A Serious Of Unfortunate Events
Jul. 7th, 2009 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeHowever, where there are negatives there are also positives. The festival celebrates the day that the Buddha preached his first sermon after attaining enlightenment and Buddhist monks - who have seats reserved for them on river boats, I might add - spend the day worshiping in front of statues of the Buddha which are usually ornate and made out of gold. They also prepare for a candlelit procession by night. Tomorrow is the day that most Buddhist monks retire to their monasteries for three months during Thailand's rainy season and I am hoping to see a Buddhist ordination at one of the temples tomorrow. However, as today was a day of huge worship, I did manage to meet some Buddhist monks and watch them pray. This all happened at the beautifully ornate Wat Arun, a delectably intricately crafted temple on the banks of Bangkok's main river, Mae Nam Chao Phraya.
I hadn't intended to go to Wat Arun but it tempted me like a psiren as soon as I saw it whilst on the river boat. Before this, I had made a complete balls up of using the BTS (like the German S-Bahn) when I thought I had paid the man who was only the money changer. Not realising that he had changed my 100 Bhat note into coins of equivalent value, I remonstrated with a security guard who thought I was thick. I was convinced I had already paid but in fact, I hadn't. I had been directed to the machine and I thought I was paying twice so I kicked up a fuss. Only later did I realise I was wrong. I can be such a doofus at times. Still, it's part of the delight of travelling. The BTS was smooth, efficient and uniformally sterile. The seats were the colour of flecked vomit.
On getting to the river, I hopped on a river boat, which was a far easier experience. Like in London, these operate like taxis and I was soon floating on the Mae Nam Chao Phraya, watching reeds and motorised speedboat canoes whizz past us. I also saw boats that resembled German style houses floating down the river, which was a surreal experience. From the boat, I got to see many sights, churches, market places and temples being the most prevailent.
I had intended to get off further up the river at the Grand Palace with its Emerald Buddha (which I later discovered to be closed due to the religious holiday) but Wat Arun tempted me in. It's shape can best be described as being like a missile, with some smaller warheads dotted around it. It is dedicated to the Indian god Aruna and is named The Temple Of The Dawn. A premonination after the destruction of Thailand's old capital, Ayuthaya, led to the new capital city being founded here and it retained enormous significance until governance shifted over to the other side of the river, where it is today. The main spire (in Thai, praang) is ornately decorated in glazed porcelain and even has plates adorned at regular intervals across it. It also has statues of gargoyles and many Buddhas. It belies its age as it's barely two hundred years old. It is a building unlike any other I have seen and certainly not something you would get in Europe - at that time - the Enlightenment was favouring functionality over beauty in many regards. The atmosphere surrounding the place was intense - particularly as other buildings, known as bot, were being used by monks themselves in reverence to the Buddha.
This was the highlight of the day for me - seeing the twenty or so bald monks clad in orange robes, kneeling in front of a 20ft tall gold statue of the Buddha. Flowers, incense and candles were everywhere and apart from the tourists, the whole scene would have been very evocative. Outside, Buddhists were praying to smaller statues whilst lighting candles. Some were taking oil and swirling it around in a massive dish of oil whilst incanting prayers to the Buddha. In the middle of this pool of oil was a candle that burned brightly. Others were selecting a fleshy fruit, placing it into a giant bowl and then ladeling three ladels-worth of liquid from the bowl into long thin tubes. I do not understand the significance of this so if you can enlighten me, it would be appreciated. I also saw many people making floral offerings to Buddha. I did go inside the temples during all this - taking my shoes and socks off as a mark of respect - but in some ways I did feel like an interloper. But when a monk who saw my plight just flashed a smile at me when I looked at him, everything was alright.
I also managed to climb the praang, whose steps were very steep. We could get to about two thirds up as the rest was corderned off but from that vantage, you had an excellent scope over the city, particulalry the river. You could also see the whole Wat Arun complex and the monks below, scurrying around like ants. On my way down, I bumped into a fellow English traveller and we chatted for a bit. One of the delights of travelling is meeting fellow travellers. She had been out in Thailand for two days and was enjoying it. She was the one who told me The Emerald Buddha was closed.
Accepting that I could do little in the temples, I decided to head towards Chinatown, the heart of most life in cities out here. I did this despite her warnings of there being snakes kept in jars there. I didn't see any but upon entering the temple, I saw a woman who was selling food, part of which included a bowl of live little snakes all swimming around merrily. There must have been about a hundred of them. Also, on my way back to the hotel, I saw a street snake darting into the earth near a tree. It was a bit of a shock. He was small and thin but definitely a snake, not a worm. It was scary but I admit it didn't bother me anywhere near as much as I expected it too.
Chinatown was less intimate than its Singapore counterpart but more lively. The indoor covered market - it used to be a street but now it is adorned with tent like drapes over it making it indoor - was a haven if what you wanted to buy was either pink, fluffy or adorned with Hello Kitty. So I was in Heaven then :P I had intended to do a bit of a tour but as the boat decided to skip stop N6 off its list and move straight to N5, I was caught in the middle of Chinatown, not at the extremes. So I headed back to N6 and started with the Little India area, immersing myself in a world of curries and haberdachery before dipping further in to see something that was probably as close to a shanty town I have ever seen. Wooden rickety buildings were hidden behind a filthy polluted river that flowed right through the heart of the community. Rickety bridges of rotten wood and old carpets marked house entrances whilst on the other side, stalls stood selling an array of sorry goods. It was about as close to poverty as I think I have come.
Sampeng Lane - the main shopping street of Chinatown - had stalls selling mostly the same kind of stuff. Street vendors cooking satays over open coals or selling delicious fruits on the back of rusty carts jostled for prominance amongst vendors of pink Japanese tats and tatty jewelry. Every now and then a motorbike whizzed past, even though it was a pedestrian walkway of about 2m across. Also deliveries were often made - with old men carrying the likes of feather dusters and wrapped up tarpaulin through the busy precicnt.
At one end of Sampeng Lane is the Bangkok Bank and the Tang To Kang gold shop. I was going to see a lot of gold shops later on in Chinatown as it is one thing the Chinese are famous for here. These two buildings though have strong colonial influences and are old for this city - over 100 years old to be precise.
I lost myself in more sights and smells of Chinatown. Strange spices, weird fruit and dead ducks with heads still attached hung on skewers. Fish with the ribs and eyes still showing fluttered lazily in the wind. Chestnut sellers were jostling for position amidst an array of other foods. The colours and passion of the Chinese was out in force and it was an intoxicating place to be. Shortly after this, I turned down the road to see Neon China - the main road with bright lights showing the industrious nature that these immigrants bring to Thailand.
It was heading towards dusk at this point and the monks were lighting candles in preparation for tonight's meditative walk. Inside, some were praying at the foot of a 20ft giant golden Buddha, who glistened in the candlelight. Buddhists presented flowers to him and the temple next door was giving off a steam of incense from its foundations to enhance the atmosphere. Plus I stood next to a German wearing a hideous pink shirt.
Shortly after, I decided to get myself lost in the Talat Noi district, which is famed for its small automotive business. Piles upon piles of axles and tyres lay dormant outside as I walked on by looking like a luminous blue femidom due to the mac I had bought at 7-Eleven in order to keep me dry. I was heading for the River View Guest House which was in a labryinth of back streets. It took some finding - I went the wrong way first and found a lovely Roman Catholic Church with a 7-Eleven outside it. Eventually, I found the Guest House though and I made my way to the restaurant on the eighth floor which had fantastic views looking over the river. Watching the sun set over the city (despite the clouds) would have been tremendously romantic if I had something greater than my right hand so I decided to sup a Chang Beer (the main rival to Singha, not as nice, sponsor Everton, what more do you want to know?) and try some traditional Thai cuisine. I opted for Tom Yam and Kaeng Khiaw Waan (green curry) - both dishes you can get in England - but both cooked so much better out here. I must say that I think Thai food is probably now my favourite in the world after that meal - just like 7-Eleven is my favourite store. They are ubiquitous here - around every corner there is one (and sometimes two, opposite each other) - and they are a reassuring sight in a city full of crazy symbols and local customs.
After getting lost again getting out of Talat Noi in which I almost got attacked by a dog then a cat in quick succession, I jumped in a taxi to head to my next destination - a place that specialised in authentic Thai massage. Now, I know the reputation of massage parlours out here - particularly ones that offer a "happy ending" to the massage. Equally, advertising an 'oily' or 'creamy' massage whilst adorning the front of your shop with girls who may just be above jailbait age wearing short miniskirts is going to attract a certain sort of punter. My relationship with Wolfie, let alone my dignity, is far far above a seedy jerk-off in a backstreet strip joint so I went to a proper specialist that was opposite one of the main hospitals here. After making an arse of myself by not being able to put the slippers on (I hate having things placed between my toes), I went upstairs where my feet were bathed and I was told to slip into something more comfortable. Well, okay, they were cotton pyjamas but still, it was more comfortable than my sweat-sodden undies. Soon after, my masseuse, a rotund black lady, set to work, massaging my feet, legs, arms, shoudlers, back and head. She also gave me peppermint tea that I feared was laced with some hallucinogen but actually it wasn't. The experience was very relaxing and theraputic, lying on the bed (which was almost at floor level) whilst she did her work was one of the few relaxing hours I ever get. The massage was pretty relaxed although in places there was a bit of pain. However, after it all, I came out radiant and feeling great. It was then I saw the pavement snake.
After this, I had intend to go to Patpong, the notriously sleazy district in Bangkok. The one your parents tell you about. Sadly, due to the religious holiday, all the titty bars and strip joints are closed. Glad to know they are at least respectful. I went down there but I was mainly hassled by people who wanted to offer me alcohol (I pretended I was teetotal) or lady massages (I pretended I was gay - oh wait...) before I realised it really was sleazy and somewhat uncomfortable to be in. I think I can handle myself pretty well - hell I am in Thailand on my own ffs - but there, with everyone offering me DVD Sex (the number of times I have been offered must be approaching forty or so - and ironically taking porn through customs carries a two year jail sentence here) and hassling me, it ceased being fun and it became annoying. So I got myself a cheese sandwich and a ham sandwich from 7-Eleven as I was peckish and went home. They were the nicest sandwiches ever - they had sweet white bread and the filling - God was it good. Please 7-Eleven, open more stores in England.
Earlier, I had sampled a 7-Eleven hot dog and also Seaweed flavour crisps. Unlike the awful Walkers new flavours, these were surprisingly edible. I also tried a Milo chocolate bar and Bear Brand white tea. It was okay but an acquired taste.
Yesterday by the way, I bumped into a random woman who said her daughter was going to Cambridge University. On discovering that is from where I graduated - she phoned her daughter who tried to persuade me to go round to her house. Had I not had to meet Canis Enigmas I may have done but these scenarios are often fraught with peril.
