Thursday, March 27, 2008

Bangkok

My daughter Alex has a very good friend in Bangkok, Eric. When they heard that we would be close by, they organized an overnight trip to the city.Eric arranged for a tour guide, Mr. Rabbit, to pick us up at the ship and take us to Bangkok. Alex very kindly treated us to our hotel. As fate would have it Eric's parents, Adrienne and Howard, were visiting from New York. We had met Adrienne and Howard previously and were looking forward to seeing them again. Mal and I requested typical Thai food for dinner so we arranged to meet at a local restaurant in the neighborhood where Eric lives.But we had a lot of sight seeing to do before dinner.
Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, was built in 1782, the same year that Los Angeles was built. The two cities had no knowledge of each other and yet they both named their respective cities, "City of Angels". In Bangkok modern sky scrapers sit comfortably side by side with century old Buddhist Temples and royal Palaces. The temples are still loved and revered by the Thais. In historical times they served as centers of education and places where the sick were treated.
As with the rest of the country side, Bangkok is a blaze of color. Taxis come in every color imaginable. My favorite was pale purple with a pink stripe. There are not as many motor cycles in Bangkok. This is because all the people who would own motorcycles elsewhere in Asia drive cars in Bangkok. And yes, as you might imagine, rush hour starts early in the morning and finally ends at midnight.
Mr.Rabbit has taken care of Eric's guests before. He was an excellent choice; young, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and he spoke excellent English. Our first stop was the flower market. The flowers were surprisingly similar to flowers at home, except for the orchids. These were magnificent. They came in every size and color imaginable. The market is open 24/7 so there are lots of food vendors who supply food to shoppers and flower sellers alike. Mal was in his element. He and Rabbit started outwith Thai iced coffee:
Take one small tumbler and add:
2 heaping teaspoons of sugar
Black coffee
1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of coconut milk
Stir well and pour over a large glass of crushed ice.
It is actually cool and refreshing.
My favorite nibble was sliced papaya with sticky rice. After more nibbles of different foods we were whisked off to the royal palace. Given my limited writing skills it is impossible for me to describe the splendor of this compound. I hope the photographs tell the story.
The next part of our tour took us on a canal ride. My first impression, on seeing our gondola, Super Locky, was that I had stepped into Kevin Costner's movie, Water World. The boats are propelled by truck engines which have a very long (at least 15 feet) propeller shaft with a small propeller at the end. This propels the boat and also acts as a rudder. A lever extending from the engine block moves the entire assembly up and down, and back and forth, to control boat speed and direction. Our boat moved very fast and gave us a fun ride.
After a side trip to see the reclining Buddha we checked into our hotel.
Dinner with Eric and his parents was a fun filled affair. Eric, the expert on Thai food, ordered for all of us. Each dish that appeared from the kitchen was better than the one before. Even the Pad Thai was deliciously different. But the "piece de resistance" was the fish dish. Our waitress brought a small open brazier full of glowing coals to the table. She put a metal serving dish, filled with a raw fish covered with herbs and spices.Then she ladled hot stock over the fish until it was covered. We watched while the stock came back to a boil, gently poaching our fish. It was a case of good food, good company and good wine.
Mal and I have fallen in love with Bangkok. We realize that one day is only enough to give us a glimpse of what the city has to offer. We are already making plans to return.
Want to drag for beers 3-4-2008 8-28-18 AM

Our helmsman 3-4-2008 8-15-01 AM



Mr. Rabbit and Me 3-4-2008 9-00-11 AM






Cabs come in every color of the rainbow, and then some 3-4-2008 10-11-09 AM










Who ARE these guys 3-4-2008 6-32-32 AM




The Start of our Tour at the Royal Palace 3-4-2008 7-03-28 AM











One of the many Palace Statues (on left) 3-4-2008 7-06-06 AM





The levelof perfection with all the inlay is awesome 3-4-2008 7-11-26 AM








The Colors are wonderful 3-4-2008 7-12-07 AM




Our Canal Boat - The Super Locky 3-4-2008 7-50-09 AM




One of the many murals in the Royal Palace 3-4-2008 7-13-58 AM










No comments: