As I write this, the cruise has ended, the ship sailing on to Bali and Australia and points in between. We spent our final day in Bangkok on what I'll call the equivalent of the Grey Line tour, primarily driving from the port to the city and back again. Just like a Grey Line tour, this provides an eyeful along with a very informative narration from the guide about the history of Thailand and in particular its' capital city, Bangkok. Click on the links if you would like to know more. If you're familiar with the film and the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage play, The King and I, you might find it interesting to note that both are banned in Thailand due to their negative portrayal of their king.
The monarchy plays a highly significant role in this country. The current rule of King Rama began in the late 1700s, with King Rama X now on the throne. The Queen Mother recently died, so the country is in a state of mourning as demonstrated by tributes to her virtually everywhere, as well as many walls draped in black and white bunting.
Bangkok is much more of a major metropolitan area than the other large cities we visited on the cruise. It may be because Thailand stayed out of the Viet Nam and other conflicts that have roiled its neighbors--Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos--the economy and infrastructure are solid, as is its education system. We were able to visit two temples, stopped for lunch, then a quick visit to a gemstone and jewelry store.
A walking Buddha, unusual to see the Buddha upright much less walking. Dan noted that the Buddhas in Thailand are decidedly slimmer than than Buddhas in Viet Nam and Cambodia.
As our guide said, Southeast Asians love gold. We passed any number of gold jewelry stores driving through Bangkok. The city sports many of the same types of street level shops as we saw previously, except these are located in established storefronts as opposed to street carts and/or shanties.
At one of the temples, we were invited to participate in a prayer ceremony with a monk. He said a prayer for all of us and our families, then we were able to offer up a prayer for a specific intention. It ended with us offering these fresh flowers to the monk. The guide said that the monk was unable to touch us and vice versa. I guess in particular monks are not allowed to touch women as they might be temped by their beauty--or something along those lines.
Continuing the trip tradition...local beer at lunch
Tributes to the recently deceased Queen Mother are displayed throughout the city
My Friend Jeanieᵀᴹ and I on the bus. Perhaps the largest downfall of the cruise was the considerable amount of time spent on the bus going from the port to wherever the day's shore tour took you. However, the ride transported you through the country in a way that provided an opportunity to see what it looks like and how people live. So maybe a two edged sword.
If you ever thought of getting a tattoo of the Buddha, just don't
The electrical grid looks to be a bit dicey. This is a sample of one of the better configurations of wires. I think one good lightning strike in the right place, and the city could go up in flames.
And Bangkok has the largest billboards I have ever seen.
We flew to
Chiang Mai yesterday where we are spending a few days with our Rotary Exchange son, Art, who we haven't seen since he returned to Thailand over ten years ago. He recently completed his studies to become a pharmacist. Reconnecting with the now adults who became a family member while living with you is a joy beyond description. I'm not sure I'll have time to continue blogging while we're here but will try to throw in a few photos.
Art's mother, Wanlaya and his brother, Ice, picked us up at the airport.
Thai massage after dinner. Art took us to an American burger joint, saying he will ease us into spicy Thai food. Thai massage establishments are everywhere. It is a unique form of massage and very, very wonderful and relaxing (in my opinion), as well as ridiculously inexpensive as are most things in Southeast Asia.
It's currently the Festival of Lights here in Chiang Mai. We visited a temple that was completely lit up with lanterns and tea lights. On the lanterns, you write your wishes and then hang them. It was magical. Chiang Mai is also known for its many night markets. We saw a couple and understand there are many larger ones.
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