Bangkok
Ahh Thailand, the YouTuber’s and backpacker’s place of dreams. It also boasts some of the best sea level activities much needed after ascending the highest peaks in the world. With Bangkok being only a few short hours away, I have decided to visit the much-praised, beach filled and temple filled country of Thailand.
One of the aspects that is surprising about the current capital is that how much this country is connected with the countries nearby, especially China. Within the Grand Palace and temples like Wat Pho, many important statues were imported from China via ocean route or the Mekong River.
There is even a well-stocked Chinatown in Bangkok with foods I have not eaten for years. Some Chinese restaurants are even Michelin stared!
It’s easy to see that Thailand’s success very much relied on it’s waterway’s well-connectedness. These waterways brought goods, other cultural influence, and also foreign invaders. Yet, Thailand had never been officially colonized in recent history by accepting certain degree of foreign influence religious and politically. One of the perhaps most known religious influence is Hinduism and Buddhism.
Thai culture, similarly, had greatly influenced the world. American businessman, architect, and former OSS officer Jim Thompson accelerated the influence of Thai silk and fashion around the world in the twentieth century. His former residence in central Bangkok, now a museum, is made up by six teak traditional teak houses replanted from the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. As a visitor to the museum, I was deeply impressed by the effort Thompson made to preserve the Thai traditions down the small details while carefully integrating modern comforts like in-house toilets.
A good place to watch the sunset at the end of the day would be Wat Sacket, The Golden Mount. Although, it might be a hit or miss in the rainy seasons.
It’s only day 2 but I am eager to dive into more of Thailand’s rich traditions and cultures. But first, one has to fill one’s belly. It’s easy to find good food anywhere. Here are just some from the first two days:
Another important tradition is Muay Thai. There are quite a few stadiums around Bangkok and lots more around Thailand that features fights. Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium where I went seems to have the most amount of professionals fighting. The night I went even featured many foreign fighters. The tickets are not bad and the stadium has popcorn and beer for refreshments in case you needed some. Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium is not a big stadium so you won’t be too far up the nosebleeds. However, do be aware that some sections can have some visual obstructions. I went during the beginning of the rainy season, tourism is not very high and tickets were easy to find. You can also buy tickets online.
(The fight!)
Ayutthaya
Just north of Bangkok is the ancient capital of Ayutthaya which is where Jim Thompson’s teak houses came from. You can hire a tuktuk there or sign up for a full-day tour for around $50 to $100. Since it’s rain season and I don’t do well with heat, I decided to sign up for a full-day tour which comes with strong ac in the van, great for us northern creatures.
You may not have heard of the city of Ayutthaya before but you may have seen some of the sites on pictures: the Buddha head in the tree, the lying down large Buddha, and the red-brick Hindu/Buddhist temples inspired by Cambodia.
While some of these sites don’t have active worshippers, it’s still important to observe the religious and Thai customs. Thai people still observe many of the tradition religiously. During the guides will help you understand the etiquettes, another reason to go on many of the day tours. A general good rule of thumb is t-shirt with longer pant or long sarong/skirt for the ladies.
At temples with active worshipping activities, customs are observed much stricter. No hats. No exposing shoulders, no exposing knees, no pointing toes or bottom of feet towards the Buddha, don’t touch the monks, and always give the Wai when interacting with monks. Below is an example of what a “Wai” is.
