Thailand Vacation Part Four

Bangkok

Christmas Day

Our first taste of Bangkok was on Christmas Day when we spent a night in the city before heading south to Krabi.

Bangkok's traffic

After  a 6 hour journey from Phitsanulok on a clunky train (mitigated by cushioned seats in a quiet, air-conditioned, second class compartment, plus the belief that long distance train journeys reveal much about a country) we hopped into a taxi and found ourselves in a thrumming metropolis. The ride to our hotel in the Sathorn area near Lumphini Park took a half hour for a distance under 3 miles. Yes, the traffic was insane, but not in that crazy way I'd seen in India and Vietnam. Nobody honked, the cars looked new-ish, and the sluggish flow appeared orderly.

Our hotel room, just for the one night, turned out to be an elegantly furnished studio suite which included a plush sofa, a dining table, and a fully outfitted kitchenette. Wow!  

Late in the day when the temperature was bearable we stepped out into an urban center with visible 21st century aspirations. Smartly dressed office workers spilled out of glass and steel skyscrapers. Though it was Christmas, it appeared to be a normal work day. This part of Bangkok, the financial district, had a distinct global feel to it. We past a Starbucks, a BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, fast food places, a bakery displaying muffins, cookies, and Danish pastries. English featured everywhere.

A pedestrian bridge gave us access over a traffic clogged thoroughfare into Lumphini Park. For a short while we escaped the city's frenzy in a small section of this green, open space with a lake and walking trails.   

In the evening we treated ourselves to a fine Christmas dinner at Zanotti, an upmarket Italian restaurant in our hotel neighborhood. The mood was set by a festive interior, white linen, red flowers and ribbons, wait staff in Santa hats with flickering lights, and of course, unavoidably, Christmas tunes in the background. English was the sole language used to address the mixture of Thai and western diners. The menu was in Italian with English translations. So we played along with the pretense that we'd temporarily left Thailand!
Within minutes of being seated a variety of freshly baked breads arrived, accompanied by a fragrant bruschetta sauce. Ah, yes! We smiled, anticipating a feast for the epicure.

Christmas dinner at Zanotti in Bangkok

And indeed it was. Homemade gnocchi in a creamy, cheesy sauce and spinach filled ravioli in tomato sauce. Perfect textures and seasonings. And to wash it down, a Chianti. Dessert was something called bonet Piedmont, a specialty from that region. A block of chocolate créme caramel on an amaretto base, laced with rum. Exquisite. At $100 the meal seemed steep compared to the past week, but by California standards, a bargain.

And then Christmas was over. Thank goodness!

New Year's Eve

Six days after that divine dinner we returned to the capital on an Air Asia flight from Krabi.  Bangkok's unflattering reputation notwithstanding we were actually excited to have three days here at the tail end of our trip. Our mission was to find and indulge in unforgettable Thai cuisine.

In contrast to Christmas night, this time our hotel was in the Old Town. Though our room at the Riva Arun was a fraction of the size of anything we'd previously had on this trip, it didn't lack in luxury. We were beside the Chao Phraya River, in the neighborhood of Bangkok's oldest and most famous monuments.
After settling into our room I stepped outside to explore dining options. Directly across the street I spotted a restaurant called Suppanigga (Ouch! Hated that name!). At 5:35 PM it buzzed with diners on both its ground floor and upstairs terrace. The furniture and décor was the first hint that this was a special place. I browsed the menu, saw a page of enticing vegetarian mains featuring crispy tofu, interesting mushrooms, and creatively prepared vegetables, and knew we had to eat here! Through the restaurant's glass walls I could see boats bobbing over the wide Chao Praya River. Over on the other bank Wat Arun, aka the Temple of Dawn, stood gracefully, imperially, bathed in the rays of a sun low in the sky. "Do you have a table for two?" I asked a smiling waitress. My voice must've conveyed my eagerness.
She hesitated, looked around, then said,"We have a table right now, but we are fully booked the rest of the evening." It was New Year's Eve. Perfectly understandable. I dashed back to the hotel and fetched Daryl. Since we'd eaten a light lunch of mangoes and papaya before our flight out of Krabi, we were so ready for a big meal.

From our table we had a splendid view of Wat Arun, the most photographed of Bangkok's temples. We were facing the Th Thien Boat Pierboat pier on the other side of the glass wall. A crowd had gathered for the last sunset of 2018. In this astonishing setting we had our tastiest Thai meal. I have to say, the breathtaking view was a huge distraction from a meal that deserved our full attention. As the sun descended behind the stunning temple the sky appeared to be on fire. The river was transformed too, golden ripples rendering it unreal in the twilight. What a perfect dinner! Even the dessert, a panna cotta (I know. They were out of mango sticky rice!), was superb.

Sunset from Th Thien Boat Pier - the best way to enjoy Wat Arun as it changes colors

Of course we had to dine at Suppanigga the next 2 nights. But the waitresses shook their heads and chuckled when we asked about reservations. Back at our hotel when I went online I saw that their first available evening was four weeks later, on Jan 28! Darn it!

Later in the evening we returned to the pier to soak up the NYE atmosphere. Party boats glided  by packed with dressed up people dancing to energetic music. Wat Arun, brilliantly lit up, the centerpiece, dominating the view. This temple is different from the other ones we'd seen in the country because of its Khymer architectural style. The towering prang, 80 meters in height, represents the mythological and metaphoric Mount Meru. Surrounding it are four smaller, identical chedis, in a symmetrical pattern.

Wat Arun lit up at night

An hour before midnight we crashed our hotel's rooftop restaurant's NYE dinner party (with permission!). Over fruity cocktails we gazed in awe at the views around us. Modern skyscrapers to the south, and below us, a different perspective of the illuminated party boats and the river. Dazzling Wat Arun, reflected in the rippling water, was especially arresting. The temperature was deliciously balmy. We were surrounded by elegantly dressed diners finishing up their dessert and last sips of wine. American Jazz music was playing and lights and decorations enhanced the atmosphere. Excitement built up as we counted down to midnight. Champagne was passed around to everyone, us included. Pushing aside our anxieties about Brexit and the White House occupant we toasted to a new year as fireworks lit up the sky.

Fireworks to usher in 2019, from our hotel rooftop near the Chao Phraya River

On New Year's Day, a major public holiday in Thailand, we marched in sweltering midmorning heat to the city's number one tourist site, The Grand Palace. When we saw the mega crowd at the entrance we escaped into an air-conditioned taxi. We hoped to have better luck at the Jim Thompson House, second on our Bangkok itinerary. We were so pleased to find ourselves in a quiet part of the city, on the banks of the Saen Saeb Canal.

Jim Thompson House

While waiting for our scheduled guided tour we sauntered through the shady garden full of native trees and shrubs. It felt soothing with pleasant scents, bird sounds, and two large ponds - one with Koi fish and the other turtles and exotic fish. On a tour of the house we learned that Jim Thompson made his fortune by recognizing the superiority of Thai silk and marketing it to the world. (At the entrance to the site tourists are greeted by a local Thai weaver demonstrating the process of silk weaving from cocoons.) A slender Thai woman guide explained in rehearsed English the history and architecture of the Jim Thompson House. Six teak dwellings, connected by elevated planks, had been transported from Ayutthaya, an archeological park north of Bangkok. The main house was a blend of East and West design. Magnificent art pieces and sculpture were displayed in all the rooms - Chinese Ming porcelain, Belgian glass, Cambodian carvings, Burmese statues, Thai stone images, and colonial chandeliers. Interesting fact about Jim Thompson is that he disappeared mysteriously in 1967, never to be found.

Our tour ended at lunch time. We were hot and ravenous, but the vibrant on site restaurants were not vegetarian friendly. So we left the area on a boat taxi, packed with locals, down the canal to the Ratchadamnoen intersection. Despite the many restaurants, hotels, and grand buildings in this busy area, it took twenty grueling minutes of searching before we found a suitable air-conditioned veggie friendly restaurant. But the service turned out to be atrocious. Just when I was about to faint the pineapple fried rice arrived. We scarfed it down. A while later the red curry and steamed rice arrived. It vanished in seconds. Both dishes delivered on taste, but heck, the wait just about killed us.

Adding to the afternoon's frustrations was the tricky business of hailing a legitimate taxi. Tuk tuks, notoriously overpriced, kept pestering us. Then unmetered taxi drivers kept stopping for us. Daryl would've happily hopped into any of those vehicles. I waved them off, knowing a little patience would reward us with a metered taxi. But suddenly traffic officers marched onto the middle of the thoroughfare and stopped all traffic. Nothing was going anywhere! No idea why. So we trudged the remainder of the way, drenched in sweat, cursing the heat.

Later, after a siesta and showers, as we gasped at the sunset from the boat pier, we shrugged off the awful afternoon. Challenges were to be expected when you travel to far away places.

We made an early start the next day. First we heaped on the calories at hotel's rooftop breakfast buffet. The morning views of the river and skyline were stunning in a different way. A deep blue sky formed the background and daylight rendered more clarity and vibrancy. From our table we could see the chedi spires of another famous temple called Wat Pho. The breakfast spread was sinfully lavish for just $12. Homemade granola (too crunchy with mainly seeds and nuts), yogurt, tropical fruit, fresh baked breads, croissants, muffins, eggs, as well as traditional Asian cooked stuff. The coffee was strong, as it always was everywhere in Thailand, so we were thoroughly satisfied when we headed out to the Grand Palace.

The line, just ten minutes after opening time, was already long, but moved fast and within minutes we were inside the grounds. A downloaded audioguide helped us navigate the enormous park on which were numerous buildings and monuments. Most famous, most opulent, was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We had to fight our way through a thick crowd to see the surprisingly small Buddha image made of jade or some other similar semi precious stone housed in an extravagantly decorated temple.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Giant golden chedi outside the temple were jaw dropping. Other temples in the complex were decorated with gilded figures, Buddha images, and scary carved faces. A long stretch of a shaded mural gallery was a welcome relief from the sun. As we studied the panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana I recalled my visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia a few years ago.

The Grand Palace, a blend of Asian and European design

The palace complex was a surprise. The main structure looked like it was pulled out of France. Even the formal landscaping around the palace evoked French chateaus. The Dusit Hall, incorporating both European and Asian architectural styles, was quite a stunner.

In the afternoon we took a break from cultural activities and spent a few hours at a shopping center called the Platinum Mall. Everyone told us that shopping was an essential part of the Bangkok experience. We were only too glad for an excuse to be in an air-conditioned, indoor space when the afternoon sun was at its fiercest. First, we headed to the food court on the top level. When we saw the collection of stalls, emulating an upmarket version of street food, we could instantly tell we'd find tasty food. The vegan stall's vegetarian peking duck and noodle stir-fry didn't disappoint.
Clothes shopping is not our idea of fun, but we managed to endure the process and acquire unremarkable but useful items. Most of the stores carried "Made in Thailand" brands, considerably easing the chore.

Thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day, we hung out at our hotel's rooftop terrace through the evening, first enjoying sunset cocktails, then dining on dishes made especially for us at tourist prices. The Pad Thai (of course!) and a Thai/Italian hybrid of spicy fettuccini with fried tofu were quite decent. It was our last evening in Thailand. From our table we could see the lit up spires of Wat Pho, a "must see" temple on any Bangkok itinerary. We'd be visiting it in the morning before heading out to the airport.

View of Wat Pho spires from dinner table

Early in the morning the air was still pleasant when we made the short trek from our hotel to Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. We hadn't realized what a huge complex it was until we wandered through its graceful grounds. Beautiful stupas, colorful porcelain facades, Chinese statues, and thousands of Buddha images to make you wonder about the country's history.

Wat Pho

The reclining Buddha covered in gold leaf

The main attraction at Wat Pho is a 46 meter long, 15 meter tall Buddha. It fills up the entire hall. We dutifully gawked at it and walked around to figure out the best way to photograph it. The feet, 5 meters long, were decorated with mother of pearl designs. If you needed a break from staring at the gold leaf Buddha image, you could look at the paintings on the walls for a glimpse of the past.

We'd seen so many Buddha images on this trip. Every size, posture, expression. Buddha is so integral to Thai culture. But, when we boarded the plane hours after seeing the biggest image of all, our knowledge of Buddhism was as dismal as the day we'd arrived in Thailand. Actually, we were now more confused than ever. Didn't Buddha advocate humility, simplicity, a rejection of material things? I guess we have some homework to do!