldest Catholic Church in Bangkok founded in 1787, by a rival religious order, in competition with Santa Cruz Church.
The Ratchawong/Chinatown: Leading into the heart of Chinatown and particularly Sampeng Lane, where all sorts of specialist shops vie to sell their wares, particularly notes for its highly competitive gold shops.
Pak Klong Market: This is the principal wholesale flower and fruit market of Bangkok and provides a fascinating and colourful walking tour for visitors after 2200. Yes after 10 o’clock at night.
Rachini School: The first girls school to be operated by the Thais; it was established by Queen Saowapa Pongsri, following the educational reforms of King Rama V in the late 19th century.
Chakrabongse House: Prince Chakrabongse, a son of Rama V, lost his right of succession to the throne when, studying in Moscow, he married a Russian girl. His palace was constructed by an Italian architect in 1909 and it is still owned by his descendents. The tower on top of the house was used as a royal changing room.
Tha Tien: In former days the pier of Tha tien was the first disembarkation point for all foreign ambassadors arriving by boat in Thailand. It was here that they presented their credentials before being escorted to an audience with the King.
Wat Pho: Now partially obscured from view, Wat Pho has the distinction of being the oldest Wat in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. It is noted for its 46 metre long reclining Buddha, and for having a school of traditional massage that reputably has the best value massage in Bangkok; my money is still on the Banyan Tree Hotel.
The Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha: The most visited site in Thailand, the Grand Palace, with over 100 buildings, on a site of almost one square mile, illustrates the architectural and cultural history of the country, since the time of the founding of Bangkok in 1782. It remains the preeminent symbol of the monarchy, and is used for many royal ceremonies. The Emerald Buddha, revered as a symbol of Buddhism, is believed by some to have originated in India or Sri Lanka 2000 years ago, and subsequently been in Cambodia, Northern Thailand and Laos, from where it was taken in a convoy of 200 boats by King Taksin to the new capital of Thonburi, where it rested in Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, prior to being transferred across the river upon the establishment of Bangkok as the capital.
Wat Mahathat: Built before Bangkok became the capital and having had as its abbot the future King Rama I, this wat houses the oldest Buddhist university in Bangkok.
Thammasart University: Thailand’s second university, with a traditionally strong political science department and law school; it has spawned several pro-democracy movements, the last ending tragically in the events of 1992, when numerous students were killed by the military and many students had to swim across the river fleeing for their lives. However, the student revolt, which was joined by the middle classes, did result in democratic elections being subsequently held.
Phra Sumane Fort: The fort was originally built by Rama I, at the northern extremity of the capital, to defend the city against invasion. It was restored in 1982 as part of the city’s bicentennial celebrations.
H.M. The Queen’s family Home: This is the family home of Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit, who spent much of her childhood and adolescence here.
Royal Boat House: Many of the beautifully ornate carved barges used in royal ceremonies on the river are housed here. I did try to get some photographs, but they did not work out as it was beyond the effective range of the ‘flash’.
Wat Rachathiwas: King Rama IV, who was a monk for a number of years, resided for a period at this wat; befriending the French Bishop at the nearby Immaculate Conception Church. The bishop taught the King Latin and French in return for Pali language lessons from the King.
Church of the Immaculate Conception: With a sizeable French presence in Ayutthaya and subsequently in the new capital Bangkok, French missionaries built the smaller of the churches on this site in the late 17th century.
Bangyikhan Distillery: This is the home of Mehkong, the popular local whisky.
Thonburi Railway Station: Until 1932, as no railway bridge crossed the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, passengers departing for southern destinations used this railway station.
Siriraj Hospital: This was the first hospital in Thailand, established by King Rama V in 1888. The King embarked on a program of sending boys and girls to be trained as doctors and nurses. The hospital is used regularly by the royal family, and it was here in the mid-90’s that Her Majesty the King’s mother passed away. A complex of beautiful temporary temples and sala were constructed on Sanam Luang the following year for her cremation rites. We stopped at the pier nearby the hospital, a couple of times and I was very impressed to see the nurses in white starched uniforms and hats. I think it is very reassuring to be able to identify who are nursing staff and who are just scruffy visitors. Adam and Rosalind told us that they believe the standard of hospitals and care in Bangkok are superior to anything in Australia.
Kuhn Ying Supatra’s Home: This traditional style Thai house is the property of Kuhn Ying Supatra, a politician and political activist. The family has held the exclusive concession for operating the Chao Phraya Expressboat service for many years.
Wat Rakhang Kositharam: Built during the Ayutthaya period and renovated by King Taksin at the time Thonburi was the capital, the wooden library on the site was the home of King Rama I prior to him becoming King.
Wat Arun (The temple of Dawn): There had been a Chinese temple on this site during the Ayutthaya period called Wat Cheng. The temple served as the royal chapel during the reign of King Taksin. King Rama II designed the current wat, which was not finished, due to problems of building on the soft soil, until the time of Rama III; as Bangkok is below sea level it is still a major concern for the building industry. It is named after the Indian God of Dawn, Aruna, and represents Mount Neru- the centre of the universe. The four smaller towers around its base symbolize the four winds. The decoration, as with many older wats in Bangkok, comes form broken glass and ceramics used as ballast on Chinese merchant vessels coming to Thailand.
Vichai Prasit Fortress: this was a powerful fortress in the Ayutthaya period, guarding the approach to the capital. It subsequently served as the first palace of King Taksin when he moved the capital at Thonburi, before Bangkok. It is one of the oldest sites in Bangkok.
Wat Kalayanamitr: Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful of all Bangkok’s wats in its simplicity, lack of adornment, geometric perfection and classical lies, the wat was established in the reign of Rama III
Santa Cruz church: The oldest Catholic Church in Thailand was built by Portuguese residents of Bangkok following the fall of Ayutthaya. It was rebuilt in 1834 and partially reconstructed following a fire in 1913. the district surrounding the wat was (since Portuguese times) a centre for foreigners living in Thailand and some of the old house are still intact.
Mosque: the mosque provides schooling for Muslim children. Approximately 1.7 million of Thailand’s population is Muslim. In a short stretch of river to either side of the mosque one sees graphically demonstrated Thai and Buddhist tolerance for other religions with, in addition to the mosque, a Catholic Church, a Chinese temple and a Buddhist wat.
Wang Lee House: In classic style, this was the family louse of the Thai-Chinese Wang Lee family, a large Chinese merchant family and founder of one of Thailand’s largest banks.
Sofitel Hotel/ Hilton Millennium Hotel: After starting life as a Sofitel hotel it was plagued by engineering and financial problems for several years; it is now a Hilton Hotel.
The Royal Palace at night.
Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) at sunset
More photographs from the cruise.
Dinner was a great success and we felt very relaxed and full of bonhomie as we left the boat, and walked back to the car in the basement car park of the Oriental Hotel. As we left three guards lowered a boom to block our exit and asked Adam for his receipt from the hotel or his room number. It appears that they are quite keen to keep the car park for guest of the hotel. Adam said that he had forgotten to keep his receipt, and this caused them some consternation and they kept saying “must have receipt”; to which Adam just kept saying “sorry I don’t have”. In the end they just gave up and raised the boom and let us out. It was a much quicker return trip and with out incident. We said our goodbyes to Adam as he would have left work in the morning and be at work when we flew out.
Next morning we rose early to pack our bags and get ready for our afternoon flight back to Sydney. Kuhn Boon Chuay drove us to the airport and Rosalind came with us to make sure we arrived safely. We did our obligatory tour of the shops etc and had a few snacks before boarding with no problems. The flight to Sydney overnight was without incident, however when we came to pick up our bags, mine were there ok, but Sheila’s was not. I must record that of the two QANTAS flights we have used in the last couple of years, both times our luggage has gone ‘walkabout’. The first time it was mine and this time Sheila’s. When we boarded our connecting flight to Bathurst, Sheila was feeling very distressed as she worried about her luggage, particularly the new clothes that she had made. The flight back to Bathurst was fine and Ian Manock picked us up from the airport and took us home at about 1000. We received a call from the airport at about 1600 telling us that Sheila’s case was there. Bathurst airport no longer provide a taxi to deliver errant QANTAS bags as they do not get vouchers anymore from QANTAS to cover their delivery. Rather than argue I drove out to pick it up, and was surprised when I was told that there were six other missing bags that had been flown up on the same flight. Perhaps I should not have been surprised as it seems to be happening with alarming regularity. However all bags home, all items checked and correct and we started to relax, and think about the fantastic holiday we had enjoyed with Adam and Rosalind, and the marvelous experiences that we had shared. THANK YOU Adam and Rosalind.
References/Bibliography
Eyewitness Travel Guides (2004) Thailand, Dorling Kindersley Ltd London. isbn 0 7513 6879 2
Warren W; Stone D; Tettoni L. (2004) THAILAND A Traveller’s Companion, Asia Books Co, Ltd 5 Sukhumvit Rd Soi 61 PO Box 40, Bangkok Thailand, isbn 981 4155 39 X
Some other posed pictures from the holiday.
Pictures of the building behind Adam and Rosalind’s, the progress of which intrigued me.
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Chedis of the Four Kings, dedicated to the first four Chakri Kings: the green one to Rama I, the white to Rama II; the yellow to Rama III: and the blue one to Rama IV
The other side of the Farang gate
Wat Pho’s bot, (ordination hall) houses a bronze meditating Buddha image salvaged form the old capital Ayutthaya by King Rama I’s brother.
Pictures of the Reclining Buddha that is 150ft long and covered in gold leaf.
Applying gold leaf to Buddha images is a popular act of merit-making. Books of gold leaf can be readily purchased in the temples (wats), and the thin gold leaves are applied in profusion on Buddha images, wat decoration, and murals. It was also interesting to note that the Thai recognise that Buddha was a real person and so they will often clothe the images of Buddha to keep him warm in winter and provide other ‘clothing’ appropriate for the other seasons. We were there, this time, in the Thai winter and saw many images of Buddha, clothed in saffron coloured robes.
John next to Reclining Buddha
The striking intricate mother-of-pearl images on the soles of the Reclining Buddha represent the 108 lakshanas, which are the auspicious signs of the true Buddha. I have rotated the picture of the feet so that the images are more easily seen.
On the previous page another picture of the reclining Buddha with a monk nearby, that enables one to appreciate the size of the image.
This next picture was affected by the very white walls surrounding the area known as the ‘Garden of the Transplanted Tree’, but I wanted in include it because of its significance. The picture is of a Bodhi Tree that is said to have grown from a cutting of a Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka which in turn was grown from a cutting of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, meditated in India.
Other images from Wat Pho
As we were resting near the Bodhi Tree, we noticed a group of school children nearby. They were primary school age children and we were witnessing a presentation day of the pupils. When ever they could the children were running around playing chasing etc, but the teachers would call them into lines, with them all lining up in four groups according to the colour of the tee-shirts. It was funny to watch the older children try to be ‘cool’, while the younger ones just wanted to play around. There were obviously some very proud parents watching as well, with many presentations being captured on their cameras.
I know that I am repeating myself, but I stress that Wat Pho really is a ‘must see’ site in Bangkok. Although it was winter it was still quite warm for us, about thirty degrees centigrade so we did not stay long after lunch (we bought a couple of salad rolls from a cafeteria in the grounds of the temple). We walked back to the jetty and caught the next commuter boat back to Taksin pier, and then the sky-train and taxi back to Adam and Rosalind’s apartment. Adam was later than he had hoped, and the reason for his lateness was interesting. Apparently as his flight from Singapore to Bangkok was about to land they were diverted to a military airfield about ten minutes flight from Bangkok airport. They landed and waited on the tarmac for about twenty minutes before taking off and flying into Bangkok’s main airport. The reason for their flight being diverted was that the Crown Prince wanted to take his plane for a flight, and he took precedence. Adam was not impressed, nor I guess were all the other flights that were disrupted on a whim of the Crown Prince. Apparently the Crown Prince, who is in his fifties, does not enjoy a popular reputation with the majority of the Thai people, and there is some talk of the constitution being changed so that one of the Crown Princesses will be able to rule after the current King, Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Rama IX is much loved by the Thai people, though I was told by many Thai, that this love and respect is not extended to current Queen Sirikit or their son. Apparently the Thai people enjoy talking about two main things food, and gossip, but I should not pass on all the gossip I heard about the Royal Family. Though I must admit it makes all the talk about Prince Charles, and Mrs. Parker Bowles very tame by comparison.
Adam got changed quickly, and Adam and I walked quickly don to Soi Nang Linchi to get a tuk tuk to take us to the Thai boxing. The plan was to meet the ladies later at a restaurant, at which Adam had made a booking. The site for the fights is the Lumpini Boxing Stadium, on Rama IV road, not very far away. While we were in Bangkok we heard that a new stadium was going to be built in Soi (road) Nang Linchi, and that will be nearer to their apartment. However though I said it was not far away, that was in distance. In terms of time it was eons away, as the traffic on Rama IV was gridlocked. We were on the outside of the four lanes headed west, and Adam pointed out the stadium was located almost opposite us on the other side of the four lanes heading east. Adam looked at his watch, looked at me, and then the stadium. “Hey Dad, do you think you could make it over the fence?” Adam pointed out a metre and a half high metal fence on a narrow reserve, which divided the eight lanes of Rama IV into two lots of four. “I am game if you are”, I replied. Adam paid the tuk tuk driver adding his usual large tip, and jumped out and over the fence. I was close behind and pleased that I made it over the fence without crushing any of my more sensitive bits. Rama IV was congested on the side that we left, but the side we were contemplating crossing was moving well.
In fact all four lanes were moving at about one hundred kilometers an hour with little or no gaps in the traffic. “Follow me when there is gap in the traffic” shouted Adam above the roar of the traffic. “Yes no worries I replied”. Suddenly Adam was gone into the traffic and emerged a nano-second later on the kerb the other side of the four lanes. It was one of those situations when one sees something happen, you think about it, decide to take action and by the time that has all been computed by one’s brain, it is too late. I was just going to select my own opportunity and take it when I could. A couple of minutes passed, and I could see Adam and the far side talking to a Thai lady, who had a large leather bag and a clip board. Afterwards I discovered that she had sold Adam the tickets for that nights boxing in the stadium. Well back to the traffic, I made a couple of determined lunges, but each time the traffic in one lane or the other seemed to speed up, and close off any perceived gap through which I thought I might wriggle. “If the meal seems too big take it one bite at a time”, a strange thought to me as I have never thought any meal too big, but Rama IV did appear to be a case of ‘biting of more than I could chew’. “Ah bugger it”, I thought; and took a couple of large strides across the first lane, and then stood to attention as lanes three and four rushed past me on either side. A couple of times I felt some wing mirrors brush past my arms, but it seemed to me to be part of the ‘rich’ Thai experience. Another couple of large strides and lanes three and two were whizzing past, as I stood to attention again. A couple of times car horns blared in my ears as they went passed something which I did not appreciate. A couple of false starts and then large strides across lane two, leaving just the ‘slow’ lanes of one and two keeping me isolated from the kerb. I started to feel a bit fed up with the time it was taking, so just smiled at the traffic in lane one, and strode out in front of the ‘slow ‘lane, about 90kph, and reached the kerb feeling quite pleased with myself. The lady who had sold Adam the tickets, was patting her heart saying that she almost had a heart attack watching me and also mentioning that I was very lucky that the police were not around as what I had done was illegal and could result in a large fine. Adam was I think somewhat relieved also, but then could not stop laughing as he said that my crossing the road was like a video game called ‘Frogga’, where a frog tries to cross a four lane highway without getting squashed. Anyway the fights were just about to start so we hurriedly entered the stadium, and found our seats which were located about three rows from ringside. The Lumpinee Stadium, www.muaythailumpini.com or www.muaythaitour.com was currently the premier stadium, but was really only a very large shed with a concrete floor, and a tin roof. Most of the Thai observers were crammed onto a sloping concrete area separated, from the seating area by cyclone fencing. The seats are very basic folding chairs and are not built for comfort, rather I think for being light and easy to stack.
Thai Boxing or the Art of Muay Thai is very popular in Thailand, and in many other parts of Asia. It has a long and distinguished history in Thailand. The fighters utilize many different parts of their bodies as muay thai weapons, including hands, elbows, knees, head and feet. They are known as the ‘Nawa Awut’, nine weapons. There is a philosophy associated with it, which suggests that the fighters will be most effective when the combine their souls, sprits, incantations, music, literature, virtue, ethics and manners.
Before the fighter can compete, they must perform, in the ring, an important tradition of Muay Thai, which is Wai Khru. Wai Khru is an ancient custom requiring that the fighter pay his utmost respect to his parents, teachers and the sacred things that the fighters respects. It is also done to ask for protection and victory in the competition. Wai Khru also helps to stimulate the mind of the fighter and intimidate his opponent. If both fighters perform the same form of Wai Khru, it means that they have the same teacher. When the fighters perform the ritual of Wai Khru they must turn their face towards the residences of the King, their parents and teacher. It is done to show their reverence towards the King and their gratitude towards their parents and teachers.
The score is determined by:
The fighter who uses Muay Thai’s weapons (punches, elbows, knees and feet) correctly according to the rules, and can weaken or damage his opponent the most will be the winner.
The fighter who uses Muay Thai’s weapons to cause more cuts and bruises will be the winner. (I don’t see much difference between 1 and 2, but them’s the rules)
The fighter who makes more moves will be the winner.
The fighter who can protect himself, can fight back when he gets hit, and can avoid being hit according to Muay Thai’s techniques will be the winner.
The fighter who commits no fouls or fewer fouls will be the winner. (Though no-one seemed to be able to tell me what constituted a foul)
There are twelve ‘moves’ that are described as follows:
1. Chakr Naraya: a fast turn around hitting the opponent’s jaw or chin with the back of your elbow.
2. Bata Lubpaktr: when your opponent tries to hit you with their left fist you hit it to your right with your right hand, and kick or give a vigorous shove with your right foot to the tip of their chin or face.
3. Hak Kow A-rawan when you jump and hold your opponents neck and bend him forward so you can hit him with your knee to his face.
4. A-rawan Seuy Nga: is using your fist to fend off a blow from your opponent, and then immediately hitting inside his blow to strike him on the chin.
5. Kwang Leaw Lang, a backwards kick or vigorous shove followed up immediately with a kick to the tip of the chin or stomach.
6. Phra Ram Daen Dong, an important technique, which utilises the propulsion of a jump to deliver a knee into the chin or face of your opponent.
7. Phra Ram Sakodtup, this is meant to use the power of surprise, combining the power of a jump, and a kick using the heel of your foot to the stomach or chin of your opponent.
8. Taen Kwadlan, when you move alongside your opponent and deliver kicks to his ankles.
9. Jorakae-Fedhang, after using the heel of your foot to deflect your opponent’s attack you swing around and use your swinging heel to hit your opponent’s stomach or neck.
10. Naraya Kam Samutr (sounds like Kama Sutra to me.) to perform this you must be competent and intelligent; it involves a high jump over the kick from your opponent delivering a kick to his face or neck.
11. Dub Chawala, this involves evading a blow from your opponent by moving to your left, and then moving back to your right, and hitting your opponent’s eyes or face.
12. Chawa Sadhok, here you duck left under a blow from your opponent’s right hand, and hit him in the stomach with your right elbow.
Before the start of the proper bouts we were ‘treated’ to a traditional bout where the two fighters did not wear gloves, but instead had their hand bound with cords. I think it was meant to be just a display, but after a couple of hits in the mouth with hands covered in heavy rope I think they became genuine in their endeavors to do some damage to each other. I should also mention the live orchestra. There were about five musicians on a little stage about twenty feet from the ring. Throughout all the bouts their music was very loud, the instruments include drums and a ‘chanter’ from a set of bagpipes I think. The music sounded to me very Turkish.
There were six fights on the program, four preliminaries, and then a title bout followed by one more. The boxing trunks were very colourful, as were the cords and feathers that most wore around their biceps. The Wai Khru ceremony each fighter performed before their bout was fascinating, it appeared to me that some of them were trying to replicate the soaring actions of eagles as they ‘danced’ around the ring. I think that each bout comprised three rounds; after the first bout in which the fighter from the ‘blue’ corner won I asked Adam which corner he fancied for the next bout. Adam selected red and I went for blue again. I said that I was working on the principle that the blue corner fighters would win for a couple of bouts to encourage the punters to bet on the blue corner then when the most money was on the fighter in the red would win. Adam said that betting was illegal, but it was very apparent that many bets were being made and taken in the ‘bleechers’. Bouts one, two, three and four were all won by the fighters in the blue corner. Bout number four was interesting as it was won by a knockout in the last round, Adam said that this was most unusual, as very few are won by knockouts. Most of the attacks seem to me to involve knees into the ribs and by the time each bout finished most of the fighters and very red looking ribs. The one who got knocked out had a very red face as well as he spilt a bit of ‘claret’ around. The fifth bout which was the title bout involved the nineteen year old champion, in the red corner, who looked like a very young Mohamed Ali to me, and an older looking opponent with a broken nose and a very mean look. I said to Adam that this was the time that the red corner would win as all the superstitious money would be on the blue, and the pretty boy champion would need to retain his championship against the mean looking contender making more money for the bookie. Round one the champion did not look to be doing any good, and three or four of his owners took the end of the round as an opportunity to get up close, and personal, and provide some very loud and ‘sage ‘ advice about what he should be doing. The rest of the rounds went the same and it was no surprise when the contender was declared the winner, from the blue corner, and a new champion was given his very large ‘belt’.
Well so much for my theory of it changing to the red corner. I went to the ‘gents’ and was quite surprised to find that they also served as the fighter’s dressing room, and their first aid station. When I got back to Adam, he said that we would not be able to stay for the last bout as we were already late for meeting the girls for diner where they were already waiting for us. Adam had made a reservation at an Art restaurant, which displays works of art for sale as well as providing fine meals. It is called ‘ Eat Me’ and as it is run by an Australian queen, perhaps the title is appropriate though not very subtle. The girls were seated at a table on an outside balcony, and had already enjoyed a couple of aperitifs. The meals and wines were excellent and we were all so full of bonhomie that we were again the last customers to leave, getting home about 0100.
Sheila and I were up at 0550 next morning so that we could have an early breakfast, before Rosalind drove us to the Hotel Shangri-La. Sheila had organized for us to go on a day trip, and the trip was under the aegis of the Hotel, and was the place we were to leave from. Rosalind is an excellent driver in Bangkok, and even though we went to the Oriental Hotel first, Rosalind had no problem getting back into the main road traffic, and doing a quick u-turn and dropping us at the Shangri-La, which is very close to the Oriental. We had plenty of time to spare before the scheduled 0800 departure time, and a very pleasant lady, at an enquiry desk in the lobby suggested, that we might like to have a coffee in the lobby lounge area, overlooking the river. We did as she suggested, and I would have to say that the décor, surroundings and the staff underline the hotels reputation as one of the best in the world.
Hotel Shangri-La in Bangkok
The large air-conditioned coach arrived in front of the reception area at 0756, I was impressed; and our male tour guide invited the twenty of so tourists, including us to get aboard the coach. Our first destination 60 kilometres north of Bangkok was Ayutthaya, the capital city of Thailand before Bangkok. We were pleased that the coach was air-conditioned, and only about half full as it was a warm day. The coach was equipped with a very good sound system, that the guide was using to full effect as we headed north, it was also fitted with little frilly curtains on the windows. It was a pity that not as much effort had gone into the clutch, as about fifteen kilometers along the motorway we noticed a bit of a smell in the cabin which preceded the coach driver taking the next off ramp and just about reaching a truck parking area and bus interchange. It was quickly apparent that the clutch had ‘died’ and that coach was going no-where. This was confirmed by two Japanese tourists in our group, one of whom was a bus engineer and his brother a driver. Our tour guide tried to make ‘light’ of it and told us that he had used his mobile telephone to call up a replacement bus, and that it would be with us in fifteen minutes. I was somewhat skeptical, and thought we would be subject to a Thai interpretation of time that is more flexible than we might be used to expect at home. However, his forecast was correct and within twenty minutes we had transferred to another bus, albeit a little smaller, but still large enough for our group, and also with the all important air-conditioning working well. The guide told us that we were to meet our boat at 1300 for lunch and a four hour trip back down the river to Bangkok, and because of the unfortunate delay we would have to trim a few minutes off each of the sites we were to visit. As we approached the outskirts of Ayutthaya, I was surprised at how open and green it seemed, when compared to Bangkok. It has a population of about 900,000 and to me appeared to be a far more pleasant place in which to live, and is not very far from Bangkok. Though, I guess that the Bangkok traffic would make commuting to and from Bangkok each day an impossible dream.
Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I, Ayutthaya grew from a small town with mud walls on an artificial island on the Chao Phraya River into one of the largest most cosmopolitan cities in Southeast Asia. It was conceived, like Bangkok later, as an island fortress, formed by digging a canal at a point where the Lopburi River curved sharply. Later canals were dug linking the city with the Chao Phraya and Pasak rivers, and these in time became the main courses of the two rivers. Canals also provided avenues of communication within the walled city, as well as out into the surrounding countryside. Huge water gates blocked the access to the city when they were under attack.
It was the centre of Thai power for more than 400 years, its rule extending over the entire Central plains as well as many areas of the far east and south. The 33 rulers of Ayutthaya adopted the Khmer concept of divine kingship, complete with Brahminic rituals, and built spectacular palaces as well as great Buddhist monuments; most of the major remains visitors see today were constructed in the city’s first 150 years. I found it fascinating to see the very obvious influence of ancient Indian architecture. The peak of the city’s opulence was in the 17th century, when ships from all over the world sailed up the Chao Phraya River to trade and Ayutthaya had a population of mote than a million. During the reign of King Narai (1657-1688), French ambassadors came from the court of Louis XIV in 1685 and 1687, following a request for a visit, delivered by a second Thai ambassador who was sent to Paris in 1684; the first was lost at sea in 1681. Ayutthayan power began to decline after the death of King Narai, and a series of wars ensued with Burma.
In 1767, after a 15 month siege, the city fell to an invading army that burned almost every building, when it fell to the Burmese, and 990,000 out of 1,000,000 people were killed. Led by the future King Taksin, the Thai expelled the Burmese, but Ayutthaya was so thoroughly destroyed that the capital was moved further downriver to Thonburi, then Bangkok.
Some views of Ayutthaya, the Reclining Buddha, dressed for winter, in a ruined ‘wihan’ at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. The chedi in the background, one of the largest in Ayutthaya, was built by King Naresuan (1590-1605) to celebrate his victory over the Burmese at Nong Sarai in 1593.Flanking steps to the chedi are two mon-dops housing seated Buddha. These can be seen on the next pages:
About fifty metres in front of this chedi is a small shrine at the foot of a Bodhi tree. Apparently at some time in the past, some Burmese invaders knocked a head off a Buddha image and it rolled to the foot of a Bodhi tree, and then over many years the roots of the tree encased the head and this unnatural phenomena has become s site of worship.
Bodhi tree with Buddha image, at Ayutthaya
Al though it was very warm we enjoyed walking around the area and taking photographs of the different architecture.
Ayutthaya scenes on the next few pages
The ‘Indian’ influence on the large ‘prang’ in the background
It was with some relief that we got back to the bus and its air-conditioning. However just as we were about to board the coach we noticed a young Thai lady with a table set up by the coach steps. She pointed to the table, then at Sheila, and to a particular ‘plate’. On this plate was a colour photograph of Sheila. We had no idea when they took the photograph, but were very impressed with the speed with which they had organised everything. It looked a real bit of ‘kitch’, but we felt that her ingenuity deserved some reward and we paid the equivalent of Australian $5.00, it still sits on a chest of drawers at home.
The ‘plate’
The next stop, nearby was the elephant coral at Ang Thong. We took a couple of photographs here; but may have been a little more circumspect, if we had known what we were told after we returned; that a Newsagent from Bathurst had been killed about ten years ago, by an elephant here. Given that elephants have good memories, it was probably appropriate that we did not mention we were from Bathurst. We were impressed with some ‘photo albums’ made of paper manufactured from elephant dung. However we did not buy them as we thought that they might not get through quarantine and inspection. We have been told since that it would not have been a problem.
Elephants at Ang Thong
A few miles down the Chao Phraya River from Ayutthaya is the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace. The site was first used by the royal court as a retreat from the hot weather, in the 17th century, but fell into ruin after the fall of Ayutthaya; it was restored by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century, though most of the buildings that exist today date from the reign of King Rama V, who regularly spent his summers there. We were told by our guide that Queen Elizabeth II of England, and Princess Alexandra were guests there in 2004. Typically of the King Rama V reign, the structure represents a variety of architectural styles, set in a large park around ponds and waterways. The only one of the royal residences open to the public is the Chinese-style Vehat Chamroon Palace, constructed entirely of materials imported from China. In addition, there is an Italian-style palace, a circular pavilion with steps leading down to a pool, the very graceful Thai- style Aisawan Tippaya Asna pavilion in the middle of a lake, and across one of the waterways, a Buddhist chapel in neo-gothic style with stained glassed windows. Scattered around the extensive gardens are European statues, as well as monuments erected by King Rama V in memory of members of his family, one of whom was a much loved Queen, who was drowned in a boating accident. As we drew into the car-park our guide said that we would find at least twenty good photo-opportunities. I must admit I treated this remark with some distain; but he proved to be accurate. As we disembarked, we noticed a large number of buses entering the car-park just after us; and they were all full of school children. It transpired that it was National Children’s day, and the Summer Palace was a favorite destination, I was a little concerned that we might be overrun by hordes of screaming children, but my fears were ill-founded as the grounds are very extensive, and they children happy excited, but well behaved. To enter the grounds everyone has to pass through metal detectors, and submit their bags for a search. I guess that as it is an official royal residence security would be an issue. This would also explain the presence of armed soldiers discretely guarding the various parts of the palace.
Because of our need to be at the boat at 1300 we were only able to spend forty minutes at the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace; and if and when we go back to Bangkok, it is another place that we want to see again with much more time to appreciate the buildings, and the immaculate gardens. It is possible to hire ‘golf buggies’ to drive around, but we opted to walk so that we had more freedom to wander where we wanted.
On the next few pages are some of the many photographs that we took in a very short time.
Sheila and John, just inside the gardens of the Summer Palace at Bang Pa-In. In the background is the Aisawan Tippaya Ansa pavilion.
A closer view of the Aisawan Tippaya Ansa pavilion
Sheila and I were very impressed with every aspect of the Summer Palace, and adored the whimsical topiary, featuring elephants, deer, and rabbits.
Just to the left of this lake is the Chinese-Style Vehat Chamroon Palace. We did not have time to go inside, but I did climb the pagoda style tower nearby and take a couple of photographs from near the top.
While I was climbing the tower, Sheila made friends with some of the school children, they were keen to try out their English “hello”, but thrilled when Sheila greeted them in Thai using the correct female suffix.
I am not sure of the ‘style’ of this tower though it did remind Sheila and I, of Dream World on the Gold Coast Queensland, for some reason that we could not recall.
In this photograph are featured some of the European statues, and some ‘local’ live ones.
This visit was over all too soon, but we were pleased to get back on the coach on times as the guide had warned us that the coach would have to leave at the designated time and that if anyone missed the departure they would have to find their own way back to Bangkok via taxi. I am not sure if he would have carried out his threat, but as I appreciate people being punctual I was happy that it had the desired effect and everyone in our group were back in time, and we left for the boat.
The jetty was quite close to Bang Pa-In, in a small riverside village called Bang Sai; it was established in 1982 by Queen Sirikit as a place where farmers are given the opportunity to learn traditional crafts and thus acquire a supplementary source of income. There are regular demonstrations of basket making, cloth weaving, and leatherwork. There was a large modern impressive building, near the jetty, that houses the demonstrations and also a souvenir shop that markets the finished products.
The boat is about sixty feet long with a very large dining room between decks that has tables for four on each side next to very large windows the whole length of the dining room. As we were seated we were given cold towels to refresh ourselves and cool drinks. The table cloths were white linen and everything was very clean and tidy. Lunch was announced son after we pulled away from the jetty. It was a huge smorgasbord of dishes hot and cold; European, Thai and Japanese and with some acknowledgement of American tastes with various flavored sauces for the ice-cream. The quality and quantity of the food was excellent, and when followed by coffees and teas the afternoon slowly drifting down the river was an ideal way to travel back to Bangkok. I took a number f photographs trying to show the huge difference between some of the palatial private houses of wealthy businessmen, with the ‘shacks’ of some of their neighbors. I was also very interested in the tiny boats that were pulling strings of large barges behind them. These barges are used for transporting many things on the river including rice, cement etc. It seemed to me that when they had the full barges in tow they were barely making any headway, and it would take them many days to reach the docks. On many of the barges were little shelters that I guess were the family home for many of the families on the river.
Some laden barges
A new temple being built alongside the river
Some of the mansions and some of their neighbors
The four hour trip ended back at the Shagri-La Hotel at 1658, and Rosalind drove into the pick-up area by reception at 1700; very impressive, followed by a very quick trip back to their apartment. On the way I did ask Rosalind why some cars in Bangkok have red number plates. The answer is that every new car is obliged to be driven with red number plates for the first eight weeks after purchase, regardless of how long the driver may have had their licence. During that week the car is not supposed be driven after dark. We did not find out the rationale behind this regulation, but I guess that it might be something to do with the driver not being familiar with the new car.
Adam cooked dinner which featured his famous mushroom and chicken risotto, again accompanied by some superb wines, and a very pleasant night just chatting.
Sunday morning, Sheila and I were hoping for a ‘vege-out’ day to recover from a long at Ayutthaya. Sheila was so impressed with the sound of the word Ayutthaya that she kept saying “what a great name it would be for a grand-daughter! Subtle is not a word that figures much in Sheila’s vocabulary.
We did have a late slow breakfast, which merged into lunch at ‘The Food Loft’ in the Chitlom Central store. Parking near the store was at a premium with us ending up on the roof where they also have hoists to double park cars one over the top of another. This reminds me of another Thailand parking phenomena. In the car parks if all of the spaces are filled cars then start to park in the laneways across the noses/tails of the cars in the spaces. However the cars that are parked in this way are meant to be parked with their handbrakes off, so that if a car is parked in front of you, and you wish to leave your space, you just push the line of cars along until you have created enough space to get out. Of course chaos rules if someone forgets to leave their brakes off, and a line of cars is held in place until they return. After lunch we walked to the Narai Phrand, basement store, where the ladies wanted to look at more ‘designer’ handbags and purses. I was also keen to get Adam’s opinion on some Buddha images in a little shop not far from the handbags. Adam said that he knew of a couple of shops within walking distance at the Emporium ‘The Ultimate Shopping Experience; so we left the girls looking in the basement and we searched a couple of very expensive shops in the Emporium. Adam then said that he did know of another shop near the Thammasat University, in the old city, just north-west of the Chinatown district of Bangkok. He had tried to return to it a couple of times, to show some other friends, but each time he forgot its precise location which is very unusual for Adam. His friends were convinced that he would not find it on purpose to keep it as his secret supplier. First of all we had to find the girls again as Rosalind had the car-parking ticket. When we got back to Narai Phrand Adam went clockwise around the basement and me anti-clockwise. We both hoped that the girls had not already bought their bargains and headed home with the ticket. Nah, they still had plenty of ‘looking’ time in them and I had to spend a couple of minutes providing the appropriate levels of ‘ooh and ah’ when being shown their shopping triumphs. We got into the old city with no problem and found a parking spot near the university. Adam like a man on a mission led me on a fast trot along a couple of roads, and some very dingy laneways; that I thought would have looked very much in context on the set of a ‘Fu Manchu’ movie. As we got further and further from the car and investigated more and more dingy laneways, Adam’s consternation grew. “Not again, honest I am really trying to find it; I know it is around here somewhere.” I did not doubt his sincerity; I was just having doubts about my ability to keep up. We retraced our steps to the car, parked alongside the walls of the Wat Mahathat, I think. Going past the car, Adam shouted that he was sure we were near the shop, as he remembered it being located near the shops that made and sold academic gowns; and we were seeing quite a few of these shops. Adam darted down a wide soi towards the river and then with a shout of joy indicated that he had found it. This shout of joy was quickly followed by an expletive, as he realized that it was closed. No mater how long we looked at it the shutters did not rise although we could se through some gaps in the shutters that the owner did in deed have a very extensive collection of Buddhas. We went back to the car and stated to drive home. All of a sudden the traffic stopped and everyone stood to attention. Apparently at 1800 the National Anthem is played through loud speakers across the city, and everyone just stops and stands to attention until it has finished playing. I was very impressed with this nationalism, but could not imagine it catching on in Australia.
As we started up again, Adam said that sometimes when he drove around here he would end up in China-Town and at a particular intersection of five little roads. He said that he was keen to avoid it as once he got to that intersection he invariably found his way back to it a number of times until he escaped. By now it was getting dark, and yes we did find ourselves in China-Town after going past the Chitralada Palace and quite a long trip along a freeway across the Chao Phraya River to the Western suburbs. A very loud expletive announced the fact that we had also found the intersection of the five little roads. In fact we found it about five times in the next hour, and this included driving very fast down a one-way street the wrong way, and having the wing mirrors knocked back by close shaves with the walls.
It really is a labyrinth and I kept expecting to see ‘farang’ skeletons in cars that had run out of petrol as they tried to find their way out of China-Town. We got a call from Rosalind, asking where we were; Adam was able to reply, at that point with certainty and relief that we had been lost, ‘but now were found’ and we were back at their apartment in twenty minutes. I think that if it happened to me again I would hail a taxi and hire him to drive in front of us until we were back at the apartment. Rosalind had ordered another Lebanese feast that was supposedly half of what was ordered last time, but it was still far beyond our capacity to consume. After dinner Adam and Rosalind introduced us to a board game called ‘Analyst’, which we played until 0100. I will not try and explain the game except to say, it is about knowing the ‘motives’ behind the behavior of people that you play the game with. Adam won the game, Sheila was second and Rosalind third; I think it is only worth mentioning the first three place getters.
On Monday we started breakfast about 1000, and then Kuhn Boon Chuay drove Rosalind, Sheila and I to a dressmaker, who was making three pair of shorts for Sheila, copying a pair that Sheila had provided. They were excellent and Sheila believes that the copies are far superior to the original and is organising to send some fabric to the lady, and get some trousers and other things made. The name of her business is Veronica, and I guess that is the western name that she had selected to use on a daily basis. Throughout Asia it is common practice to select a western name, almost like a nick-name, though the choices are not ones I would make e.g. Florence, Fabian, Constance, Bruce. According to her business card her name is Pawana Sangsithi, which I think sounds much better. The Show room is at 1091/70 Phetchaburi 33 Phetchaburi Rd, Makkasan Rajchathewi Bangkok 10400. When we returned to the apartment the ladies had to have a dressing up time and fashion parade to show off the acquisitions, I read my book.
For or last evening in Bangkok, Sheila had organized for us to take Adam and Rosalind on a dinner cruise, aboard a converted rice barge, the Tahsaneeya Nava, a unique and beautiful antique teakwood rice barge, and cruises along the historic Chao Phraya River, which flows between the ancient and modern capitals of the kingdom and is the focal point for festivals and royal ceremonies. Loy Nava, the originator of Chao Phraya cruises and operator of the antique teak-wood rice barge the Tahsaneeya Nava, awaited with pleasure the opportunity to serve us as special guests with the same attention to detail and standards as they have offered to royalty, celebrities and visitors from all parts of the world over the past thirty years. We were promised a journey through Thai history, culture and gastronomy in a truly romantic ambiance and a guarantee that it will be one of your most memorable experiences of your time in Thailand.
It was good that they were waiting with pleasure as the traffic proved to be a little irksome. Adam was driving and had allowed forty minutes for the 5 km trip and then another half an hour just to be on the safe side. Well, all of the allowances were not sufficient, and the boat was due to leave as we parked underneath the Oriental Hotel. Adam and I dashed ahead to the northern side of the hotel to the pier from which we thought it would be leaving. As the girls caught up we were told that it was in fact leaving from a pier just south of the hotel. Adam and I dashed of again, just as a small coach drew up to the laneway to the pier. It seemed that they were destined for the same cruise, and they also had troubles with the traffic. A young man dressed immaculately in a Thai costume asked if we were ‘Mr Adam’ and was pleased when Adam confirmed we were. The young man escorted us to the end of the pier telling us that they thought we were not coming as they had not been advised that we were running late. The boat was not waiting for us however and it was about another three minutes before it came alongside to pick us up. The boat is immaculate and the tables very elegant with two rows down each side of the open sided deck. The dinner is superb, the wine list excellent, and the night-time sights of the Chao Phraya very memorable. Between courses we were entertained by some very graceful Thai dancers, whose beauty was enhanced by their very intricate costumes.
The sights that we saw included the following:
Assumption Cathedral: The largest church for Thailand’s 250,000 Catholics, it was constructed in 1910 as a replacement for an earlier church dating from 1822.
East Asiatic Company Building: Built by H.N. Anderson, in 1901; he was a young Dane who arrived in Thailand, in 1884, to make his fortune; he was the founder of Denmark’s East Asiatic Company.
The Oriental Hotel: Regularly voted the ‘world’s best hotel’, the premises have undergone radical expansion in the past 20 years. There has been a hotel on this site since 1865. The hotel has served as a temporary home for numerous famous writers, including Somerset Maugharn and Joseph Conrad. Almost opposite is the also famous Peninsula Hotel that owes its origins to the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong.
French Embassy: Built in the mid 19th century, and the second oldest embassy in Bangkok, the building is typical of European residences in Thailand at the time.
Old Customs House: This was the main customs house of Bangkok, until the construction of the Klong Toey Port Further down river. The Old Customs House site was originally at the outer limits of the city.
Portuguese Embassy: The oldest embassy in Bangkok, it has been Portuguese property since 1820. The Portuguese were the first European visitors to Thailand, and their presence dates from 1512, soon after their conquest of Malacca.
River City: A shopping complex selling mainly genuine Thai crafts and antiques with certificates of authenticity and export licenses, which are vital for Thai artifacts. In this precinct one is advised to beware of pick-pockets and con-men that prey on the large number of foreign visitors.
Holy Rosary Church: The second oldest Catholic Church in Bangkok founded in 1787, by a rival religious order, in competition with Santa Cruz Church.
The Ratchawong/Chinatown: Leading into the heart of Chinatown and particularly Sampeng Lane, where all sorts of specialist shops vie to sell their wares, particularly notes for its highly competitive gold shops.
Pak Klong Market: This is the principal wholesale flower and fruit market of Bangkok and provides a fascinating and colourful walking tour for visitors after 2200. Yes after 10 o’clock at night.
Rachini School: The first girls school to be operated by the Thais; it was established by Queen Saowapa Pongsri, following the educational reforms of King Rama V in the late 19th century.
Chakrabongse House: Prince Chakrabongse, a son of Rama V, lost his right of succession to the throne when, studying in Moscow, he married a Russian girl. His palace was constructed by an Italian architect in 1909 and it is still owned by his descendents. The tower on top of the house was used as a royal changing room.
Tha Tien: In former days the pier of Tha tien was the first disembarkation point for all foreign ambassadors arriving by boat in Thailand. It was here that they presented their credentials before being escorted to an audience with the King.
Wat Pho: Now partially obscured from view, Wat Pho has the distinction of being the oldest Wat in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. It is noted for its 46 metre long reclining Buddha, and for having a school of traditional massage that reputably has the best value massage in Bangkok; my money is still on the Banyan Tree Hotel.
The Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha: The most visited site in Thailand, the Grand Palace, with over 100 buildings, on a site of almost one square mile, illustrates the architectural and cultural history of the country, since the time of the founding of Bangkok in 1782. It remains the preeminent symbol of the monarchy, and is used for many royal ceremonies. The Emerald Buddha, revered as a symbol of Buddhism, is believed by some to have originated in India or Sri Lanka 2000 years ago, and subsequently been in Cambodia, Northern Thailand and Laos, from where it was taken in a convoy of 200 boats by King Taksin to the new capital of Thonburi, where it rested in Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, prior to being transferred across the river upon the establishment of Bangkok as the capital.
Wat Mahathat: Built before Bangkok became the capital and having had as its abbot the future King Rama I, this wat houses the oldest Buddhist university in Bangkok.
Thammasart University: Thailand’s second university, with a traditionally strong political science department and law school; it has spawned several pro-democracy movements, the last ending tragically in the events of 1992, when numerous students were killed by the military and many students had to swim across the river fleeing for their lives. However, the student revolt, which was joined by the middle classes, did result in democratic elections being subsequently held.
Phra Sumane Fort: The fort was originally built by Rama I, at the northern extremity of the capital, to defend the city against invasion. It was restored in 1982 as part of the city’s bicentennial celebrations.
H.M. The Queen’s family Home: This is the family home of Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit, who spent much of her childhood and adolescence here.
Royal Boat House: Many of the beautifully ornate carved barges used in royal ceremonies on the river are housed here. I did try to get some photographs, but they did not work out as it was beyond the effective range of the ‘flash’.
Wat Rachathiwas: King Rama IV, who was a monk for a number of years, resided for a period at this wat; befriending the French Bishop at the nearby Immaculate Conception Church. The bishop taught the King Latin and French in return for Pali language lessons from the King.
Church of the Immaculate Conception: With a sizeable French presence in Ayutthaya and subsequently in the new capital Bangkok, French missionaries built the smaller of the churches on this site in the late 17th century.
Bangyikhan Distillery: This is the home of Mehkong, the popular local whisky.
Thonburi Railway Station: Until 1932, as no railway bridge crossed the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, passengers departing for southern destinations used this railway station.
Siriraj Hospital: This was the first hospital in Thailand, established by King Rama V in 1888. The King embarked on a program of sending boys and girls to be trained as doctors and nurses. The hospital is used regularly by the royal family, and it was here in the mid-90’s that Her Majesty the King’s mother passed away. A complex of beautiful temporary temples and sala were constructed on Sanam Luang the following year for her cremation rites. We stopped at the pier nearby the hospital, a couple of times and I was very impressed to see the nurses in white starched uniforms and hats. I think it is very reassuring to be able to identify who are nursing staff and who are just scruffy visitors. Adam and Rosalind told us that they believe the standard of hospitals and care in Bangkok are superior to anything in Australia.
Kuhn Ying Supatra’s Home: This traditional style Thai house is the property of Kuhn Ying Supatra, a politician and political activist. The family has held the exclusive concession for operating the Chao Phraya Expressboat service for many years.
Wat Rakhang Kositharam: Built during the Ayutthaya period and renovated by King Taksin at the time Thonburi was the capital, the wooden library on the site was the home of King Rama I prior to him becoming King.
Wat Arun (The temple of Dawn): There had been a Chinese temple on this site during the Ayutthaya period called Wat Cheng. The temple served as the royal chapel during the reign of King Taksin. King Rama II designed the current wat, which was not finished, due to problems of building on the soft soil, until the time of Rama III; as Bangkok is below sea level it is still a major concern for the building industry. It is named after the Indian God of Dawn, Aruna, and represents Mount Neru- the centre of the universe. The four smaller towers around its base symbolize the four winds. The decoration, as with many older wats in Bangkok, comes form broken glass and ceramics used as ballast on Chinese merchant vessels coming to Thailand.
Vichai Prasit Fortress: this was a powerful fortress in the Ayutthaya period, guarding the approach to the capital. It subsequently served as the first palace of King Taksin when he moved the capital at Thonburi, before Bangkok. It is one of the oldest sites in Bangkok.
Wat Kalayanamitr: Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful of all Bangkok’s wats in its simplicity, lack of adornment, geometric perfection and classical lies, the wat was established in the reign of Rama III
Santa Cruz church: The oldest Catholic Church in Thailand was built by Portuguese residents of Bangkok following the fall of Ayutthaya. It was rebuilt in 1834 and partially reconstructed following a fire in 1913. the district surrounding the wat was (since Portuguese times) a centre for foreigners living in Thailand and some of the old house are still intact.
Mosque: the mosque provides schooling for Muslim children. Approximately 1.7 million of Thailand’s population is Muslim. In a short stretch of river to either side of the mosque one sees graphically demonstrated Thai and Buddhist tolerance for other religions with, in addition to the mosque, a Catholic Church, a Chinese temple and a Buddhist wat.
Wang Lee House: In classic style, this was the family louse of the Thai-Chinese Wang Lee family, a large Chinese merchant family and founder of one of Thailand’s largest banks.
Sofitel Hotel/ Hilton Millennium Hotel: After starting life as a Sofitel hotel it was plagued by engineering and financial problems for several years; it is now a Hilton Hotel.
The Royal Palace at night.
Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn) at sunset
More photographs from the cruise.
Dinner was a great success and we felt very relaxed and full of bonhomie as we left the boat, and walked back to the car in the basement car park of the Oriental Hotel. As we left three guards lowered a boom to block our exit and asked Adam for his receipt from the hotel or his room number. It appears that they are quite keen to keep the car park for guest of the hotel. Adam said that he had forgotten to keep his receipt, and this caused them some consternation and they kept saying “must have receipt”; to which Adam just kept saying “sorry I don’t have”. In the end they just gave up and raised the boom and let us out. It was a much quicker return trip and with out incident. We said our goodbyes to Adam as he would have left work in the morning and be at work when we flew out.
Next morning we rose early to pack our bags and get ready for our afternoon flight back to Sydney. Kuhn Boon Chuay drove us to the airport and Rosalind came with us to make sure we arrived safely. We did our obligatory tour of the shops etc and had a few snacks before boarding with no problems. The flight to Sydney overnight was without incident, however when we came to pick up our bags, mine were there ok, but Sheila’s was not. I must record that of the two QANTAS flights we have used in the last couple of years, both times our luggage has gone ‘walkabout’. The first time it was mine and this time Sheila’s. When we boarded our connecting flight to Bathurst, Sheila was feeling very distressed as she worried about her luggage, particularly the new clothes that she had made. The flight back to Bathurst was fine and Ian Manock picked us up from the airport and took us home at about 1000. We received a call from the airport at about 1600 telling us that Sheila’s case was there. Bathurst airport no longer provide a taxi to deliver errant QANTAS bags as they do not get vouchers anymore from QANTAS to cover their delivery. Rather than argue I drove out to pick it up, and was surprised when I was told that there were six other missing bags that had been flown up on the same flight. Perhaps I should not have been surprised as it seems to be happening with alarming regularity. However all bags home, all items checked and correct and we started to relax, and think about the fantastic holiday we had enjoyed with Adam and Rosalind, and the marvelous experiences that we had shared. THANK YOU Adam and Rosalind.
References/Bibliography
Eyewitness Travel Guides (2004) Thailand, Dorling Kindersley Ltd London. isbn 0 7513 6879 2
Warren W; Stone D; Tettoni L. (2004) THAILAND A Traveller’s Companion, Asia Books Co, Ltd 5 Sukhumvit Rd Soi 61 PO Box 40, Bangkok Thailand, isbn 981 4155 39 X
Some other posed pictures from the holiday.
Pictures of the building behind Adam and Rosalind’s, the progress of which intrigued me.
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posted by John Lunn at 8:05 PM
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