Bangkok.
A number of words come to mind: Hot, dirty, energetic, frantic, colorful, historical, fascinating, smelly, aromatic, dirty. I am sure there are more.
Did I say hot? It is also humid. If one looks at the photo of me below in the blue shirt, you will see it is mostly wet. And it was not yet noon!
I got up early this morning, enjoyed a nice buffet at the hotel, and then proceeded to walk to the Grand Palace. Well that was my plan. I did not find the palace until close to noon – only to be advised it was closed until 2PM! In the course of trying to find the palace, I made it out to the Tha Rachini River, passed through a number of (I will call them wholesale) markets, the Flower Market (albeit without many flowers), various temples, and a few very nice parks.
Upon learning the palace would not be open till later, I returned to my hotel to change, after which I went to write this post, only to loose it all! Went back to the hotel, enjoyed a nice swim, changed again, and am back re-typing this post. Did I say it was hot and humid?
It really is a fascinating city. This past couple of days have been a holiday in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the King’s coronation. At the palace, there was a certain amount of pomp and ceremony ongoing. Unfortunately, portions of the palace were closed, as the King’s sister passed away recently and was lying in state. Still, plenty to see. Once could certainly spend more than a few days exploring this city.
Tomorrow I fly to Kolkata (Calcutta), leaving the hotel at 6:40AM. From what I understand, having gone from Beijing to Bangkok, and now on to Kolkata, I am gradually immersing myself into increasingly intense environments. Makes me glad I have a ride arranged from the airport tomorrow in Kolkata! I am looking forward to moving north from Kolkata into the Darjeeling area, which should be cooler.
(Remember, you can click to enlarge the photo)
Morning market along the river. 
Reclining Buddha
Me 
Pomp and Ceremony at the Palace Grounds
The Tha Rachini River
A tranquil moment in the Palace Gardens
Backpackers’ street scene
2 responses so far ↓
1 J P // Feb 1, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Man, I hate those guys who stand outside the Grand Palace and try to convince tourists that it is closed. I think they’re just trying to lure people into going on their own little tours. At any rate, they’re lying.
2 dsd // Feb 1, 2009 at 6:17 pm
There may be occassions that JP’s comments fit, but at least on the day of my visit I was on the grounds and guards in uniforms had portions closed off…
Leave a Comment