Elad’s blog

Yesterday evening I went to Bangkok’s China-Town.
The chinese quarter of Bangkok is a narrow place, full of allys that run into each other, with street merchandise of all sorts, especially tropical fruits and sea-food (doomed lobsters and crabs are waiting in huge PAILAs for the customers, whereis shrimps have the luxuries of ice while waiting for their turn on the grill). I went on and on exploring the market, with the restaurant signs offering bird-nests and shark-fins, looking at the tropical fruits - some known to us, like pineapples, lychees and rambutans, and some yet to be discovered by the west - like Durian, a large fruit that smells like sewage (no, I didn’t taste it) and is now at high season.
BTW: Anybody knows the english word for DUCHAN? There were plenty of them, some with ezoteric things such as snake skins and love liquids.
The china-town is an extremely thilthy place. My journey was cut at once, when a large rat crossed the street. I seemed to be the only one who noticed (or cared), but after observing this rat (it was really, really huge. and fat, too. especially in the tail. even now, I forgot to capitalize my sentences just because of the thought of it. shiver. uuuhhhh.) I caught the closest Tuk-Tuk and went straight back to Khaosan area (at least here, the rats hide).

Another sight of Bangkok: there are no garbage cans in the streets here, not even in important places like the king’s palace or major shrines. Just another sign of how this city, which tries to look so western, still belongs to the third world.

Today, after waking up early and viewing the rice-growing ceremony (described in a different post earlier), I gave some laundry at the hostel (not that I really needed, but I thought it will be a good idea) and went to look at the city. I found out how tuk-tuks achieve their gasoline: there are jewellery stores that pay the drivers (and fill their gasoline) if they bring them customers. Knowing that, I caught myself a nice driver, and in exchange to looking in one jewellery store I got a free ride for half a day (he was really grateful). Though I didn’t buy anything there, the store really is impressive. They give you free drinks at the entrance (They will probably reconsider this in light of the amount of fanta I drank there) and in the first hall they have some 50 people working on gems and diamonds, making the jewelleries. The second hall is full of persons with monoculars and microscopes observing gems, and the third room is an exhibition full of beautiful rings, necklaces, and all sorts of metal-and-stones jewellery. I actually enjoyed very much just looking at it. The prices start at 1000$, so I guess the fact that I look older than the normal backpaker did help them to treat me so well.
The fact that I spent some 15 minutes enjoying the precious jewelleries earned my driver free gasoline (he proudly showed me the coupon, after waiting for me outside in the sun), so he took me for free for half a day, and waited for me outside the Marble-Wat, the Golden-Mountain-Wat, and until bringing me to the king’s palace (where I let him go, because it’s walk distance from my hostel and because I wanted to stay there a long time). It may seem like I took advantage of the driver, but actually most of this was his suggestions, and when I tried to tip him - he refused. So it wasn’t explotation, it was simbiosys (between me, the driver, and the jewellery store).
Looking at all the temples I could clearly see both the colonial influence on Thailand (the marble temple, for example, is made of marble that was imported from Italy, and the style of the building is also very Italian - it could fit without any problem anywhere in Europe) and the eastern influence on Islam (corollary: budhists pray on the same position like muslims, they don’t wear shoes inside temples, they have carpets, and if the temple wasn’t filled with gold and budhas one could easily mistake a praying budhist to a muslim - only the budhists don’t try to kill anyone whenever possible). The budha sculptures, as I mentioned in an earlier post, are made only at specific positions, which all have a religous meaning. Today I decided I like the ‘Budha calming down the ocean’ position (it really is the name of as position), in which Budha stands with his two hands raised at front, calming the ocean. In the marble temple, to my surprise, the budha sculptures on the galleries were not made of gold, but of black wood. They also had there a japanese-style budha, with a wooden sun around its head.
After I had enough temples (the king’s palace hasn’t changed since my last visit here, they still have wonderful statues and wall paintings; the emerald Budha is dressed in a different dress now, if I remember correctly from my last visit), I wandered through a university campus here in Bangkok. It was very nice, I met some students (campuses are always fun, and they are the same anywhere in the world, and I really like them) and enjoyed the atmosphere. I also went to see some market by the river, but it was too crouded for me - maybe because I was a bit tired after waking up so early for the morning ceremony.

I came back to Habad house, used a bit of the free internet here (I didn’t pay anything for internet in Thailand - it is available for free in Habad house, at my hostel, and even in some restaurants) and went to rest for an hour. Now I regained powers and I’ll go to look for something to do in the evening. Tomorrow my flight leaves at 11:30, so I won’t have much time in the morning.

An ancient Brahman ritual, in which farmers believe is able to forecast the abundance of the next rice crop. The event is a result of a series of ceremonies …. portrayed by a high ranking official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives who wears colorful traditional costumes. This ceremony … is considered the official commencement of the rice-growing season.
(extract from a publication of the Tourism Authority of Thailand).

So, it wasn’t a coronation, it was rice growing.

The ceremony begun before 8:00a.m., which - along the lack of any publication - was probably the reason I was the only tourist there, in the croud of a few thousands Thai people. Most of the ceremony included a parade, led by 6 persons wearing all-white costumes, after them 12 all-red wearing persons, followed by three bulls who were decorated with golden costumes. After the bulls came a man with pointed hat, and he was followed by more red and white persons, simmetrical to those in the front. Their route was circular, some 30 meters in diameter, and they made many rounds while an orchestra was playing some Budhistic themes. The croud (a few thousands) was kept away from the parade by the guards. I was pretty much behind, so I didn’t get a good look (but that doesn’t matter, because the best part is in the end). After making at least 10 rounds, maybe more (and they walked really slowly, and yes - it was hot eventhough it was before 9:00a.m.), they stopped in front of the honor seats, where officials and Budhas were sitting. They talked for about 10 minutes (All in Thai, I didn’t understand a word) and then went back, and the ceremony was over.
Once the ceremony was over, the security let the poeple in. Immediately, all the thousands of believers issued a crazy run into the field where the ceremony was being held. They all bent down on the soil and started looking for rice seeds, that apparently were thrown from the parade during the ceremony. Indeed there were lots of lucky seeds on the floor, and people remained for at least half an hour looking for all of them and picking them up.
I stayed there until it was boring, and now I’m going to see the city again once I finish my breakfast.

I( woke up really early (the winning combination of jetlag, noise, light and heat) so I am taking the bus way to Cambodia. Earlier last night I found that the Tuk-Tuk drivers are trying to sell Thai girls more agressively than ever.
There are lots of Japanese tourists here, and some europeans. I have encountered much lesser Israelies than I expected.

Erna (Or father, if you read it before her, please phone her): can you please postpone my flight to Hong-Kong by at least 6 hours, so I can see the Thay ceremony? I don’t mind staying in Siam for another day or two, if no flight is available. Please write to me what’s going on.

Bye,

Elad

The most profound way in which Bangkok strikes you is the smell sense.
The combination of sewage, sweat, bar-b-qued reptiles (and mammals, and birds, and marine creatures, and vegetables), burnt oil (in which all the non-bar-b-qed food is being fried), beer, and all other odors that wash the street is just as immense and condensed as can be.
I checked a few of what Bangkok has to offer: the pineapples are still great (both fresh and as a shake), the Singha beer is still somewhat bitter, the one-hour Thai massage still costs 180 Batts (10Batt=1NIS) and it still hasn’t lost its capability to find in my body muscles that just weren’t there before it.
Regarding Cambodia: This is the dill: either a bus that costs 200Batts but is probably a nightmare that lasts for an entire day, or an airplane that costs 6000 Batts in every direction. My big pack will stay in Bangkok until I return from Cambodia, and I will only take my day-bag.
The bus leaves at 07:30. It is an airconditioned ‘VIP’ bus, but the ride is expected to last 10-12hours on poor roads (especially after the border cross). I will decide which way to take in the morning, when I see what hour I get up (I will finish packing for Angkor today before going to sleep).

That’s it for now - I’m going to explore the nightlife here at Khoa-san.

The airport in Bangkok has a sign saying ‘Welcome to the land of Smile’. Indeed, since I reached here some 3 hours ago I haven’t stop smiling.
The flight from London went great. The plane was half empty, so I took myself a row of three seats, layed down and slept most of the flight - not exactly a bed, but I’ve had worse.
Upon landing, the travel excitement finally hit me, and in full strengh. Until reaching Bangkok things were more or less automatic with no time to think. Now, I finally calmed down and started to enjoy.
I found out that on Wednesday they have some ceremony here in Bangkok, and I am considering delaying my flight to Hong-Kong by one day to participate in this ceremony (it will thus include me, his majesty the prince of Thailand, and a bunch of other Thay people). If so, I will probably go to Cambodia tomorrow and stay there until Monday or Tuesday. I will see later.
I went to Khosan road, which is just as I remembered it but more extreme: just like Eilat when it will grow up. Lots of street food and thingys. I picked a hotel room with aircondition, because it was here 38 degrees today, AND 80% HUMIDITY or something close to this.
I did a nice trick at the airport. I went out to the road leading to the airport, and picked a cab there. As a result, it only costed me 150 Batts!
Driving in Bangkok is stricktly not desired. The cars have their wheel at the left side though they drive at the right side of the road (I think it is because crossed cars are cheaper). I saw dozens of traffic errors. It seems that the lane marking on the roads here are just a recommendation. Usually there are three cars align horizontally on two lanes, and everybody is trying to get in front of the others, regardless of road signs, lights, the existence of other cars on the road, etc.

That’s it for now - I’m going to look for a way to reach Cambodia tomorrow.