Our first hint that this might be quite a scene was at the airport. There are buses to Benglanphu, a district in central Bangkok every 30 minutes. While we waited, another couple with backpacks arrived. Then another. Then another. There were German, British, American, Canadian, Australian, and every other nationality. Ultimately, the bus was stuffed full of people and their backpacks (with a few people left over for the next bus), and we headed off. Contrary to any third-world images, we rode on a regular comfortable bus, down a very major freeway system into town. We remarked that this could be Los Angeles.
Then we reach the destination. I was not expecting quite the number of backpackers! This Thong Khoa San (Khoa San Road) district is several blocks wide and many long, and is wall-to-wall backpackers. The local merchants flow over into the streets selling their wares. Every 20 feet there is another Guest House, an Internet cafe, or an outdoor cafe. A huge mass of international people. It is an exciting buzz. Most of the people look like travelers, headed out for hiking or diving. There is everything from college kids to gray hairs (okay, we are on the older end, but we are not the only ones!). There are many couples, some in their twenties, and some in their thirties. Most are neat and clean. Some are quite dirty, with dreadlocks and ratty clothing. A few look like lost souls from decades gone by.
We quickly found a Guest House. To make a smooth arrival, we had decided to splurge and get a room with air conditioning, private bath, and hot shower. We really splurged: $11! That makes the first night easy, and we move down over the next few days. The places are similar to those in Japan, except that they cost $4 a night instead of $70!
Eating is easy. There are tiny restaurants and street vendors everywhere. Fran loves a fresh pineapple in the morning. Rod enjoys the banana shakes, and Fran the coconut shakes. There is a large variety of food. Some days we eat pancakes, other days we eat omelets. One woman we meet talks of some great Mexican food she found! The street vendors have many foods, including skewers of meat, or stir fry from a wok. We eat freely from those that look clean, and avoid a few others. None of the food is very spicy, but then this little district really does not represent Thailand.
The Khoa San area is quite thrilling. For about an hour. After that is just seems noisy and crowded, and too distant from the Thailand that we came to experience. Each night we shift a little further away.
One evening, we take a boat cruise down the Mae Nam Chao Phraya just after sunset. It is a beautiful evening, warm but not hot, with a gentle breeze. Evenings by a river are always special. As we board the boat, some friendly locals shoo us off and try to explain that we want a different boat. We don't really understand, but we hop off. The boat turns out to just be a ferry that goes back and forth across the river at this point. Our boat soon arrives, and we cruise down the river. We stand by the rail watching the river and the lights. A few monks board at the next stop. They travel for free, and the rail is reserved for them (presumably they don't get the benefit of the seats). We shift a bit.
Down the river we see huge water fountains, brightly lit with colored light. They are as large as those from fireboats. We hop off the cruise boat. There is a major theatre production on the river. A huge stage is assembled on the bank, with stadium bleachers set on barges in the river. We peek around the edge. Lights, dancers, costumes, musicians. The theatre is based on the history of King Rama III. The show transitions from song and dance, to village scenes, to battles, to acrobatics. Men climb two 40 foot poles, and then one man stands on top of another at the top of the pole. We do not know the story; so much is lost on us. Perhaps the pole climbers were re-enacting historic lookouts? The show is beautiful, but we move on.
We reach the famous Buddhist temple, Wat Pho. This is the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok. It is famous for housing the world's largest reclining Buddha. We are quite impressed with the exterior of the building, but are still surprised when we look inside. The Buddha completely fills the building. His head nearly touches the wall at the one end, and his feet the other. The top of the Buddha reaches into the rafters. There is restoration work going on, so the scaffolding makes the Buddha look even more crammed in. It really is big!
We continue strolling through the Wat. It is a perfect evening, quiet and peaceful. There are no people except the monks and us. The walls surrounding the temple stop all of the city noise, creating wonderful serenity. There are four really incredible spires/towers called chipes. They were built to honor the Kings Rama I, II and III (Rama III got two). There is great detail in the chipes, with colorful flowers. They reach high into the sky. Check out our pictures!
We walk back through the park. It is evening, and many of the street vendors have left. The park is quiet. Many families are there, with picnic baskets, or playing ball. We have a very pleasant walk back.
Chinese New Year
We happen to be in Bangkok on the Chinese New Year. Last year, Rod saw the dragon parade for the Chinese New Year in Los Angeles. We head off to Chinatown in Bangkok! Maybe we can see fireworks, or even a dragon parade. As we approach Chinatown, the crowds become thicker. And thicker. And thicker. The narrow road is full of people, and street vendors crowd both sides. We hear that the Royal Princess is coming, and the police stop the crowds. The crowd cannot move forward. However, it continues to surge from behind. It gets denser and denser. Fran's claustrophobia gets tested. The crowds are so thick that everyone is packed as tightly together as possible. You can barely breathe, and cannot move. The panic shows in Fran's eyes. We push through the crowd and dart into one of the vendor's stalls. They generously point a fan at Fran, and she stands a bit higher than the crowd on the curb. She has a couple of square feet. It is barely enough. Eventually the Princess passes, and the crowd slowly begins to move again.
We see two dragons. The first is magnificent --over one hundred feet long, with tiny embedded lights. However, it is stuck in the crowd and cannot move. The drummers and dancers just stand there, and the dragon is paralyzed. We walk along and find a second dragon later, when the crowds are a bit thinner. It is like the one in Los Angeles. There is an enormous head with an enthusiastic dancer bounding it up and down, left and right. The dragon plays off of the crowd, and gets especially excited for children. The drummers and percussion follow the dragon's lead, with the music ebbing and flowing with the dragon, and the crowd.
The next day we read that 200,000 people crammed into the few blocks of Chinatown for the celebration. It is certainly the densest mass of humanity we have ever seen. It made the Tokyo train station look like a wilderness area!
Scouting
Scouting is very popular in Thailand. The King is a great supporter, and the royal family members are Scouts. Following their lead, the ministry of education has adopted Scouting and integrated it into the schools. The children in the playground are wearing Scouting uniforms, complete with neckerchiefs! We look up the national Scout Office to see if we can connect with some Scouters. We don't manage to, since the program is integrated into the schools and doesn't really have a separate organization.
We do find the World Jamboree staff! (We had initially planned to visit Thailand in December 2002 and join the World Jamboree, but only adults that are accompanying Scout groups are able to attend.) Most offices in Bangkok seem to close by 4:30 PM, but the World Jamboree office is still busy at 6:30 when we leave. There is an enthusiastic group, representing many different countries. Last year, they held a mock-Jamboree on the site with Scouts from all over Thailand. Next month there is another test run with leaders from around the world. They seem well organized and enthusiastic.
We find the World Jamboree Scout Shop. We meet Teddy, who recently lived in the US and has perfect English. We talk well after the store has closed. Teddy gives us some tips on the best islands in southern Thailand, which we follow. We head off to Koh Lanta!
