Thailand
Bangkok: The Gem of Southeast-Asia!
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
Most trips to Thailand start and end in Bangkok. This would be the case for our pan-Thailand trip where we would book-end our country wide tour in this magnificent sprawling city. There is so much to see and do that Bangkok can be a standalone destination.
In the few days here, we would discover and even rediscover the most popular Buddhist sites, the royal palace, take a motorized boat tour through the famous canals and enjoy great food, including a small family run Portuguese style restaurant.
Water taxi
Bangkok has many means of transportation, by far my favorite one is on a traditional private long-tail boat powered by an awkward looking car engine that sticks out of the back. What a thrill it is to view the city from these motorized boats on the Chao Phraya River. Here the heat dissipates with the rushing winds, the sites of other boats with the sound of the powerful engines, and we would be on our way to the most iconic views of Bangkok.
Temple of Dawn
This would be my second trip to Bangkok, and also to the Temple of the Dawn, and it was well worth it. Its mighty complex is directly on the river and is an amazing site from afar as it is right up close. I would stand in amazement for minutes at a time, thinking about how the complex structures were built so many centuries ago, and the sheer commitment of people’s ability to create such elaborate beauty. Round and round, up and down I went witnessing not only the physical structure but all the cheerful, happy visitors. Selfies were the order of the day, but there were many professional photographers, taking pictures of individuals with somewhat elaborate set ups, where I believe some were professional models on shoots.
Kudi Chin community
The Portuguese were the adventurers of the day, having sailed to four corners of the world including Southeast-Asia. They were welcomed in Bangkok to set up a peaceful community that became a harmonious district where Buddhist, Christians and Muslims lived as great neighbors. To our fortune, we would have lunch prepared and served in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere at a family house/restaurant. Although the dishes were mainly Portuguese inspired, they still had an international fusion of taste. The presentation was colorful and the food delightful, and shortly after we would wonder the small lanes and visit a well put together Portuguese museum-cultural house with many historic items brought to Thailand centuries ago. Strange at first to see European furniture, clothing and dinner wear, it was still a fabric of Bangkok’s diversity.
Toss of the sticks
We would head to another beautiful temple where on the outside were fortune telling booths and a game of tossing the sticks, also known as Kau Cim in Chinese, where players kneel on the floor and gently shake a box full of bamboo sticks until one comes out. I did and, wouldn’t you know it, my favorite numbered stick came out with my fortune written out in a foreign language. Having it read by a Thai person, I was told I will live a long, happy life with my family. Great I thought, I love these fortune sticks!
Sit back and enjoy historic Bangkok
Yet another long boat ride, this time would be on the old canals and through mostly residential areas. It was fascinating to see how the locals used these waters as their main way of connecting to the other parts of the city with not much land they would use every single square inch for relaxing and growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Most historic homes were modest in size, but on certain occasions, you will even see large and richly decorated mansions. After all this is prime territory, in the heart of the city.
The Grand Palace
The grand palace is the perfect name for this immense complex. I might even call it the Grandest Palace, if that makes sense, as it is one of Thailand’s most visited places and you can tell its popularity by the hordes of people who enjoyed their time there. This is not only a holy place but was also the residence of the royal families for many centuries until 1925. Not following any floorplans or directions, I just walked where there were less people. I often ended up in the same place twice, which meant a double viewing and a second chance at an amazing photograph. Once again, I marveled at this human creation of such fantastic eastern architecture, artwork and in the fine material used to create such amazing beauty. It is highly recommended to add this to any Bangkok itinerary as it will awe the senses and create life-long memories.
Wat Phra Kaew
I can see why Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), is so popular. We waited our turn to enter the temple itself and anticipated what would be one amazing statue. This reclining Buddha was breathtaking, so humongous and long that I could barely see the opposite end. It did not matter if you were at the head or at the feet statue, it seemed like it went on forever and was breathtaking and marveled at how it was created in such a rather tight space.
While there, visitors can purchase tokens that were sold by the cup full and can be placed into buckets while making prayers. For me, this was a must visit place as it is shown in all travel guides, on many travel shows and videos. The rest of the complex is also pleasing and takes time to properly appreciate.
Bangkok the gem
Bangkok is not just another mega city. Although it has urban sprawl, at the same time has many quiet, friendly neighborhoods, plenty of shopping options from the small stores to the modern megamalls. Eating here is heavenly, food is fresh, healthy, and rich in flavor and can be found anywhere from the small street stalls to fine dining restaurants. There is a clean and well-functioning public transit system, and although cities of this size have problems with traffic and pollution, from my experience, there is much less of this in Bangkok. There are also beautiful and well-kept green spaces and is a rather clean city for its size. It has a world class Airport, modern convention center, and of course let’s not forget the night life that visitors and locals love, and it is safe and secure to walk the streets at any time. With all the above, Bangkok is the gem of Southeast-Asia!
