Bangkok

From Track2Asia

Bangkok, Thailand, is a modern city with an ancient soul. It not only shows its historical treasures but its cosmopolitan personality as well. In the city, you will find bustling streets with the modern cityscape as backdrop. Canal systems (with its delightful boat rides), huge outdoor markets, riverside communities all provide a feast for your senses. Thailand also shows another face in its rural areas – small villages, rice plains, rubber and coconut plantations, teak forests, and miles and miles of white sand beaches.

Contents 1 Experiences and Sights 1.1 Making Merit 1.2 Get up close and personal with an elephant 1.3 Join the Songkran Celebrations 1.4 Off the Beaten Track 1.5 Get on a Shopping Spree 1.6 Look at Spirit Houses 1.7 Do the Que Serra Serra (or in Thailand, the “Mai pen rai”) 2 News from Bangkok

Experiences and Sights

Here are some of the sights and experiences you should try when in Bangkok:

Making Merit

This is an ancient tradition for the people of Thailand. Each morning, monks go out in the hundreds, and even thousands. These shaven-headed and barefoot monks carry with them large black bowls as laypeople patiently await the chance to present a gift to the monks – a bowl of food, packets with soap, and even a monetary donation to the temple. Making merit is seen as an opportunity to make a better life for one’s self and one’s family in the present and in the next life. Therefore, the giver thanks the monk, and not the other way around. Making merit speaks of a spirit of generosity and the depth of respect the local people have for their monks. Do try this tradition when you are in the country. You can prepare a package of fresh food or purchase a caged bird that you can then set free.

Get up close and personal with an elephant

These gentle giants are Thai symbols that bespeaks of royalty, grace and intelligence. Don’t be surprised if you see these majestically padding along the city streets.

Get to know more about the elephant by visiting one of the many elephant camps in Chiang Mai. Here, you will not only be regaled with shows, but you will also get to meet these gentle creatures up close and in their own environment. One place to visit is the Young Elephant Training Center in Lampang (05422-9042). They organize elephant treks where you get to ride the elephant.

Avoid buying sugar-cane bundles from mahouts plying the city. These mahouts entice you to buy the bundles to feed the elephants. This, however, promotes exploitation of the animals. It is a sad sight to see these majestic creatures garbed in blinking lights, treading the streets. It would be better to support a camp where they are loved and taken care of.

Join the Songkran Celebrations

Songkran is the Thai New Year and April 13 marks its first day. The celebration used to be a simple washing of Buddha images with water and a sprinkling of water on the elders hands as a display of respect. However, it has recently been promoted to an all-out water fight in the national level. Go to Khao San Road and come prepared with talc powder. Have a ball and get drenched to the bone and having gas pains from all that laughing.

Off the Beaten Track

Explore the path that leads outside the city. The choices are many. You can head for the beach, or get into an inland adventure. There is the Golden Triangle (close to Chiang Rai), Mae Hong Son Loop (northwest of Chiang Mai), or Isan (near Laos, on the northeastern side). These are some of Thailand’s more dicey roads.

Thailand’s out-of-the-way places are great places to learn about down home hospitality and living the laidback life. Get a load of the beauty of its far-flung villages, with its paddy-carpeted villages and traditional village houses. Going on this trip is like getting on a wild roller coaster ride. Take the combination of the scorching heat, narrow roads, and hairpin turns and mix this with lush forests and jaw-dropping limestone cliffs, and you will say that the ride is more than worth it.

Get on a Shopping Spree

Shopping is a sport that has been elevated to the Olympic level in Thailand. There are weekend markets, oversized flea markets, night markets and other venues for you to indulge in this contact sport. Visit Suan Lum (Bangkok’s night market), Chatuchak (the weekend market), Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and a score of other markets in every small town. There are also department stores and posh malls - Gaysorn Plaza and the Emporium are examples. You can get great bargains on high fashion (or imitations of it), weaving, jewelry, or exquisite local crafts.

Look at Spirit Houses

Spirit Houses are designed to be the dwelling place of spirits – be they the spirits of the former occupants of the house or family spirits. These shrines are akin to elaborate dollhouses and are placed on top of a post cut to the eye level. They can be found at almost every yard, store or business entity. Each morning and during important days, offerings of food, drinks, and flowers are placed in front of the shrines to keep the spirits pleased.

You can go shrine-hopping. Take special note of the shrines in each municipality, which traditionally has a spirit house that stands for the whole town. These are bigger than the usual spirit houses and tend to be more elaborate (with bright and multicolored garlands and offerings).

The spirit houses are well-maintained, providing a testimony of how Thais revere their ancestors.

Do the Que Serra Serra (or in Thailand, the “Mai pen rai”)

What will be, will be. In Thailand, expect the unexpected. Schedules will not always be met, buses sometimes break down, chance meetings may yield help from out of the blue. You can either steam and rave and rant at the delays and malfunctions, or you can say “Mai pen rai” (never mind) and enjoy whatever comes. Keep an open mind and be flexible. This is the key for you to enjoy your Thailand experience.

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