Bangkok is a full frontal assault on the senses.
From the moment we stepped off the plane… after 28 hours of travel… the city wrapped us in its sensations. The warm humidity tinged with the scent of trash and burning. The noise. The acrid sensation in the back of the throat that said we were in big, pulsing wonderland of humanity.
Our guide, Nat, whom we met on our last journey here, met us just after we picked up our suitcases; mine, shattered now, impossible to wheel around, breaking open. We made our way to the minivan, piled in, and were immediately on our way to Damnoen Saduak, the original floating market. We were too overwhelmed with sights to even consider trying to nap in the car. And so we made it more than an hour out of the city, to a village where our vehicle parked and let us out into the fray.
I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe I thought the only place to buy anything would be on other boats. Maybe I thought it would be less full of tourist tchotchkes. Either way, it was definitely an experience worth having; old, full of sights and smells and wonder. The old wooden building was full of tourist fare – buddhas, sarongs, brightly patterned cotton pants and dresses. Silk pants and bags and of course magnets and other souvenirs. We got into a paddle boat handled by an ancient Thai woman who, from what we could tell, spoke no English except to say “no money!” to the vendors when we ran out and “teep?” at the end of our time with her. We hopped into the precarious-feeling boat, surrounded by motorized longtails and immediately needed to sit. Our western bodies impacted the tilt of the boat with every movement, so we were conscious of it. VERY conscious! The cracked bottom of the boat looked like it would let in water at any moment, but we were blissfully unsullied by questionable water. And we were on our way, nudging other boats along the way. The vendors had literal hooks, to pull in our boat if we showed the slightest interest…and even if we didn’t. We made our way along the canals, accidentally purchasing a butterfly display and probably overpaying for it…I got a blue elephant bag I’d been wanting, and blue silk pants which I apparently needed. What I wish most is that we’d been hungry when we went; the food looked amazing. We were exhausted and had eaten breakfast just before getting off the plane, and those two factors combined to render us uninterested in boats of delicious satay, coconut pancakes, and bags upon bags of saffron, ginger, and other spices. But it didn’t mean we weren’t fascinated, titillated, intrigued and wishing we’d come with empty stomachs. Despite the incredibly touristy aspect of the market, the authenticity of a woman floating, selling handmade tofu, was undeniable.
The market wound through much further than it initially appeared. We found ourselves lost, unsure where we had started. Eventually, our guide helped us back and we did, indeed, teep.
Nat led us through the market, then back to the van. Our next stop was the Banyan Tree Temple, Wat Bang Kung. After being wrapped in a purple coverup (shorts are not acceptable wear), I took off my shoes, stepped in, and experienced my first moment of calm on the trip. There was nothing calming about the temple; people running around outside, noises inside. But I kneeled and centered and experienced the first of what I hope will be many reminders that it does not matter where I get to that place in my mind, but it does, very much, matter that I do it.
Once I left, calm and happy, I thoughtlessly kissed Luke outside and was chastised by Nat for kissing at a temple. Not inside! But apparently not outside either.
We continued on to a delicious lunch with not a single non-Thai person in the place. Nat ordered for us; fish, squid, rice with crab eggs. A monitor lizard made its lazy way around the river near us, waiting for scraps which the kitchen eventually provided. Various sources say that Ban Prok is closed, but that seems unlikely, as we were there two days ago.
From there we proceeded to the Amphawa floating market. It was closed, but Nat wanted to show us anyway. We were supposed to go there that evening and then see fireflies on a boat while having dinner, but time and tide being what they are, we strolled blissfully empty shops, beautiful polished teak lining water of questionable clarity, scooters riding precariously along rows and rows of closed shop doors.
Nat finally brought us to Coffee Heritage, a delightful old coffee shop at which we were the only customers. We sat to cold metal cups of ice water while we waited for our various iced coffee and tea drinks. Nat grew up near there, so we riddled him with questions. A delight to hear stories from his side; he’s writing his master’s thesis on the tourism industry, and how it will sustain when so many people can book their own adventures. I hope it’s translated into English!
A kiss on the bridge crossing the market waters was allowed…
…and from there it was business. The business of getting passport photos (bring these with you when you travel! I had no idea. They’re used for on-site visa issuance), and getting back to Bangkok. We both slept in the van on the way back to the city center, and said goodbyes and thanks to Nat and our driver before checking into our hotel.
Before the exhaustion set in (we’d awaked at 9 am Pacific on the 26th and at this point it was 5 pm Thai time on the 28th; I calculate this at about 42 hours but sleep deprivation isn’t doing anything for my powers of something-or-other), we went to the mall across the way. We had literally only to go to the lobby of our hotel, walk across a parking lot, and into the mall. I needed a new suitcase (yes, I’ll contact emirates about this when I can finally have a moment); an entire wheel casing was cracked and the suitcase no longer rolling. I bought a suitcase that’s actually smaller than the old one (big mistake), and Luke got a charger. Despite the crowds, we were magically out of there within 25 minutes, and headed back to the hotel, changed quickly, and jumped into the pool. This was absolute magic; the exquisite decadence of a quiet, empty pool at near-ground level in the middle of a pulsing, vibrant city; surrounded by trees and lights and wonder. We stretched our muscles and got our 15th wind; enough to shower and go to the rooftop bar, the second reason we chose the hotel. We were nearly too exhausted to enjoy it, but I had a lychee shake, Luke enjoyed a beer and, as we quietly sat in the warmth of the city, our dear friend Kinsie, travel partner for several New Year’s Eve trips, met us on the roof. She’s been traveling (Dubai, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar) since September, and I hadn’t seen her since Burning Man. It was delightful to see her and share hugs and stories of the last few months (a 10 day silent meditation retreat where you’re not allowed to journal *or* exercise, helping out in Nepal), and we shared stories and food until Luke and I literally began falling asleep at the table. A good, wonderful, magical first night in Bangkok.
Next up – Cambodia
phreddiva 