A wave goodbyes very many people
THAILAND: LAND OF SMILES; BANGKOK CITY OF ANGELS;
AND WAVE GOODBYES VERY MANY PEOPLE
Mai pen rai: no worries she’ll be right
21st December 2004
We had dinner with Jack and Betty Paterson, our next door neighbors, on the night of Monday 20th December. It was a gesture of theirs that we appreciated very much, as it saved us thinking about cooking and cleaning up, and could just go home and get packed.
As we finished an excellent dinner we checked to see if it was also convenient to leave Chloe, our dog, Chloe jumped up onto Jack’s lap, as if to say ‘I’m alright Jack and off you go’. Chloe is probably correct, as while she is with Jack and Betty she will get to sleep inside, as opposed to in the garage; and also she gets to sleep on Betty’s bed. When Chloe decides that Betty moves around too much Chloe goes through to Jack’s bed. During the night if Chloe needs to go out to the toilet she quickly jumps of Jack’s bed, and goes through to wake Betty so that she can be let out without disturbing Jack, good girl!
My friend and colleague Ian Manock picked us up just as the ‘bips’ on the radio announced that it was 0900. The fifteen minute trip to the airport was very smooth and relaxing as Ian is a good driver and committed to delivering us safely to our plane and the trip.
Our plane was a Metro three, which many have dubbed the Flying Pencil, as it has a very small cross section, and seats twenty-one people including the pilot and co-pilot. The Metro has sheep skinned covered seats that are very comfortable, but more space would be nice. Checking-in was ‘interesting’, we both had a large case with each being slightly over the 22 kg ‘allowed. We also had a backpack, shopping bag, and a cabin-bag full of bottles of wine, packets of coffee beans etc. The very dour commandant of the check-in desk informed us that the cabin-bag would also have to be weighed, and as on the Metro there are no overhead lockers the cabin-bag would also have to go into the luggage hold.
Sheila expressed concerns about the safety of the fragile contents, and we were assured that a ‘fragile’ sticker would be placed on the cabin-bag. As the check-in commandant completed the weigh-in he announced “And that will be Australian $40.00 for excess baggage Mr Lunn, how would you like to pay it?” The ubiquitous plastic was put into operation for the first time on this trip, a bit earlier than I had expected, though I was confident it would not be the last.
The forty-five minute flight was without incident apart from a horde of flies in the cabin prior to take-off and again on landing I did wonder how they managed to keep up with our speed, but they are persistent little beggars. We disembarked at Sydney domestic terminal at 1100 and retrieved our luggage with wine intact, and quickly got a taxi to the international terminal. Every time that we have to go through this charade we both comment how much better Melbourne airport is, where the domestic and international are in the same location, and you can walk from one to the other. We live in hopes of a moving walkway connecting the two terminals in Sydney.
We could not ‘check-in’ for our QF1 flight to Bangkok (then London) until 1500 for our 1800 takeoff, so we dragged our bags around to the coffee shops, and had a leisurely, expensive coffee, and then took it in turns to guard the luggage while the other had a look around the shops. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I was on guard duties a lot longer than Sheila, but that is appropriate as shopping is not my thing, and window shopping even less. I did notice that in the sports shop customers are no longer allowed to use the ‘Velcro’ covered golf clubs and ball to assess their swing. Perhaps it had something to do with my exploits at the store last year, and the look of consternation from the Federal policeman, as the mat and tee headed towards him.
For lunch Sheila had a couple of tuna rolls from the sushi bar, and I tried the veggie burger from the Golden Arches. Sheila made the best choice!
We joined the ‘crocodile’ to check-in counter at about 1430, but we had not judged our run quite right, and were called forward to the desk at 1445, about fifteen minutes too early. The lady was very understanding, and took our tickets and asked us to wait by the barrier close-by until she had processed a couple of other clients, by which time our flight should be opened. As it turned out the next couple were ‘problem children’ of some sort. By the time they were sorted it was 1458 and our bags were booked in. I asked about our seating preference of the exit line over the wing. The check-in lady said that she would try, but most were pre-allocated (which I still find strange as when ever I try to do that I am told pre-allocation of seats is not possible). As we left check-in we were advised to check with the people at the boarding gate to see if they could do anything about our seating preference.
We went through the passport control straight away, and I again took up guard duty on our cabin-bag, back-pack etc. Sheila bought a Kit-Kat for me and some macadamia nuts for herself; while on my shopping time I bought a cross-word puzzle book to amuse myself on the flight, as we did not hold high hopes of the in-flight movies.
The fuehrer in charge of the boarding desk said that he did not think he could do anything about our seating preferences, but to check back with him about ten minutes after they started to board people. When I went back to him he said that he could nothing, and then gave us boarding cards that were for different seats closer to the front. They turned out to be ‘on the exit line over the wing’. Sheila had the window seat, and I the middle one of the three. The escape chute paraphernalia was not too close, as it can be on some planes, so Sheila had lots of leg room, though it is a little problem that her feet don’t reach the ground.
My low-fat, low- cholesterol meal arrived early, as usual, and I always have a little smile at the look of consternation on the face of the person next to me who has an ordinary meal, and for which they have to wait a longer time.
Sheila slept a little, while I did not sleep at all passing the time very well with my cross-word puzzle book, and not so well with a couple of crap movies: ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ and ‘Without a Paddle’ not worth watching. We are convinced that Qantas must get a good deal on movies that are ‘bombs’ at the box-office.
We landed in Bangkok just after 2300 Bangkok time, which is four hours ahead of Sydney time, during the Australian summer.
Adam and Rosalind were there to meet us and Adam drove us to their new apartment. I was very impressed with Adam’s confident Bangkok driving.
A Miniature Portrait of Thailand
Thailand is located in a fertile monsoonal area midway between India and China, the two civilizations that have molded Southern Asia. But the Thais take great delight in highlighting their own distinctive culture. For example though the Tai (as distinct from the Thai) ethnic group probably originated in Southern China sometime in the first 1000 years AD, their tonal language is quite unlike any form of Chinese language. Additionally, the elegant Thai script, though derived from that of ancient Southern India, is distinct.
The kingdom of Siam had hardly any contact with the West until the 16th century; at least, no notable account of it is found in Western chronicles. Nicolo Conti (1395-1469) mentioned the kingdom of Siam, but never visited Ayutthaya, the then capital, although he crossed the Tenasserim area in 1420-30. The first travelers to give a full description of Siam and its inhabitants are the Portuguese. In 1511 Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca, made it a Portuguese stronghold in the Far East, and at once set out to establish relationships with all the neighboring countries.
The Thais, unlike all her immediate neighbors, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia, Thailand never fell to a European colonial power. The Thais are a little circumspect however about The Pacific War; when in 1940, flowing the fall of France, skirmishes broke out along the borders of Thailand and Indo-China (Vietnam) which resulted in the return of areas in Laos and Cambodia to Thailand the following year. Upon the outbreak of the Pacific War on December 8th 1941, Japan demanded free passage through southern Thailand, I think from Burma, for its attacks against British territories. Unable to resist, Prime Minister Pibul granted permission and further, issued, a declaration of war against Great Britain and the United States in January 1942. It has been claimed that the declaration of war was never delivered by the Thai ambassador in the United States, as the ambassador did not agree with it. An underground Free Thai movement was organized by Dr Pridi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the war, not only bringing him back to power, but also enabling Thailand to avoid being treated as an enemy nation by the allies following Japan’s defeat.
A little about the ‘Death Railway’ is probably appropriate:
In June 1942, six months after the start of its conquest of Southeast Asia, Japan ordered the construction of a railway from Thailand to Burma as a substitute for the British blockaded sea route to Rangoon. It was meant to play a major role in the transportation of men and material for the planed invasion of British India. For labour, the Japanese deployed about 61,000 Allied prisoners of war captured in Malaya, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), plus an estimated 270,000 conscripted Asian workers. Over 12,000 POWs and 240,000 Asians died during the construction of the eventually useless Death Railway, 393 men died for every mile constructed.
Fundamentally the Thai sense of identity is allied with Theravada Buddhism and the monarchy. Both are significant institutions since the Sukhothia period (13th-14th century), an era when the first real Thai kingdom flourished. The colours of the modern Thai flag (thong trai rong) reflect these influences; the nation (red), the three forces of Buddhism (white) and the monarchy (blue).It is also interesting to note that the Buddhist Era calendar that operates in Thailand marks this year as 2548 (2005 in our Gregorian calendar) and it uses lunar (30 day) months like the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar started with Hijra or the sacrifice for the cause of Truth and for the preservation of the Revelation, which sounds bit like the origin of the Buddhist Era calendar. According to the Islamic calendar 2005 on our Gregorian calendar is the year 1426. The lunar months mean that the Islamic year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year so I figure that there is currently 579 years difference, and the Islamic calendar is catching up to the Gregorian calendar at eleven days per year, so it will be 19,076 days or fifty two and a bit years before they are both the same year, for one year, around 2057 on the Gregorian Calendar. But the Gregorian calendar will never catch up with the Buddhist Era Calendar, as the Buddhist Calendar is getting further ahead by eleven days each year. Perhaps the numerologists would have a field day with some of this; the only thing I would like to be sure of is that all the airlines are working off the same dates and times.BangkokBangkok, ‘the place of makok (olive trees)’, is known in Thai by a 165 character name, which begins with ‘Krungthep’ – ‘the city of angels’. It was established on the site of an existing small riverside village as the fourth capital of the Kingdom, succeeding Sukhothai (1238-1350), Ayuthaya (1350-1767) and Thonburi (1767-1782). The fall of Ayuthaya to the Burmese in 1767, where less than 10,000 of the one million inhabitants survived the onslaught, provided the impetus for the relocation of the capital. King Taksin, credited with the ultimate defeat of the Burmese, established his palace on the site of Vichai Fort, an old riverside fortification, where boats headed for Ayuthaya were originally checked, and the adjacent current site of Wat Arun. King Taksin, eventually ran out of ’brownie points’ for the defeat of the Burmese, and believing himself a reincarnation of the Buddha , became quite crazy, and was dispatched in the traditional method reserved for royalty – beaten to death inside a velvet bag, to ensure that not one drop of royal blood touched the ground. When the royals get ‘the sack’ in Thailand, it really does mean the end of your career. His successor Chao Phya Chakri (King Rama I), the founder of the current Chakri dynasty, moved the capital from Thonburi across the river to Bangkok and the island of Rattanakosin, in order to improve the security of the city. I think it must have been the island aspect that was the major improvement in security as it only takes about forty minutes to drive from Bangkok to Ayutthya, depending on the traffic. I guess that war elephants would have been a bit slower than the car, but then again the traffic congestion would not have been as bad.The city developed around the river, with areas further inland linked by an extensive network of canals (klongs). It was not until the late 19th century that the first paved road was laid., Charoen Krung (New Road), the principal road parallel to the river- to enable the ambassadors from the numerous foreign embassies in the vicinity to drive their new ‘automobiles’. Sadly, today many of the klongs have been paved over with roadways and many of the remainder has become the major source of pollution of the ‘River of kings’. Kings of the Chakri DynastyRama I 1782-1809 The FounderRama II 1809-1824 The Artist Son Rama III 1824-1851 The Ruler SonRama IV 1851-1868 The Enlightened Brother of Rama IIIRama V (Chulalongkorn) 1868-1910 The Revolutionary SonRama VI (Vajiravudh) 1910-1925 The Liberal SonRama VII (Prajadhipok) 1925-1934 (abdicates) The Philosopher Brother of Rama VI Rama VIII (Ananda) 1934-1946 Nephew of Rama VIIRama IX (Bhumipol) 1946-date The Great Brother of Rama VIII
Sheila and I were even more impressed with their new apartment that is on the seventh of eight floors in a new apartment block. Rosalind and their housekeeper Kuhn Noy had done a great job in decorating a very large Xmas tree, with baubles and lights, that would have been at home in a West End store window in London.
We sat and chatted until about 0230 Bangkok time, when my body screamed that it was 0630 Bathurst time and I needed to shower and get to sleep.
Adam, Rosalind and Kuhn Noy’s, kitchen
One of the sitting areas of Adam and Rosalind’s apartment with the Xmas tree.
One of their statues with a glimpse of another sitting area
Another of their statues
A view of the television area and the way to Adam and Rosalind’s suite
The other end of the television area with access to our suite on the right, (Sheila having a wee nap) and the study on the left.
A view from the kitchen doorway through the dinning area to the tree and one of the balconies beyond.
A reflection of lilies near their front door and the door to their kitchen.
Their door-bell, though it is just inside their front door.
Another of their statues.
One of my favorite pictures, their Vietnamese ‘Mother and Daughter’.
22nd December 2005.
I woke at 0700, and decided to get up as Sheila was sleeping well and I did not want to disturb her. Sheila arose about 0800 with Adam and Rosalind not longer afterwards. Sheila made me a cup of tea which for some reason I thought was noteworthy, useful things journals.
Adam went to work and their driver Kuhn Boon Chuay drove Rosalind, Sheila and I to Chitlong Central a modern shopping centre. Here we planned to resume our acquaintance with the Food Loft. The Food Loft is a restaurant on the top floor, which features an international dining concept from the following countries: Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, and India, plus a salad bar, and a drinks bar. When one enters the restaurant, one is given a card with a bar code on it, and as you make your selection your card is swiped with the cost of the meal that you selected. The only drawback is you don’t know the total until you leave, when the total is processed by the cashier at the exit. But when you are selecting from the myriad of different ethnic dishes one, does not care.
For the first time I selected a lemon grass drink that was a great accompaniment to the mini Thai banquet that I chose. Sheila opted for a Chili Green prawn salad as she thought that a salad would be a light meal after our flight. Mistake it was hot, no make that very, very hot. Sheila still maintains that no only were lips, eyes, and nose on fire, but also her ears felt as though they had liquid fire in them. Still helps to clear the sinus, eustachian tubes, nose, tear ducts, and various other body drainage mechanisms. Rosalind had a Vietnamese selection. Rosalind and Sheila were keen to do the ‘girly’ thing, and window shop, so they said they would get a taxi home later, while Kuhn Boon Chuay took me back to their apartment, in Soi See, Soi Nang Linchee; this roughly translates as lane number four off Nang Linchee road. Getting the pronunciation correct was important for Sheila and I, if we wanted to take taxis on our own later.
The traffic was bad Bangkok traffic, but Kuhn Boon Chuay is a master at finding his way through and safely and not in that order; but not the same could be said of Adam whose priority is speed.
To assist my recovery from jet-lag I decided to go down to the apartment block’s gym and swimming pool. It is very well equipped and I clocked up a total of six kilometres between the treadmill, bike, and stair-climber, plus working out with a few weights.
When Adam came home from work he said that he had booked dinner at an Italian restaurant that they liked. Adam drove and the traffic was again hectic with us being about half and hour late. Adam had been a little concerned as sometimes if one is late they will give your table away, but as he was recognized as a good customer he thought it unlikely. Adam’s prediction was true and we were shown to our table by a confident Italian maitre de’. When Adam ordered the wines with his taste for exquisite wines at exquisite prices we were given even closer attention. We were spoilt for choice so I thought I would just opt for one of the specials of the day, some salt bush lamb from South Australia. Within a few minutes the maitre de arrived at our table with the chef and owner of the restaurant. It turned out that he was from South Australia, and he did laugh when I asked if South Australia was still open. He has been in Bangkok for fifteen years, and he said that he wanted to meet the table that had the good taste to order the special. However I think that it had more to do with the wines that Adam had ordered, and was in the processing of adding to the tally. The meal was excellent and we all ate far too much. But Adam said that we should make room for the cheese platter as he had eaten it before, and it featured cheeses especially flown in from Italy. This further delighted the maitre de and the chef who appeared at our table again. This time with the chef/owner was his Thai wife Tok, who apparently is a game show host on Thai television. Tok is a very lovely and graceful lady who coped with us very well. The chef then said how much he had enjoyed having us as guests, and he asked us to sample some special liqueur that was given to him by his supplier in Italy. Adam demurred as he said that he had tried it before and it was dynamite. But the chef was not to be denied, and Adam and I joined him in drinking some glasses of some very potent fluid. I think that Rosalind and Sheila were relieved that the sharing of this drink appeared to be some part of a male bonding ritual. We were the last customers to leave and full of bonhomie and great food and drinks. It was a pleasant drive home, I think! (Scoozi 160 Sribumpen Condo Home, Soi Sribumpen, Yannawa, Bangkok).
In the morning Sheila and I planned to go on our own to Vimanmek mansion, the world’s largest golden teak wood mansion built without the use of any iron nails.December 23rd 2005
I woke about 0700, while Sheila did not surface until 1130, still a little jet-lagged I think. While Sheila slept I worked with Rosalind and Kuhn Noy to write down some Thai ‘survival’ phrases for the day. Rosalind speaks Thai very well, and is also learning to read and write Thai. Especially impressive when one learns that the first Thai alphabet was created in 1283 by King Ramkhamhaeng, Rama the Powerful of Sukhothai, who based it on Mon and Khmer versions of old South Indian script. All these scripts are organized around a horizontal line that runs throughout the words. The script of modern Thai follows very strict phonological rules. It consists of 44 consonants and 32 basic vowels that cannot be used alone and are written in close relationship to the consonants in order to create syllables. When speaking there are five tones, or pitch, mid, high, low, rising and falling. The tone at which each syllable is pronounced determines its meaning. For example ‘mai’ using a falling tone means ‘not’, but ‘mai’ using a rising tone means ‘silk’.
We were told by Rosalind, that the Thai have some fun with Europeans by encouraging them to pronounce Kwai, as in ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ as Kwah, and that is a Thai word for penis. It would appear that some things that some people find funny are the same the world over. (The Thai name for the river is the Khwae Yai river.
The phrases for the day were:
Chai krup: yes when said by a man
Mai chi krup: no when said by a man
Basically anytime a male says anything he should end the phrase with krup, pronounced cup and anytime a lady speaks she should end the phrase with ka, pronounced car.
Buay Sapan Taksin krup: go to Taksin bridge (where we were to catch a commuter boat up-stream).
Buay ta rooak krup: go to boat pier.
Kerhn Rua krup: want to catch a boat
Chuay buay Twoet duay krup: please go to Twoet, please; Twoet was the pier at which we needed to disembark.
Buay Dusit krup: go to Dusit; Dusit is the very large garden in which the mansion is located.
Buay barhn Vimanmek krup: go to Vimanmek house.
But by far the most useful phrases were:
Sawasdee krup, which I think basically translates as ‘g; day mate’, and is used when greeting people, and also saying goodbye. Many times we found that if we used the Sawasdee salutation it brought broad smiles of appreciation and good hearted response.
Korp-koon krup which is ‘thank you’, but the use of sawasdee was by far the most positive.
After a late breakfast, Rosalind and Kuhn Boon Chuay took us by car to the Taksim Bridge boat pier where people were very keen to help us despite our lack of Thai and their lack of English. We were directed to the correct boat and gathered that we would pay our fares on the boat. It was a long ‘yellow’ commuter boat; I guess the Thai equivalent of a ‘yellow cab’ with the important differences being a couple of hundred passengers in a narrow boat with obviously a big engine. The coxswain was seated up-front and took directions from the skipper at the stern, via whistled commands.
We carefully scrutinised the name of each pier as we swept past fantastic hotels, and marvelous Wats (temples) on the shore of the Chao Phraya river (river of kings). It was about the tenth stop, and we disembarked at Thewit pier, (though I did note three different spelling of the pier very close to each other, with no problems; but amazement as we saw the water frothing with fish in their feeding frenzy competing for scraps from riverside restaurants.
Feeding frenzy by Thewit pier
After we disembarked, we walked through a few little shops near the jetty and started on what I hoped was the correct path to the Vimanmek mansion. A few metres past the shops we saw a little live fish market on our left side. Mostly they were in tanks, but there were also large shallow bowls on the footpath with a variety of different fish. Most of them were a dark grey in colour, so I don’t think they were being sold for anyone’s aquarium. I think it was more likely they were for the wok. Because the bowls were so shallow and the quantity of fish in each bowl so large quite often one would flip out of the bowel onto the pavement, and into the gutter. This caused me some concern and I tried to help a few back into their bowls, so Sheila’s consternation. The Thai ladies tending their wares smiled indulgently, and used a small net to scoop them up and deposit the escapees in the bowls in one fluid movement.
Further up the same road and on the same side we saw about thirty little shops selling plants, flowers and garden ornaments.
Of course there were many orchid plants and many other exotic flowers, if I had a great interest in gardening it would have been even more interesting. The lane we walked up from the pier intersected with a large road, and we turned left not so much out of confidence as bravado as there were a large number of food stall on either side of the road and I enjoy the sights and sounds of the all. After about a kilometer, I thought I should consult my map, and check to see if we were still on the right track. As we tried to orientate the map with the street names a Thai lady stopped and asked if she could help. I say asked, but her English was only marginally better than our Thai. However when we mentioned Vimanmek, she pointed down a street to our right, and then said “three kilometre”. We said our thanks and goodbye in Thai, and headed off once more with increased confidence. I think Sheila was concerned about the ‘three’ aspect, as it was quite warm, but I thought ladies quite often exaggerate, and that in reality it would be a lot less. Nah she did not exaggerate! On the way we saw the outside of the Thai National library, it is a very impressive modern building in the old Thai style, which has far more grace than our concrete boxes. I was also very interested to come across the location of the Thai emergency management organization. Because of my past jobs it was too good a photo opportunity to miss, and I guess in some ways quite prophetic, though at that time we did not appreciate its significance.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
After we had walked along Ratchasima Rd, from Sriayuthaya Rd, and turned the corner into Ratchawithi Rd we quickly discovered the entrance to the very large complex, of which the Vimanmek mansion is only one of many buildings that one can visit. In fact there are about twenty-one sites of interest and we really only saw one. It would be a good idea to arrive early and set aside a whole day to see it all and the grounds themselves are very lush and picturesque with wide water features. We also realised that all the time that we been walking along Ratchasima Rd, the red brick wall on our right, was the boundary of the Dusit Gardens site. It was now about 1400 and we bought our tickets for entry to the Vimanmek mansion, which is located about two hundred metres from the entrance on the left hand side. One thing for which I was not prepared was that we were told that because I was wearing shorts I would have to hire a sarong to enter the mansion. We were familiar with the requirement for the Wats (temples), but did not think it would be required for this site. I think it may have something to do with the fact that it is a palace of the king, and the king has great religious significance in Thailand. One does not in fact hire a sarong, one borrows a sarong, and leave a 200 baht deposit to ensure its return, 200 baht is about Australian $10.00 so is not a major issue.
John in ‘his’ sarong at the bottom of the entrance steps to Vimanmek mansion
Just behind the entrance steps to the mansion, is a locker room where you have to leave your shoes, cameras etc. The lockers each have their own key so one can leave your shoes etc with confidence. We were about to join the next small group to have the guided tour, they are all accompanied. When Sheila saw a notice pointing behind the mansion, and indicating the way to some Thai dancing, that had commenced at 1400. there are only two performances each day, at 1000 and 1400so we decided to see the rest of their performance and then catch another tour group through the mansion.
The dancers were performing on a ’stage’ area attached to the rear of the mansion and is part of a colonnade that extends out over a lake with a magnificent Thai style guest house on the other side. I think the guest house is for special guests of the royal family. We enjoyed the dancers and their music very much, and the costumes were fantastic, the following photos do them very little justice.
Thai dancing at the Vimanmek mansion
A more candid photo of some of the dancers at the mansion.
A traditional country dance.
One of my favorite pictures of a Vimanmek dancer, even though I got my timing a bit out.
Vimanmek Mansion
When King Rama V (1868-1910), returned from a visit to Europe in 1897, he used his personal money to purchase orchards and rice fields between Padung Krungkasem klong (canal) and Samsen klong for the construction of a royal garden which he named ‘the Dusit Garden’.
The first permanent residence in Dusit Garden was Vimanmek mansion, built in 1900, by royal command of King Rama V. The King had the Munthaturattanaroj Residence in Chuthathujrachathan, at Koh (island) Sri Chang, Chonburi in the gulf of Thailand, but because of conflicts with the French over Cambodia he had it dismantled and rebuilt in the Dusit garden under the supervision of HRH Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse, I wonder what his nick name was. The celebration for the completion of Vimanmek Mansion was held on March 27th 1901. King Rama V then moved his residence from the Grand Palace to stay at Vimanmek mansion for five years until the completion of Amporn Satarn Palace in 1906 where he lived until his death in 1910. Vimanmek Mansion was then closed down and members of the royal family moved back to the Grand Palace. Near the end of his reign, King Rama VI (1910-1925) gave permission to Her Majesty Indharasaksaji to stay at Vimanmek Mansion. After the death of King Rama VI, she moved to stay in another residence in the Suan Hong compound north of the Vimanmek Mansion and the mansion was closed.
King Rama VII (1925-1934) renovated the mansion several times. For example, he ordered the installation of new electrical wiring, and the repair of columns of the main pier at the artificial lake in the garden. I think this in the ‘stage’ area. However from 1932, the Vimanmek Mansion was used only as a storage place of the Bureau of the Royal Household and it started to deteriorate from neglect.
In 1982, during the Bicentennial Anniversary of Bangkok, the current Queen, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who had discovered that the Vimanmek mansion, with its elaborate architectural style was still intact, was given permission by the current King His Majesty King Rama IX, to renovate the mansion for use as a museum to commemorate King Rama V by displaying his photographs, personal art, and handicrafts, to serve as a showcase of the Thai national heritage for future generations.
Vimanmek Mansion is the world’s largest golden teakwood mansion, and was built using wooden pegs instead of iron nails, which makes a lot of sense to me when one considers the humid climate and the monsoonal rains. Its style reflects a European influence and is said to be more like a ‘Victorian’ mansion than a Thai Palace. The mansion as two right-angles wings, each wing is sixty metres long and twenty metres high, and is three-storied except for the apartments of Ring Rama V, which is octagonal and four storied. Partly I guess so that so subjects of the King would ever be in a higher position than the King. Although the ground floor is brick and cement, the upper floors are all built of the beautiful golden teakwood. Altogether there are thirty-one exhibition rooms, with the bedrooms, the throne room and bathrooms illustrating an important aspect of Thai history. In fact Vimanmek is the site of Thailand’s first shower bath. Sheila was amused to learn from Kuhn Noy that the word for bath in Thailand literally means ‘sleeping shower’. There are examples of Thai art including silverware, ceramics, crystal ware, and ivory; much of which were gifts from sovereigns in other countries. It did seem out of context to see a photograph of Queen Victoria on one wall, but King Rama V was keen on many things European and a frequent visitor to Europe.
After the dancing, we put our shoes, camera and back-pack in the locker and joined a group of about twelve people with an English speaking guide. I think they provide guides for English, French and German groups. The rest have to manage as best they can, I guess that includes the Americans, Swedes, Bulgarians etc.
Our tour guide spoke very good English and was very patient with any questions from the group. We were moved along quite briskly, as it appears they try to get a group through every twenty minutes, and there is always one group just in front of you, and another close behind. We were able to look into or enter most of the rooms, and our guide was instructing us how to sit, with respect, in the throne room, when our visit to that room was cancelled as the Princess Royal, was holding court in the throne room with some V.I.P. guests; and it was not us. We were able to see into the room however, which did surprise me, as I don’t think that level of courtesy would be extended to us at Buckingham Palace. For the second part of the tour we were passed onto a male guide who thought he had a great sense of humor, he does not. But maybe it gets lost in translation. He finished his part of the tour, the last part for us, with a homily including the observation “I hope that you enjoyed my detailed explanation, and humorous dialogue, and if you did please feel free to give me a tip to supplement my small salary”.
No, I did not give him a tip, and any guilt I may have felt was assuaged by a notice in the locker room, from which we retrieved our shoes, camera, and back-pack. The notice stated ‘Tips are not allowed and if any guide asks for a tip please telephone and report the guide’. The name was long and so was the number so the guide was not reported.
On the way out of the Dusit garden we noticed a series of open garages with carriages of the various kings displayed. We wandered along looking at these until the open garages becomes closed garages as the clocks indicated 1600 the closing time, and an attendant walked along activating the roller shutters. We decided to walk, westwards, further along Rajawithi Rd, towards the river before we headed south along Samsen Rd and the small lane down to the Thewet boat pier. On the way we passed a large school, which appeared to be having a large break-up party for the children and their parents. It was amusing to see the children rushing off to show their drawings to their parents, and the earnest pleasure of the parents over their children’s accomplishments. We only had to wait about ten minutes for a commuter boat to take us back to Taksin Bridge pier. I admired the skills of the young girl who collected the fares. She carried a silver coin carrier, about a metre long, and collected the notes, issued tickets, and provides change with aplomb. She also seemed to recognize very easily those who still had to pay their fare, even though the boast was crowded, and people were getting on and off every few minutes.
When we disembarked we walked up the stairway to the Saphan Taksin sky-train station, and bought our tickets Sala Daeng station where we changed to the underground system, Metropolitan Rapid Transit system. When we got off at Sala Deng all the maps indicated that the Silom station on the MRT was in the same location. We went up and down various stairways inside and outside of the sky-train station, and could not find the Silom station. I asked one gentleman and he waved us in the direction of a hotel on the corner. We walked in that direction for about fifty metres, and decided that he must have misunderstood us, and we started to trek up and own the same stairways. Around and around we went without success and then decided that we might as well start walking in the ‘correct ‘direction’ and perhaps get a cab.
When we walked about a hundred metres in the direction that we had been shown we came across the entrance to the Silom MRT station, just in front of the hotel, as we had been told. Our guide had understood us; we just did not understand him. We then traveled one station to Lumphini, and caught a taxi to Adam and Rosalind’s apartment.
Kuhn Noy had made another great Thai dinner. Adam and Rosalind made some excellent pistachio ice-cream and a fantastic summer pudding for Christmas Eve. After dinner we relaxed in the TV room watching a DVD called ‘John Safron vs God’. I found the satire very amusing and a very relaxing way to finish the day.
‘Our commuter’ boat
Adam, Kuhn Noy, Sheila and Rosalind in their kitchen
Another commuter boat on the Chao Phraya
December 24th 2004, Christmas Eve
Sheila had obviously got over her ‘jet-lag’ as she awoke about 0600 and by 0730 she was in our bathroom doing some ‘hand-washing’, as she maintains that it is important to ‘hand- wash’ her new clothes the first time, so that they are not affected by subsequent machine washing. Adam went to work and I went with Rosalind and Sheila to a French shopping complex called ‘Carrefour’. It is a huge super-market that is very popular with ex-patriots, as it stocks many items from Europe. I quickly got bored about ‘oohing’ and ‘ahing’ over shopping, wandered into the toys section, and nearby found a free internet station, and logged on to check, and answer a couple of e-mails.
While Adam was at work he had heard about an earthquake under the sea, near Tasmania. At 1027 on 24the December 2005, Adam sent the following SMS to Rosalind: “I predict there will be a big earthquake somewhere in the world in the next few days”.
Rosalind asked me what I thought, I said, “I don’t know about an earthquake, but I would not be surprised if there was a disaster of some sort around Christmas as there seems to always be a disaster somewhere in the world each year about that time.
From Carrefour’ we went to another shopping centre called ‘Emporium’, which is described as ‘The Ultimate Shopping Complex’. It is very ‘up-market’ and I think the description is very appropriate. We split up, Rosalind and I in one direction, as I wanted to get another little something for Sheila’s Christmas; and Sheila wanted to get something additional for Rosalind. After buying our ‘surprise’ presents we had a coffee. Perhaps I should also admit that the coffee was accompanied by blueberry muffins, Danish pastries and some excellent cool drinks. When we got back to their apartment Sheila and I felt guilty about our afternoon tea and went down to the gym for a forty-five minute work out. We then chose various rooms in which to wrap our purchases without being seen by the intended recipient. After wrapping the gifts we felt a bit tired, and slept for a while, a siesta is a great concept. Adam came home early evening after his first trip on the MRT, saying he was pleasantly surprised by its speed and cleanliness.
DINNER WAS SUPERB!!!!!
The first course made by Kuhn Noy, featured a ‘fish mousse’ called Hor Mak, it has flavours of fennel, cardamom etc, and is one of Adam’s favorite Thai dishes.
Kuhn Noy made moulds for her Hor Mak by stapling together banana leaves, clever lady. The next course made by Rosalind was salmon steaks with asparagus, followed by Rosalind’s summer pudding and Adam’s pistachio ice-cream with a raspberry sauce drizzled over the ice-cream and berries. The wines ‘included’ a champagne cocktail for the first course; a chardonnay/Chablis with the salmon, and a Baume de Venise with e dessert. After dinner we watched the latest DVD in John Apted’s series ‘Seven Up’. It is a documentary about a group of children in London from various socio-economic groups following their lives from the age of seven, and revisiting them every seven years. This one was during their forty-second year, and it is a great series well worth watching. It is best seen from the first one, through all of the series, to appreciate the development of the people. One of the underlying concepts is from the ‘Jesuits’: ‘Show me the boy at seven and I will show you the man’. In many ways a scary concept with its implication that our futures are pretty much pre-ordained by our adolescent experiences. This series provides significant evidence in support of the proposition, but also some exceptions, which I find most gratifying. Bed at 0130, all of us eager to wake early, and find what Santa had left.
December 25th 2005 Christmas Day
Sheila was awake first and while I was still waking up Adam and Rosalind went out to get some croissant. It is a family tradition carried over from Tasmania when we used to get croissant from the Star Bakery, Sandy Bay Road, Hobart. Adam had asked if they needed to pre-order what they wanted, but had been reassured that there would be plenty when they arrived. No there were none left when they arrived but it was okay some others were due out of the oven quite quickly and we had a large batch of very fresh ones for our breakfast. Sheila waxed lyrical about the ‘white’ European butter that is less salty than the Australian butter and allowed us to enjoy the flavours of our marmalade and jams far more. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee wafted around the apartment and was a great complement to the fresh orange juice and croissants.
Rosalind has not been able to find the Christmas stockings that Sheila had made them a few years before, we did find them about three days later, but Rosalind found some great substitutes. Our stockings were in fact laundry bags from some of the various hotels that they had stayed at. Mine was the Fullerton Hotel; Sheila’s the Sheraton, Adam the Shangri-La, and Rosalind the Hyatt. They were a great substitute as they were able to hold a lot more. We took it in turns to open one present each, and as usual the blokes ran out of presents to open long before the ladies, ce la vie.
Opening presents on Christmas Day.
More of the present debris.
Lunch was at the Oriental Hotel Bangkok long recognized as one of the world’s great hotels. The dinning room has a great view over Chao Phraya River, and was very elegantly decorated with exquisite decorations. The staff in the dining room had marvelous costumes that were Thai style, but featuring the red and green Christmas day theme colours. We were a little late in arriving so the dinning room was full and buzzing with the excited chatter and laughter of all the patrons. Lunch was what ever one wanted from a huge buffet selection of cold, hot, Asian, European and other exotic cuisines. I was determined to sample as many as I could, and for a change paced myself, and did full justice to very many different dishes. Adam ensured that the accompanying wines were rare, sumptuous and plentiful. While we were enjoying some sweets an older chap with grey hair wobbled his way to our table, and explained that he was Australian and used to live and work in Canberra as a court reporter. He said that he and his partner had lived in Bangkok for the last six years. His partner also came over to or table and said that when we got fed up of his friend talking so much we should just tell him to “clear off you old queen”. It appeared that they always had a bit of a domestic when they drank too much, and the other ‘couple’ one of whom was Thai found the ‘agro’ very upsetting. We were so full of ‘bonhomie’ that we were quite happy for him to stay and chat. When we explained that Sheila and I were from Bathurst, he asked if we were farmers or restaurant owners we said no, and offered no further explanation. After about and hour his ‘mate’ came and escorted him back to their table. We were the last to leave the dinning room and sashayed down to the Bamboo Bar. One settles back into the very comfortable chairs and mentally time travels back to an era where Somerset Maughan, will amble into the bar, and while quaffing a ‘mai tai’ scribble notes, on scraps of paper, for his ‘Lord Jim’.
The décor, ambiance, and elegantly dressed and coiffured patrons from all corners of the globe made one feel very privileged.
We ambled to the front of the hotel and waited while the valet brought Adam’s car, a short uneventful trip home at about 1945, and a couple of more drinks before bed, a very memorable Christmas Day.
December 26th 2005 Boxing Day.
We all surfaced slowly and ate some more croissants, and Sheila asked if she could have a piece of the block of Toblerone chocolate, one of my Christmas presents. “Sorry Sheila, all gone”. The next fifteen minutes were filled with comments from Sheila and Rosalind that centered on the issue of me finishing off a 400 gram block of chocolate in less than a day in addition to all the meals. I do love Toblerone, though Rosalind did agree with me that it would be better if the shape would be changed as when one bites into the bar and ‘crest’ of the bar always hurts one’s palate, but some times we have to suffer a little pain to experience the full pleasure. “How does the saying go? “It is a fine line between pleasure and pain”. I don’t like pain, but a little discomfort is worth the taste.
After breakfast, in fact late morning Adam and Rosalind took us to Chatuchak market. It is Thailand’s biggest market with a collection of over 6,000 stalls, which together occupy the space of over five football fields. We got there via taxi and then the MRT. One can either get off at Kamphaeng Phet or Mor Chit stations, and the railway staff direct everyone to the exit for the market, on the assumption that is where most passengers are going. In ninety per cent of the cases they are correct. It is useful to use the market clock tower as a reference point and also a meeting point though of course so do many others.
It is always full of eager shoppers, many of which are females who can spend a whole day browsing among the myriad of stalls that are set up in little laneways with many similar shops in the same lanes. The huge variety of goods on sale, include fresh seafood,, antiques, Siamese fighting fish, second hand jeans, snakes, flying squirrels that were the favorite of Adam and I , but we did not think the ladies would be to impressed. Some of the baby squirrels were so small they were being bed with eye-droppers. Sheila and Rosalind wanted to have a look for handbags, and of course Adam and I did not, so we agreed to let the ladies do their ‘girly’ thing and we would pursue the ‘blokey’ bits.
AND WAVE GOODBYES VERY MANY PEOPLE
Mai pen rai: no worries she’ll be right
21st December 2004
We had dinner with Jack and Betty Paterson, our next door neighbors, on the night of Monday 20th December. It was a gesture of theirs that we appreciated very much, as it saved us thinking about cooking and cleaning up, and could just go home and get packed.
As we finished an excellent dinner we checked to see if it was also convenient to leave Chloe, our dog, Chloe jumped up onto Jack’s lap, as if to say ‘I’m alright Jack and off you go’. Chloe is probably correct, as while she is with Jack and Betty she will get to sleep inside, as opposed to in the garage; and also she gets to sleep on Betty’s bed. When Chloe decides that Betty moves around too much Chloe goes through to Jack’s bed. During the night if Chloe needs to go out to the toilet she quickly jumps of Jack’s bed, and goes through to wake Betty so that she can be let out without disturbing Jack, good girl!
My friend and colleague Ian Manock picked us up just as the ‘bips’ on the radio announced that it was 0900. The fifteen minute trip to the airport was very smooth and relaxing as Ian is a good driver and committed to delivering us safely to our plane and the trip.
Our plane was a Metro three, which many have dubbed the Flying Pencil, as it has a very small cross section, and seats twenty-one people including the pilot and co-pilot. The Metro has sheep skinned covered seats that are very comfortable, but more space would be nice. Checking-in was ‘interesting’, we both had a large case with each being slightly over the 22 kg ‘allowed. We also had a backpack, shopping bag, and a cabin-bag full of bottles of wine, packets of coffee beans etc. The very dour commandant of the check-in desk informed us that the cabin-bag would also have to be weighed, and as on the Metro there are no overhead lockers the cabin-bag would also have to go into the luggage hold.
Sheila expressed concerns about the safety of the fragile contents, and we were assured that a ‘fragile’ sticker would be placed on the cabin-bag. As the check-in commandant completed the weigh-in he announced “And that will be Australian $40.00 for excess baggage Mr Lunn, how would you like to pay it?” The ubiquitous plastic was put into operation for the first time on this trip, a bit earlier than I had expected, though I was confident it would not be the last.
The forty-five minute flight was without incident apart from a horde of flies in the cabin prior to take-off and again on landing I did wonder how they managed to keep up with our speed, but they are persistent little beggars. We disembarked at Sydney domestic terminal at 1100 and retrieved our luggage with wine intact, and quickly got a taxi to the international terminal. Every time that we have to go through this charade we both comment how much better Melbourne airport is, where the domestic and international are in the same location, and you can walk from one to the other. We live in hopes of a moving walkway connecting the two terminals in Sydney.
We could not ‘check-in’ for our QF1 flight to Bangkok (then London) until 1500 for our 1800 takeoff, so we dragged our bags around to the coffee shops, and had a leisurely, expensive coffee, and then took it in turns to guard the luggage while the other had a look around the shops. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I was on guard duties a lot longer than Sheila, but that is appropriate as shopping is not my thing, and window shopping even less. I did notice that in the sports shop customers are no longer allowed to use the ‘Velcro’ covered golf clubs and ball to assess their swing. Perhaps it had something to do with my exploits at the store last year, and the look of consternation from the Federal policeman, as the mat and tee headed towards him.
For lunch Sheila had a couple of tuna rolls from the sushi bar, and I tried the veggie burger from the Golden Arches. Sheila made the best choice!
We joined the ‘crocodile’ to check-in counter at about 1430, but we had not judged our run quite right, and were called forward to the desk at 1445, about fifteen minutes too early. The lady was very understanding, and took our tickets and asked us to wait by the barrier close-by until she had processed a couple of other clients, by which time our flight should be opened. As it turned out the next couple were ‘problem children’ of some sort. By the time they were sorted it was 1458 and our bags were booked in. I asked about our seating preference of the exit line over the wing. The check-in lady said that she would try, but most were pre-allocated (which I still find strange as when ever I try to do that I am told pre-allocation of seats is not possible). As we left check-in we were advised to check with the people at the boarding gate to see if they could do anything about our seating preference.
We went through the passport control straight away, and I again took up guard duty on our cabin-bag, back-pack etc. Sheila bought a Kit-Kat for me and some macadamia nuts for herself; while on my shopping time I bought a cross-word puzzle book to amuse myself on the flight, as we did not hold high hopes of the in-flight movies.
The fuehrer in charge of the boarding desk said that he did not think he could do anything about our seating preferences, but to check back with him about ten minutes after they started to board people. When I went back to him he said that he could nothing, and then gave us boarding cards that were for different seats closer to the front. They turned out to be ‘on the exit line over the wing’. Sheila had the window seat, and I the middle one of the three. The escape chute paraphernalia was not too close, as it can be on some planes, so Sheila had lots of leg room, though it is a little problem that her feet don’t reach the ground.
My low-fat, low- cholesterol meal arrived early, as usual, and I always have a little smile at the look of consternation on the face of the person next to me who has an ordinary meal, and for which they have to wait a longer time.
Sheila slept a little, while I did not sleep at all passing the time very well with my cross-word puzzle book, and not so well with a couple of crap movies: ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ and ‘Without a Paddle’ not worth watching. We are convinced that Qantas must get a good deal on movies that are ‘bombs’ at the box-office.
We landed in Bangkok just after 2300 Bangkok time, which is four hours ahead of Sydney time, during the Australian summer.
Adam and Rosalind were there to meet us and Adam drove us to their new apartment. I was very impressed with Adam’s confident Bangkok driving.
A Miniature Portrait of Thailand
Thailand is located in a fertile monsoonal area midway between India and China, the two civilizations that have molded Southern Asia. But the Thais take great delight in highlighting their own distinctive culture. For example though the Tai (as distinct from the Thai) ethnic group probably originated in Southern China sometime in the first 1000 years AD, their tonal language is quite unlike any form of Chinese language. Additionally, the elegant Thai script, though derived from that of ancient Southern India, is distinct.
The kingdom of Siam had hardly any contact with the West until the 16th century; at least, no notable account of it is found in Western chronicles. Nicolo Conti (1395-1469) mentioned the kingdom of Siam, but never visited Ayutthaya, the then capital, although he crossed the Tenasserim area in 1420-30. The first travelers to give a full description of Siam and its inhabitants are the Portuguese. In 1511 Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca, made it a Portuguese stronghold in the Far East, and at once set out to establish relationships with all the neighboring countries.
The Thais, unlike all her immediate neighbors, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia, Thailand never fell to a European colonial power. The Thais are a little circumspect however about The Pacific War; when in 1940, flowing the fall of France, skirmishes broke out along the borders of Thailand and Indo-China (Vietnam) which resulted in the return of areas in Laos and Cambodia to Thailand the following year. Upon the outbreak of the Pacific War on December 8th 1941, Japan demanded free passage through southern Thailand, I think from Burma, for its attacks against British territories. Unable to resist, Prime Minister Pibul granted permission and further, issued, a declaration of war against Great Britain and the United States in January 1942. It has been claimed that the declaration of war was never delivered by the Thai ambassador in the United States, as the ambassador did not agree with it. An underground Free Thai movement was organized by Dr Pridi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the war, not only bringing him back to power, but also enabling Thailand to avoid being treated as an enemy nation by the allies following Japan’s defeat.
A little about the ‘Death Railway’ is probably appropriate:
In June 1942, six months after the start of its conquest of Southeast Asia, Japan ordered the construction of a railway from Thailand to Burma as a substitute for the British blockaded sea route to Rangoon. It was meant to play a major role in the transportation of men and material for the planed invasion of British India. For labour, the Japanese deployed about 61,000 Allied prisoners of war captured in Malaya, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), plus an estimated 270,000 conscripted Asian workers. Over 12,000 POWs and 240,000 Asians died during the construction of the eventually useless Death Railway, 393 men died for every mile constructed.
Fundamentally the Thai sense of identity is allied with Theravada Buddhism and the monarchy. Both are significant institutions since the Sukhothia period (13th-14th century), an era when the first real Thai kingdom flourished. The colours of the modern Thai flag (thong trai rong) reflect these influences; the nation (red), the three forces of Buddhism (white) and the monarchy (blue).It is also interesting to note that the Buddhist Era calendar that operates in Thailand marks this year as 2548 (2005 in our Gregorian calendar) and it uses lunar (30 day) months like the Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar started with Hijra or the sacrifice for the cause of Truth and for the preservation of the Revelation, which sounds bit like the origin of the Buddhist Era calendar. According to the Islamic calendar 2005 on our Gregorian calendar is the year 1426. The lunar months mean that the Islamic year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year so I figure that there is currently 579 years difference, and the Islamic calendar is catching up to the Gregorian calendar at eleven days per year, so it will be 19,076 days or fifty two and a bit years before they are both the same year, for one year, around 2057 on the Gregorian Calendar. But the Gregorian calendar will never catch up with the Buddhist Era Calendar, as the Buddhist Calendar is getting further ahead by eleven days each year. Perhaps the numerologists would have a field day with some of this; the only thing I would like to be sure of is that all the airlines are working off the same dates and times.BangkokBangkok, ‘the place of makok (olive trees)’, is known in Thai by a 165 character name, which begins with ‘Krungthep’ – ‘the city of angels’. It was established on the site of an existing small riverside village as the fourth capital of the Kingdom, succeeding Sukhothai (1238-1350), Ayuthaya (1350-1767) and Thonburi (1767-1782). The fall of Ayuthaya to the Burmese in 1767, where less than 10,000 of the one million inhabitants survived the onslaught, provided the impetus for the relocation of the capital. King Taksin, credited with the ultimate defeat of the Burmese, established his palace on the site of Vichai Fort, an old riverside fortification, where boats headed for Ayuthaya were originally checked, and the adjacent current site of Wat Arun. King Taksin, eventually ran out of ’brownie points’ for the defeat of the Burmese, and believing himself a reincarnation of the Buddha , became quite crazy, and was dispatched in the traditional method reserved for royalty – beaten to death inside a velvet bag, to ensure that not one drop of royal blood touched the ground. When the royals get ‘the sack’ in Thailand, it really does mean the end of your career. His successor Chao Phya Chakri (King Rama I), the founder of the current Chakri dynasty, moved the capital from Thonburi across the river to Bangkok and the island of Rattanakosin, in order to improve the security of the city. I think it must have been the island aspect that was the major improvement in security as it only takes about forty minutes to drive from Bangkok to Ayutthya, depending on the traffic. I guess that war elephants would have been a bit slower than the car, but then again the traffic congestion would not have been as bad.The city developed around the river, with areas further inland linked by an extensive network of canals (klongs). It was not until the late 19th century that the first paved road was laid., Charoen Krung (New Road), the principal road parallel to the river- to enable the ambassadors from the numerous foreign embassies in the vicinity to drive their new ‘automobiles’. Sadly, today many of the klongs have been paved over with roadways and many of the remainder has become the major source of pollution of the ‘River of kings’. Kings of the Chakri DynastyRama I 1782-1809 The FounderRama II 1809-1824 The Artist Son Rama III 1824-1851 The Ruler SonRama IV 1851-1868 The Enlightened Brother of Rama IIIRama V (Chulalongkorn) 1868-1910 The Revolutionary SonRama VI (Vajiravudh) 1910-1925 The Liberal SonRama VII (Prajadhipok) 1925-1934 (abdicates) The Philosopher Brother of Rama VI Rama VIII (Ananda) 1934-1946 Nephew of Rama VIIRama IX (Bhumipol) 1946-date The Great Brother of Rama VIII
Sheila and I were even more impressed with their new apartment that is on the seventh of eight floors in a new apartment block. Rosalind and their housekeeper Kuhn Noy had done a great job in decorating a very large Xmas tree, with baubles and lights, that would have been at home in a West End store window in London.
We sat and chatted until about 0230 Bangkok time, when my body screamed that it was 0630 Bathurst time and I needed to shower and get to sleep.
Adam, Rosalind and Kuhn Noy’s, kitchen
One of the sitting areas of Adam and Rosalind’s apartment with the Xmas tree.
One of their statues with a glimpse of another sitting area
Another of their statues
A view of the television area and the way to Adam and Rosalind’s suite
The other end of the television area with access to our suite on the right, (Sheila having a wee nap) and the study on the left.
A view from the kitchen doorway through the dinning area to the tree and one of the balconies beyond.
A reflection of lilies near their front door and the door to their kitchen.
Their door-bell, though it is just inside their front door.
Another of their statues.
One of my favorite pictures, their Vietnamese ‘Mother and Daughter’.
22nd December 2005.
I woke at 0700, and decided to get up as Sheila was sleeping well and I did not want to disturb her. Sheila arose about 0800 with Adam and Rosalind not longer afterwards. Sheila made me a cup of tea which for some reason I thought was noteworthy, useful things journals.
Adam went to work and their driver Kuhn Boon Chuay drove Rosalind, Sheila and I to Chitlong Central a modern shopping centre. Here we planned to resume our acquaintance with the Food Loft. The Food Loft is a restaurant on the top floor, which features an international dining concept from the following countries: Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, and India, plus a salad bar, and a drinks bar. When one enters the restaurant, one is given a card with a bar code on it, and as you make your selection your card is swiped with the cost of the meal that you selected. The only drawback is you don’t know the total until you leave, when the total is processed by the cashier at the exit. But when you are selecting from the myriad of different ethnic dishes one, does not care.
For the first time I selected a lemon grass drink that was a great accompaniment to the mini Thai banquet that I chose. Sheila opted for a Chili Green prawn salad as she thought that a salad would be a light meal after our flight. Mistake it was hot, no make that very, very hot. Sheila still maintains that no only were lips, eyes, and nose on fire, but also her ears felt as though they had liquid fire in them. Still helps to clear the sinus, eustachian tubes, nose, tear ducts, and various other body drainage mechanisms. Rosalind had a Vietnamese selection. Rosalind and Sheila were keen to do the ‘girly’ thing, and window shop, so they said they would get a taxi home later, while Kuhn Boon Chuay took me back to their apartment, in Soi See, Soi Nang Linchee; this roughly translates as lane number four off Nang Linchee road. Getting the pronunciation correct was important for Sheila and I, if we wanted to take taxis on our own later.
The traffic was bad Bangkok traffic, but Kuhn Boon Chuay is a master at finding his way through and safely and not in that order; but not the same could be said of Adam whose priority is speed.
To assist my recovery from jet-lag I decided to go down to the apartment block’s gym and swimming pool. It is very well equipped and I clocked up a total of six kilometres between the treadmill, bike, and stair-climber, plus working out with a few weights.
When Adam came home from work he said that he had booked dinner at an Italian restaurant that they liked. Adam drove and the traffic was again hectic with us being about half and hour late. Adam had been a little concerned as sometimes if one is late they will give your table away, but as he was recognized as a good customer he thought it unlikely. Adam’s prediction was true and we were shown to our table by a confident Italian maitre de’. When Adam ordered the wines with his taste for exquisite wines at exquisite prices we were given even closer attention. We were spoilt for choice so I thought I would just opt for one of the specials of the day, some salt bush lamb from South Australia. Within a few minutes the maitre de arrived at our table with the chef and owner of the restaurant. It turned out that he was from South Australia, and he did laugh when I asked if South Australia was still open. He has been in Bangkok for fifteen years, and he said that he wanted to meet the table that had the good taste to order the special. However I think that it had more to do with the wines that Adam had ordered, and was in the processing of adding to the tally. The meal was excellent and we all ate far too much. But Adam said that we should make room for the cheese platter as he had eaten it before, and it featured cheeses especially flown in from Italy. This further delighted the maitre de and the chef who appeared at our table again. This time with the chef/owner was his Thai wife Tok, who apparently is a game show host on Thai television. Tok is a very lovely and graceful lady who coped with us very well. The chef then said how much he had enjoyed having us as guests, and he asked us to sample some special liqueur that was given to him by his supplier in Italy. Adam demurred as he said that he had tried it before and it was dynamite. But the chef was not to be denied, and Adam and I joined him in drinking some glasses of some very potent fluid. I think that Rosalind and Sheila were relieved that the sharing of this drink appeared to be some part of a male bonding ritual. We were the last customers to leave and full of bonhomie and great food and drinks. It was a pleasant drive home, I think! (Scoozi 160 Sribumpen Condo Home, Soi Sribumpen, Yannawa, Bangkok).
In the morning Sheila and I planned to go on our own to Vimanmek mansion, the world’s largest golden teak wood mansion built without the use of any iron nails.December 23rd 2005
I woke about 0700, while Sheila did not surface until 1130, still a little jet-lagged I think. While Sheila slept I worked with Rosalind and Kuhn Noy to write down some Thai ‘survival’ phrases for the day. Rosalind speaks Thai very well, and is also learning to read and write Thai. Especially impressive when one learns that the first Thai alphabet was created in 1283 by King Ramkhamhaeng, Rama the Powerful of Sukhothai, who based it on Mon and Khmer versions of old South Indian script. All these scripts are organized around a horizontal line that runs throughout the words. The script of modern Thai follows very strict phonological rules. It consists of 44 consonants and 32 basic vowels that cannot be used alone and are written in close relationship to the consonants in order to create syllables. When speaking there are five tones, or pitch, mid, high, low, rising and falling. The tone at which each syllable is pronounced determines its meaning. For example ‘mai’ using a falling tone means ‘not’, but ‘mai’ using a rising tone means ‘silk’.
We were told by Rosalind, that the Thai have some fun with Europeans by encouraging them to pronounce Kwai, as in ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ as Kwah, and that is a Thai word for penis. It would appear that some things that some people find funny are the same the world over. (The Thai name for the river is the Khwae Yai river.
The phrases for the day were:
Chai krup: yes when said by a man
Mai chi krup: no when said by a man
Basically anytime a male says anything he should end the phrase with krup, pronounced cup and anytime a lady speaks she should end the phrase with ka, pronounced car.
Buay Sapan Taksin krup: go to Taksin bridge (where we were to catch a commuter boat up-stream).
Buay ta rooak krup: go to boat pier.
Kerhn Rua krup: want to catch a boat
Chuay buay Twoet duay krup: please go to Twoet, please; Twoet was the pier at which we needed to disembark.
Buay Dusit krup: go to Dusit; Dusit is the very large garden in which the mansion is located.
Buay barhn Vimanmek krup: go to Vimanmek house.
But by far the most useful phrases were:
Sawasdee krup, which I think basically translates as ‘g; day mate’, and is used when greeting people, and also saying goodbye. Many times we found that if we used the Sawasdee salutation it brought broad smiles of appreciation and good hearted response.
Korp-koon krup which is ‘thank you’, but the use of sawasdee was by far the most positive.
After a late breakfast, Rosalind and Kuhn Boon Chuay took us by car to the Taksim Bridge boat pier where people were very keen to help us despite our lack of Thai and their lack of English. We were directed to the correct boat and gathered that we would pay our fares on the boat. It was a long ‘yellow’ commuter boat; I guess the Thai equivalent of a ‘yellow cab’ with the important differences being a couple of hundred passengers in a narrow boat with obviously a big engine. The coxswain was seated up-front and took directions from the skipper at the stern, via whistled commands.
We carefully scrutinised the name of each pier as we swept past fantastic hotels, and marvelous Wats (temples) on the shore of the Chao Phraya river (river of kings). It was about the tenth stop, and we disembarked at Thewit pier, (though I did note three different spelling of the pier very close to each other, with no problems; but amazement as we saw the water frothing with fish in their feeding frenzy competing for scraps from riverside restaurants.
Feeding frenzy by Thewit pier
After we disembarked, we walked through a few little shops near the jetty and started on what I hoped was the correct path to the Vimanmek mansion. A few metres past the shops we saw a little live fish market on our left side. Mostly they were in tanks, but there were also large shallow bowls on the footpath with a variety of different fish. Most of them were a dark grey in colour, so I don’t think they were being sold for anyone’s aquarium. I think it was more likely they were for the wok. Because the bowls were so shallow and the quantity of fish in each bowl so large quite often one would flip out of the bowel onto the pavement, and into the gutter. This caused me some concern and I tried to help a few back into their bowls, so Sheila’s consternation. The Thai ladies tending their wares smiled indulgently, and used a small net to scoop them up and deposit the escapees in the bowls in one fluid movement.
Further up the same road and on the same side we saw about thirty little shops selling plants, flowers and garden ornaments.
Of course there were many orchid plants and many other exotic flowers, if I had a great interest in gardening it would have been even more interesting. The lane we walked up from the pier intersected with a large road, and we turned left not so much out of confidence as bravado as there were a large number of food stall on either side of the road and I enjoy the sights and sounds of the all. After about a kilometer, I thought I should consult my map, and check to see if we were still on the right track. As we tried to orientate the map with the street names a Thai lady stopped and asked if she could help. I say asked, but her English was only marginally better than our Thai. However when we mentioned Vimanmek, she pointed down a street to our right, and then said “three kilometre”. We said our thanks and goodbye in Thai, and headed off once more with increased confidence. I think Sheila was concerned about the ‘three’ aspect, as it was quite warm, but I thought ladies quite often exaggerate, and that in reality it would be a lot less. Nah she did not exaggerate! On the way we saw the outside of the Thai National library, it is a very impressive modern building in the old Thai style, which has far more grace than our concrete boxes. I was also very interested to come across the location of the Thai emergency management organization. Because of my past jobs it was too good a photo opportunity to miss, and I guess in some ways quite prophetic, though at that time we did not appreciate its significance.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
After we had walked along Ratchasima Rd, from Sriayuthaya Rd, and turned the corner into Ratchawithi Rd we quickly discovered the entrance to the very large complex, of which the Vimanmek mansion is only one of many buildings that one can visit. In fact there are about twenty-one sites of interest and we really only saw one. It would be a good idea to arrive early and set aside a whole day to see it all and the grounds themselves are very lush and picturesque with wide water features. We also realised that all the time that we been walking along Ratchasima Rd, the red brick wall on our right, was the boundary of the Dusit Gardens site. It was now about 1400 and we bought our tickets for entry to the Vimanmek mansion, which is located about two hundred metres from the entrance on the left hand side. One thing for which I was not prepared was that we were told that because I was wearing shorts I would have to hire a sarong to enter the mansion. We were familiar with the requirement for the Wats (temples), but did not think it would be required for this site. I think it may have something to do with the fact that it is a palace of the king, and the king has great religious significance in Thailand. One does not in fact hire a sarong, one borrows a sarong, and leave a 200 baht deposit to ensure its return, 200 baht is about Australian $10.00 so is not a major issue.
John in ‘his’ sarong at the bottom of the entrance steps to Vimanmek mansion
Just behind the entrance steps to the mansion, is a locker room where you have to leave your shoes, cameras etc. The lockers each have their own key so one can leave your shoes etc with confidence. We were about to join the next small group to have the guided tour, they are all accompanied. When Sheila saw a notice pointing behind the mansion, and indicating the way to some Thai dancing, that had commenced at 1400. there are only two performances each day, at 1000 and 1400so we decided to see the rest of their performance and then catch another tour group through the mansion.
The dancers were performing on a ’stage’ area attached to the rear of the mansion and is part of a colonnade that extends out over a lake with a magnificent Thai style guest house on the other side. I think the guest house is for special guests of the royal family. We enjoyed the dancers and their music very much, and the costumes were fantastic, the following photos do them very little justice.
Thai dancing at the Vimanmek mansion
A more candid photo of some of the dancers at the mansion.
A traditional country dance.
One of my favorite pictures of a Vimanmek dancer, even though I got my timing a bit out.
Vimanmek Mansion
When King Rama V (1868-1910), returned from a visit to Europe in 1897, he used his personal money to purchase orchards and rice fields between Padung Krungkasem klong (canal) and Samsen klong for the construction of a royal garden which he named ‘the Dusit Garden’.
The first permanent residence in Dusit Garden was Vimanmek mansion, built in 1900, by royal command of King Rama V. The King had the Munthaturattanaroj Residence in Chuthathujrachathan, at Koh (island) Sri Chang, Chonburi in the gulf of Thailand, but because of conflicts with the French over Cambodia he had it dismantled and rebuilt in the Dusit garden under the supervision of HRH Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse, I wonder what his nick name was. The celebration for the completion of Vimanmek Mansion was held on March 27th 1901. King Rama V then moved his residence from the Grand Palace to stay at Vimanmek mansion for five years until the completion of Amporn Satarn Palace in 1906 where he lived until his death in 1910. Vimanmek Mansion was then closed down and members of the royal family moved back to the Grand Palace. Near the end of his reign, King Rama VI (1910-1925) gave permission to Her Majesty Indharasaksaji to stay at Vimanmek Mansion. After the death of King Rama VI, she moved to stay in another residence in the Suan Hong compound north of the Vimanmek Mansion and the mansion was closed.
King Rama VII (1925-1934) renovated the mansion several times. For example, he ordered the installation of new electrical wiring, and the repair of columns of the main pier at the artificial lake in the garden. I think this in the ‘stage’ area. However from 1932, the Vimanmek Mansion was used only as a storage place of the Bureau of the Royal Household and it started to deteriorate from neglect.
In 1982, during the Bicentennial Anniversary of Bangkok, the current Queen, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who had discovered that the Vimanmek mansion, with its elaborate architectural style was still intact, was given permission by the current King His Majesty King Rama IX, to renovate the mansion for use as a museum to commemorate King Rama V by displaying his photographs, personal art, and handicrafts, to serve as a showcase of the Thai national heritage for future generations.
Vimanmek Mansion is the world’s largest golden teakwood mansion, and was built using wooden pegs instead of iron nails, which makes a lot of sense to me when one considers the humid climate and the monsoonal rains. Its style reflects a European influence and is said to be more like a ‘Victorian’ mansion than a Thai Palace. The mansion as two right-angles wings, each wing is sixty metres long and twenty metres high, and is three-storied except for the apartments of Ring Rama V, which is octagonal and four storied. Partly I guess so that so subjects of the King would ever be in a higher position than the King. Although the ground floor is brick and cement, the upper floors are all built of the beautiful golden teakwood. Altogether there are thirty-one exhibition rooms, with the bedrooms, the throne room and bathrooms illustrating an important aspect of Thai history. In fact Vimanmek is the site of Thailand’s first shower bath. Sheila was amused to learn from Kuhn Noy that the word for bath in Thailand literally means ‘sleeping shower’. There are examples of Thai art including silverware, ceramics, crystal ware, and ivory; much of which were gifts from sovereigns in other countries. It did seem out of context to see a photograph of Queen Victoria on one wall, but King Rama V was keen on many things European and a frequent visitor to Europe.
After the dancing, we put our shoes, camera and back-pack in the locker and joined a group of about twelve people with an English speaking guide. I think they provide guides for English, French and German groups. The rest have to manage as best they can, I guess that includes the Americans, Swedes, Bulgarians etc.
Our tour guide spoke very good English and was very patient with any questions from the group. We were moved along quite briskly, as it appears they try to get a group through every twenty minutes, and there is always one group just in front of you, and another close behind. We were able to look into or enter most of the rooms, and our guide was instructing us how to sit, with respect, in the throne room, when our visit to that room was cancelled as the Princess Royal, was holding court in the throne room with some V.I.P. guests; and it was not us. We were able to see into the room however, which did surprise me, as I don’t think that level of courtesy would be extended to us at Buckingham Palace. For the second part of the tour we were passed onto a male guide who thought he had a great sense of humor, he does not. But maybe it gets lost in translation. He finished his part of the tour, the last part for us, with a homily including the observation “I hope that you enjoyed my detailed explanation, and humorous dialogue, and if you did please feel free to give me a tip to supplement my small salary”.
No, I did not give him a tip, and any guilt I may have felt was assuaged by a notice in the locker room, from which we retrieved our shoes, camera, and back-pack. The notice stated ‘Tips are not allowed and if any guide asks for a tip please telephone and report the guide’. The name was long and so was the number so the guide was not reported.
On the way out of the Dusit garden we noticed a series of open garages with carriages of the various kings displayed. We wandered along looking at these until the open garages becomes closed garages as the clocks indicated 1600 the closing time, and an attendant walked along activating the roller shutters. We decided to walk, westwards, further along Rajawithi Rd, towards the river before we headed south along Samsen Rd and the small lane down to the Thewet boat pier. On the way we passed a large school, which appeared to be having a large break-up party for the children and their parents. It was amusing to see the children rushing off to show their drawings to their parents, and the earnest pleasure of the parents over their children’s accomplishments. We only had to wait about ten minutes for a commuter boat to take us back to Taksin Bridge pier. I admired the skills of the young girl who collected the fares. She carried a silver coin carrier, about a metre long, and collected the notes, issued tickets, and provides change with aplomb. She also seemed to recognize very easily those who still had to pay their fare, even though the boast was crowded, and people were getting on and off every few minutes.
When we disembarked we walked up the stairway to the Saphan Taksin sky-train station, and bought our tickets Sala Daeng station where we changed to the underground system, Metropolitan Rapid Transit system. When we got off at Sala Deng all the maps indicated that the Silom station on the MRT was in the same location. We went up and down various stairways inside and outside of the sky-train station, and could not find the Silom station. I asked one gentleman and he waved us in the direction of a hotel on the corner. We walked in that direction for about fifty metres, and decided that he must have misunderstood us, and we started to trek up and own the same stairways. Around and around we went without success and then decided that we might as well start walking in the ‘correct ‘direction’ and perhaps get a cab.
When we walked about a hundred metres in the direction that we had been shown we came across the entrance to the Silom MRT station, just in front of the hotel, as we had been told. Our guide had understood us; we just did not understand him. We then traveled one station to Lumphini, and caught a taxi to Adam and Rosalind’s apartment.
Kuhn Noy had made another great Thai dinner. Adam and Rosalind made some excellent pistachio ice-cream and a fantastic summer pudding for Christmas Eve. After dinner we relaxed in the TV room watching a DVD called ‘John Safron vs God’. I found the satire very amusing and a very relaxing way to finish the day.
‘Our commuter’ boat
Adam, Kuhn Noy, Sheila and Rosalind in their kitchen
Another commuter boat on the Chao Phraya
December 24th 2004, Christmas Eve
Sheila had obviously got over her ‘jet-lag’ as she awoke about 0600 and by 0730 she was in our bathroom doing some ‘hand-washing’, as she maintains that it is important to ‘hand- wash’ her new clothes the first time, so that they are not affected by subsequent machine washing. Adam went to work and I went with Rosalind and Sheila to a French shopping complex called ‘Carrefour’. It is a huge super-market that is very popular with ex-patriots, as it stocks many items from Europe. I quickly got bored about ‘oohing’ and ‘ahing’ over shopping, wandered into the toys section, and nearby found a free internet station, and logged on to check, and answer a couple of e-mails.
While Adam was at work he had heard about an earthquake under the sea, near Tasmania. At 1027 on 24the December 2005, Adam sent the following SMS to Rosalind: “I predict there will be a big earthquake somewhere in the world in the next few days”.
Rosalind asked me what I thought, I said, “I don’t know about an earthquake, but I would not be surprised if there was a disaster of some sort around Christmas as there seems to always be a disaster somewhere in the world each year about that time.
From Carrefour’ we went to another shopping centre called ‘Emporium’, which is described as ‘The Ultimate Shopping Complex’. It is very ‘up-market’ and I think the description is very appropriate. We split up, Rosalind and I in one direction, as I wanted to get another little something for Sheila’s Christmas; and Sheila wanted to get something additional for Rosalind. After buying our ‘surprise’ presents we had a coffee. Perhaps I should also admit that the coffee was accompanied by blueberry muffins, Danish pastries and some excellent cool drinks. When we got back to their apartment Sheila and I felt guilty about our afternoon tea and went down to the gym for a forty-five minute work out. We then chose various rooms in which to wrap our purchases without being seen by the intended recipient. After wrapping the gifts we felt a bit tired, and slept for a while, a siesta is a great concept. Adam came home early evening after his first trip on the MRT, saying he was pleasantly surprised by its speed and cleanliness.
DINNER WAS SUPERB!!!!!
The first course made by Kuhn Noy, featured a ‘fish mousse’ called Hor Mak, it has flavours of fennel, cardamom etc, and is one of Adam’s favorite Thai dishes.
Kuhn Noy made moulds for her Hor Mak by stapling together banana leaves, clever lady. The next course made by Rosalind was salmon steaks with asparagus, followed by Rosalind’s summer pudding and Adam’s pistachio ice-cream with a raspberry sauce drizzled over the ice-cream and berries. The wines ‘included’ a champagne cocktail for the first course; a chardonnay/Chablis with the salmon, and a Baume de Venise with e dessert. After dinner we watched the latest DVD in John Apted’s series ‘Seven Up’. It is a documentary about a group of children in London from various socio-economic groups following their lives from the age of seven, and revisiting them every seven years. This one was during their forty-second year, and it is a great series well worth watching. It is best seen from the first one, through all of the series, to appreciate the development of the people. One of the underlying concepts is from the ‘Jesuits’: ‘Show me the boy at seven and I will show you the man’. In many ways a scary concept with its implication that our futures are pretty much pre-ordained by our adolescent experiences. This series provides significant evidence in support of the proposition, but also some exceptions, which I find most gratifying. Bed at 0130, all of us eager to wake early, and find what Santa had left.
December 25th 2005 Christmas Day
Sheila was awake first and while I was still waking up Adam and Rosalind went out to get some croissant. It is a family tradition carried over from Tasmania when we used to get croissant from the Star Bakery, Sandy Bay Road, Hobart. Adam had asked if they needed to pre-order what they wanted, but had been reassured that there would be plenty when they arrived. No there were none left when they arrived but it was okay some others were due out of the oven quite quickly and we had a large batch of very fresh ones for our breakfast. Sheila waxed lyrical about the ‘white’ European butter that is less salty than the Australian butter and allowed us to enjoy the flavours of our marmalade and jams far more. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee wafted around the apartment and was a great complement to the fresh orange juice and croissants.
Rosalind has not been able to find the Christmas stockings that Sheila had made them a few years before, we did find them about three days later, but Rosalind found some great substitutes. Our stockings were in fact laundry bags from some of the various hotels that they had stayed at. Mine was the Fullerton Hotel; Sheila’s the Sheraton, Adam the Shangri-La, and Rosalind the Hyatt. They were a great substitute as they were able to hold a lot more. We took it in turns to open one present each, and as usual the blokes ran out of presents to open long before the ladies, ce la vie.
Opening presents on Christmas Day.
More of the present debris.
Lunch was at the Oriental Hotel Bangkok long recognized as one of the world’s great hotels. The dinning room has a great view over Chao Phraya River, and was very elegantly decorated with exquisite decorations. The staff in the dining room had marvelous costumes that were Thai style, but featuring the red and green Christmas day theme colours. We were a little late in arriving so the dinning room was full and buzzing with the excited chatter and laughter of all the patrons. Lunch was what ever one wanted from a huge buffet selection of cold, hot, Asian, European and other exotic cuisines. I was determined to sample as many as I could, and for a change paced myself, and did full justice to very many different dishes. Adam ensured that the accompanying wines were rare, sumptuous and plentiful. While we were enjoying some sweets an older chap with grey hair wobbled his way to our table, and explained that he was Australian and used to live and work in Canberra as a court reporter. He said that he and his partner had lived in Bangkok for the last six years. His partner also came over to or table and said that when we got fed up of his friend talking so much we should just tell him to “clear off you old queen”. It appeared that they always had a bit of a domestic when they drank too much, and the other ‘couple’ one of whom was Thai found the ‘agro’ very upsetting. We were so full of ‘bonhomie’ that we were quite happy for him to stay and chat. When we explained that Sheila and I were from Bathurst, he asked if we were farmers or restaurant owners we said no, and offered no further explanation. After about and hour his ‘mate’ came and escorted him back to their table. We were the last to leave the dinning room and sashayed down to the Bamboo Bar. One settles back into the very comfortable chairs and mentally time travels back to an era where Somerset Maughan, will amble into the bar, and while quaffing a ‘mai tai’ scribble notes, on scraps of paper, for his ‘Lord Jim’.
The décor, ambiance, and elegantly dressed and coiffured patrons from all corners of the globe made one feel very privileged.
We ambled to the front of the hotel and waited while the valet brought Adam’s car, a short uneventful trip home at about 1945, and a couple of more drinks before bed, a very memorable Christmas Day.
December 26th 2005 Boxing Day.
We all surfaced slowly and ate some more croissants, and Sheila asked if she could have a piece of the block of Toblerone chocolate, one of my Christmas presents. “Sorry Sheila, all gone”. The next fifteen minutes were filled with comments from Sheila and Rosalind that centered on the issue of me finishing off a 400 gram block of chocolate in less than a day in addition to all the meals. I do love Toblerone, though Rosalind did agree with me that it would be better if the shape would be changed as when one bites into the bar and ‘crest’ of the bar always hurts one’s palate, but some times we have to suffer a little pain to experience the full pleasure. “How does the saying go? “It is a fine line between pleasure and pain”. I don’t like pain, but a little discomfort is worth the taste.
After breakfast, in fact late morning Adam and Rosalind took us to Chatuchak market. It is Thailand’s biggest market with a collection of over 6,000 stalls, which together occupy the space of over five football fields. We got there via taxi and then the MRT. One can either get off at Kamphaeng Phet or Mor Chit stations, and the railway staff direct everyone to the exit for the market, on the assumption that is where most passengers are going. In ninety per cent of the cases they are correct. It is useful to use the market clock tower as a reference point and also a meeting point though of course so do many others.
It is always full of eager shoppers, many of which are females who can spend a whole day browsing among the myriad of stalls that are set up in little laneways with many similar shops in the same lanes. The huge variety of goods on sale, include fresh seafood,, antiques, Siamese fighting fish, second hand jeans, snakes, flying squirrels that were the favorite of Adam and I , but we did not think the ladies would be to impressed. Some of the baby squirrels were so small they were being bed with eye-droppers. Sheila and Rosalind wanted to have a look for handbags, and of course Adam and I did not, so we agreed to let the ladies do their ‘girly’ thing and we would pursue the ‘blokey’ bits.
posted by John Lunn at 4:27 PM
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