First Day in Bangkok

Friday, February 18, 2011
Bangkok, Thailand
Our first full day in Bangkok, started slowly. That was a good thing since it was after 2 am by the time we got to the hotel last night. Other than a very long trip, there was no real excitement until we arrived in Bangkok and my suitcase was not on the baggage carousel. It seemed about 25 of us were missing luggage. One container from the plane was misdirected and the missing bags were somewhere else, although I never understood exactly where they went. It took about 30 minutes for them to be retrieved and delivered. Then when we finally cleared customs, we learned that we had an additional wait because 3 other members of the group were scheduled to arrive on another flight that was also late. Finally, we were all assembled, and a little after 1 am we left the airport for a 40 minute drive to our hotel. One good thing about our late arrival is that we didn't have to deal with Bangkok's notorious traffic congestion.
Because of the late arrival, our wake up call was moved back to 7 am and our orientation meeting began at 9. Then we started our exploration of Bangkok. Our first stop was at the flower market, where we walked through displays of garlands of marigolds, sprays of orchids, rainbows of flowers and beautiful flower arrangements. then we walked through the fruit and vegetable markets, where Panu bought us some Longan , an interesting fruit which has a dark brown shell-like skin that is peeled to reveal the luscious white fruit inside, but you had to be careful not to swallow the large back seed in the middle.
Then it was back on the bus for a drive across the Chao Phraya River to Ban Talingchan, a family compound for a cooking lesson and a excellent lunch. We actually participated in making Phad pricking tua, stir-fried red chile paste with long beans and tofu, under the supervision of Toon and her sister Khai. Our lunch also included Gang chued thang-gwa sap (cucumber soup), Lab kai (chicken salad, and Phad buab sai kai (stir-fried young lufa with egg.) It was all very tasty and provided exposure to some new Thai dishes. After lunch we boarded a boat for a ride along the canals and the river. It must have been 15 degrees cooler on the water and was an opportunity to see how real Thais live.
A visit to the Royal Barge Museum was another reminder of how much of the Thai life revolves around the water. The barges were used by the royal in ceremonial processions and are currently being restored for another procession to honor the 84 year old king who has some serious medical problems. The figureheads on several of the barges showed the Hindu influence in the representation of Shiva and Garuda.
Our final stop of the day was to be at Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, but we were unable to make that visit. Today is a major religious holiday, and the Princess Royal was worshipping at the temple, so the usual dock was closed. Ferries were using the public dock, and the remaining landing area was at least two feet higher than our boat. Instead, we left our boat at the dock for a very fancy shopping mall, but only walked through the main floor to reach our bus and return to the hotel. I was sorry to miss the temple but considering the heat, humidity and my jet lag it was good to return to the hotel.

Comments

MARY W WALKER
2011-02-18

Sounds like a good place to visit. Glad you are there. Mother

alan
2011-02-18

Great first entry...love the pictures.

Dee Hearle
2011-02-18

Marylea I too especially like the flower market and the river rides. Did you see and feed the giant Koi in the river; they are highly regarded from a religious standpoint?

marianne
2011-02-19

glad you made it safely. getting ready here for a typical friday night of food, drinks and music. continue to enjoy!

maryleabyrd
2011-02-21

Yes, we fed the Koi. Really enjoy our boat rides. It is much cooler on the river.

2025-02-16

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