Having
enjoyed our days in Hong Kong, Macau and China Ken, Darla, Anne and
I now headed to our next destination: the bustling city of Bangkok
and the historical Kingdom of Siam. We were anxious to arrive as we
would be spending our time in Bangkok at a friend's house. Derek,
who used to work with Ken and I, moved to Bangkok several years earlier
when his wife, Rose, was transferred there. Knowing Derek's pension
for good food and good times we knew we would be in for a nice time,
and we weren't disappointed.
Arriving at the airport we were met by Rose's driver and car for the
ride to their apartment. This would be our first introduction to modern
day Bangkok, and we were in for quite a surprise. Traffic in Bangkok
is horrendous so you better adjust to it right away. No matter where
you are going, no matter what its distance from you, no matter what
time of day it is be prepared for a long trip when going by car. When
it comes to the streets of Bangkok chaos reigns. Even a simple trip
of a mile or two can take an hour or longer. |
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| Our
home in Bangkok would be Derek and Rose's apartment on the 18th floor
of a modern building complete with a large swimming pool. From it
we had our first views of modern day Bangkok. |
Derek
and Rose's
apartment building
Enjoying
the pool
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Views of Bangkok from the apartment patio
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our position the skyline was not dramatic and the smog did not help
one appreciate it. Derek and Rose quickly indoctrinated us into what
to expect while in Bangkok. We were ready to tackle anything and agreed
that the next morning we would go to the weekend market. Derek made
arrangements with the driver to return in the morning to take us to
the market. |
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We
awoke early the next morning for our trip to the weekend market to
find ourselves faced with our first challenge. The driver did not
show up to drive us to the market. According to Derek and Rose he
was very undependable and they were trying to replace him. He was
friendly enough, he just didn't show up half the time. Derek decided
that he'd drive us which was unsettling with Rose. We all hopped into
the car for the short trip to the market. A short trip of probably
2 to 3 miles that took over an hour to complete. Arriving at the market
Derek gave us instructions to meet every hour under the clock tower
until we were all together again. As we headed off into the market
he went to secure a parking space expecting that it might take forever,
but he managed to catch up with us more quickly than we expected.
The market was huge and might best be described as a flea market.
Vendors each had their own space with their wares laid out on tables
or hanging about them. While many of the items were tourist oriented
you could find just about anything you wanted. Bargaining was the
name of the game and the price changed considerably based on your
ability to communicate. There was one price for us who were obviously
foreign visitors, another price for Derek who could speak some of
the language and still another price for the natives.
Enjoy some of the pictures from the market. |
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| Visiting
the market was a good idea as it gave us a chance to do some much
needed souvenir and gift shopping. With the trip now almost half over
we could begin to pick up some gifts for family and friends and a
few trinkets for my bookcase at home to remind me of our wonderful
trip. |
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| Having
spent several hours wondering the alleyways and looking at all the
stuff we proceeded downtown to the Shangri La Hotel for a short excursion.
One of the major problems for tourists in Bangkok is because of the
traffic. It's difficult to scheduled two major activities for a single
day as they are separated by miles and by the time you have seen your
first sight and then try to travel the distance to the second sight
you arrive to late to have the time to enjoy it. We had to plan our
activities carefully and be sure to leave in plenty of time to arrive
at our destination on time. |
Ken
and Darla looking for the perfect gift to take home to someone
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The
Chao Praya River by the
Shangri La Hotel |
Ken
taking a defiant stance
before lunch at the Shangri La |
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Long
boat on the Chao Praya River |
Two
favored methods of transportation while in Bangkok are the river
taxis and the Tut-tut.
The
river taxis, or long boats (above), are very interesting. They are
canoe like with a powerful engine mounted in the back. The propeller
is located at the end of a long shaft that the driver maneuvers
in the water, like a rudder, to control the boat's direction and
speed. River taxis come in all shapes and sizes and are probably
best known for the amount of noise pollution they add to the area
around the river. The engines are powerful and loud!
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The
Tut-tut (I can't believe I didn't take a picture of one while there
(I do have a postcard of one but cannot include it here because I
don't own the copyright)) is another amazing vehicle adapted to the
area. Imagine a three-wheel motorcycle with a chases on it that allows
the driver to sit up front and four to six passengers on benches in
the back ... a minibus!
Another favored method of transportation are motorbikes. In reality
they are the best method given the traffic. While Bangkok does have
modern traffic lights at intersections many of them are overridden
by a police officer directing traffic. It was not uncommon to sit
at a traffic light for ten to twenty minutes before moving. Once when
we were caught at the front of the line waiting for one of these police
officer traffic lights to allow us to go every inch of space was taken
over immediately by hundreds of these motorbikes. They made their
way through the stopped cars up to the front of the line and were
ready to lead the pack when we were allowed to go. They also have
motorbike taxis that you can jump on. This was Derek's favorite method
of transportation as it was the quickest. |
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Now,
let's leave the hustle and bustle of the city and river behind us
and venture over to the Grand Palace. Located in the heart of Bangkok
not far from the river, the Grand Palace is absolutely breath taking
to behold ... |
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