Because we had spent most of our time in the room over the last couple of days due to Anderson's fever, we set out to experience some of the sites of Bangkok today. The first part of our "trip" was to the Grand Palace and the Buddhist Wat (a wat is a temple) that is on the grounds of the palace. We shared this time with one of the other Holt families who traveled here to adopt their little girl.
We left the hotel in a shuttle and were taken to a sky train (much like the MARTA in Atlanta) station. From there, we took the sky train to one of the river piers in Bangkok. Then, we rode down the Chao Phrya River on an express boat. After leaving the boat, we walked for several blocks to the Grand Palace. The sights, smells, and sounds of that walk are difficult to describe. Imagine the most densely crowded, narrow street you have ever walked on. Then, add in a street packed with buses, cars, taxis, motorcycles, tuk-tuks (open air taxis in Bangkok) and large trucks. Traffic whizzes by, horns honk, peoples voices carry, and engines roar. The narrow walkway is lined on both sides with vendors selling just about everything--from old Thai currency and coins, to toothbrushes and flip-flops; from magazines and religious statues to Thai silk scarves and purses; from used tennis shoes to dentures (yes, I said dentures). All of those things and more are being sold from the street. And the food! Everywhere we have been in Thailand, both in the South and in Bangkok, there are huge quantities of all kinds of Thai foods and fresh fruits and vegetables prepared, sold, and eaten on the street. Today alone, I saw fried bananas, dumplings, sliced pineapple, whole rambutans (really good fruit you can only get fresh in Thailand), rice, fish, noodles, curry, vegetables in sauce, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, all being sold on the street. The smells from the food mixed with exhaust fumes from the traffic and the sizzling, popping noises of cooking mixed with the voices of the Thai people are just part of what we experienced on the streets of Bangkok.
At the Grand Palace, everyone must be dressed appropriately according to Thai traditional standards. All men and boys are expected to wear long pants (no shorts) and women are expected to wear skirts at least mid-calf length. Girls can wear long pants, and young children (like Anderson) are allowed to wear shorts. Also, no tank tops or sleeveless shirts are allowed. So, if anyone wishing to enter the palace and temple are not dressed properly, they can rent clothing to cover what they are wearing. Thankfully, we all knew about the dress code beforehand, so we were all dressed appropriately. The beauty and craftsmanship of the Wat and all of the buildings in the Grand Palace Complex was truly breathtaking. You can see in the pictures below the detailed mosaic that covers the entire area where the Emerald Buddha is housed. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful architecture, but felt in my heart sorrowful for the many very devout Buddhist people who I saw praying to the ornate statue and leaving offerings outside the temple for the various "gods" represented by statues. I stopped with the big kids and we said a silent prayer for the Thai people. Their culture and heritage is beautiful and honorable in so many ways. But I am saddened when I think that many of them have never heard of or been given the opportunity to know their Creator, the living God, who is Lord of all. They have so much faith, yet it is in a man who died hundreds of years ago. They pray to a cold, lifeless statue. Like all of us, they seek truth and hope and peace--it is my prayer that the Gospel is preached to everyone in Thailand that they might know the truth and the truth will set them free from religious ritual and dependence upon "gods" made by human hands. Sorry to diverge from my narration of our day, but those thoughts and feelings were very much a part of my experience in seeing a Wat for the first time.
After leaving the Grand Palace, we were hot and tired. So, we went across the street to an air conditioned (yes, I mention that because many places here are not) cafe to eat. We took the boat back to the original station from where we came, and our friends decided to go back to their hotel. We wanted to do a little more sight - seeing, so we decided to walk to what we saw on our map as a "nearby" shopping center. After walking about 25 blocks, we realized we needed to ask for directions. Jeff approached a man outside of a store and he told us that the shopping center we were trying to go to was closed, because it was Sunday. But he recommended another shopping place and told us he would talk to a Tuk-Tuk driver to take us there. I had declared that I would not ride a tuk-tuk through Bangkok, but Alex and Aerin really wanted to, so we climbed aboard. The tuk-tuk experience is unlike anything you can ride in the United States. It is basically an open air taxi (similar to a golf cart, but more powerful) that is small enough to weave in and out of traffic, change lanes, and make U-turns in the middle of crowded streets with ongoing traffic. To say that I was extremely happy we made it to our destination safely is an understatement. But Alex smiled the biggest smile I have seen him smile on this trip, and Anderson and Aerin laughed the whole time. So, I guess I am the biggest chicken of the family when it comes to playing in traffic.
We finished our day walking another 3 or 4 blocks (after the tuk-tuk ride) and experiencing an 8-story shopping mall that is probably 10 times the size of the Galleria in Birmingham. Jeff made the comment that you could enter that mall and complete 100% of your Christmas and birthday shopping for a year for everyone you know without needing to go to a different place. It was unreal how many stores there were and how much of everything was sold there. From the mall, we took a taxi back to the hotel, so that in one day we had used 5 of the 8 major forms of transportation available in Bangkok (not counting owning your own vehicle). We didn't ride the bus, take the subway, or ride on a motorcycle taxi (which we will never do), but we really feel we experienced Bangkok today. Sorry for the long post, but I thought some of you might be interested in the travel part of our trip. I will close with some of the pictures we took today. There are many more, but it is difficult to post too many with the Internet speed here.
We appreciate all of you and are counting down the days to coming home!
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| These are tuk-tuks |
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view from the Riverboat Express         |
Grace, Peace, and Love from the survivors of a tuk-tuk ride,
Casey
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