Wirlwind Bangkok in 36 hours

Since I'm already here in Cambodia, I decided to take advantage of the (relatively) cheap travel cost to visit Bangkok, Thailand.  According to my mom, I have been there when I was just a baby.  But since I don't remember that, it was basically my first time in the city.  If I had to describe Bangkok in one word, it would be "vast."  The city is spread apart in so many different districts that each offer a different charm.  My favorite part was definitely the elaborate Buddhist temples and the Grand Palace.

And the river, the river!  Since visiting Singapore and living in Phnom Penh, I have really come to love the river culture of SE Asia.  People rely on the rivers here and there is a vibrant community along it.  Every time I walk by Tonle Sap river, I wished that there was more of a distinct river culture along the Potomac too.  I guess the SW fish market kind of comes close to it.  What I admired was the use of river boat taxis that cuts through the crazy Bangkok traffic.  I didn't get a chance to use it this time around, but I love the concept!

I met up with a friend from undergrad who is from Thailand, who gave me an amazing tour of Bangkok in 36 hours.  He showed me the best of Bangkok, old and new.  According to my friend, there are three must-do's in Bangkok: visiting the temples, shopping, and eating.  And we did just that.  The first night I got in Bangkok, we went to a fun restaurant along the river, followed by a posh bar in the popular area of town where he taught me the culture of "ladyboys" (guys who get sex exchange to become girls) and helpfully pointed some people out for me.  Bangkok is very open-minded in that area, which is definitely unthinkable in Japan or even in DC, but really admirable. And some of them were really pretty and far more feminine than I could ever be in my life!

The next day, we started our visit with the elaborate temples of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the Grand Palace.  The temples in Bangkok, compared to the ones we saw in Angkor Wat, are so colorful and elaborate.  The bright colors used on temples contrasting with the bright blue sky was so striking.  After climbing up the steep steps of the Temple of Dawn, we enjoyed the 360 degree panoramic view of Bangkok.  What a great city!

Eating aspect of the trip also far surpassed my expectations.  Just over the weekend, I tasted the best of Thailand, starting with soft shell crab, on to papaya salad and fried chicken from Som Tam, and ending with the world's best Pad Thai at Thipsamai.  Of course, there were a whole bunch of sweets in between like black jelly at the market (herbal jelly on ice - so refreshing!), toast with condensed milk, and Shibuya honey toast (thick slice of toast with ice cream and honey).  I think I also had coconut shake and the best fresh orange juice I have ever tasted in my life.  Okay, now that I write them out, no wonder my stomach ached all weekend.

Another interesting aspect of Thailand, not discoverable unless I'm with a Thai person, is the movie experience.  At the movie theater, before the movie starts, audience is required to stand up to pay tribute to the King.  The screen shows various pictures and clips showing the king and all the things he has done for the country, including an image of electricity spreading through Thailand, accompanied with the Royal Anthem (which is really heroic!).  Ignorant as I am, I asked my friend if the King single-handedly brought electricity to Thailand.  The answer, of course, was no, but the king a proposed, funded, and implemented a lot of development projects throughout the years of his reign.  And what impressed me the most is the fact that the king learned what was good for the country from reading and learning from other countries.

Since the post is getting too long now, I will write about the shopping experience tomorrow! 

Stupa in the Grand Palace premise.  See the sky is so strikingly blue!

Wat Pho - the Temple of the Reclining Buddha

The river culture I am jealous about