Wats, Stupas, and the Golden Mount

Trip Start Nov 08, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Friday, November 17, 2006

We hadn't really done much away from our little section of Bangkok, so we took a water taxi to the Banglamphu area. I think the best part of the day was the 10 minute walk from our hotel to the pier. We had to walk through a little fish market, but this one wasn't quite as posh as the market in Tokyo. Kiddy swimming pools were full of dying bottom feeders gasping for breath, gills struggling to filter oxygen from the viscous, brown water. The air was stagnant and the heat and humidity made it feel like we were wading through a sauna stacked several feet high with rotting seafood. As Lindsey shied away from one side of the path, she was splashed with dirty water as a half a dozen eels flopped erratically in a frantic effort to escape the confines of their pool. Lindsey shuddered. I asked her, "What kind of food would it be if it didn't try to escape?" Lindsey stopped speaking because she was pretty sure the next time she opened her mouth she would vomit. I whistled cheerfully, enjoying the fact that someone was more squeamish than me 01 Bangkok Bridge
01 Bangkok Bridge
 .

We only had to go one stop down on the water taxi and it took 5 minutes, but Banglamphu had a decidedly different feel about it. It's where most of the budget hotels are and there were a lot of Westerners around. The streets were full of vendors, many catering to travelers, and massage parlors and travel agents filled the shops. This seems like a good time to point out that Bangkok probably isn't as seedy as most people think. Many of these establishments are on the up and up, and one can get a full body massage without genital stimulation. I'm not sure why you'd want to...but you can.

We walked to the Golden Mount, a large stupa on top of the remnants of a failed stupa, which gives the summit a commanding view over Bangkok. We arrived late in the afternoon. As we approached, a woman engaged me in conversation and asked me where we were going (people like me and want to be my friend). I told her and pointed to the Golden Mount, which was just 100 yards away at this point.
She said, "Oh, it's closed." You'll have to insert her Thai accent for the rest of this conversation.

So she says it's closed and I ask what time it closes 02 Boats Under Bridge
02 Boats Under Bridge
 . She glances at her watch, it's 4:40. "Oh, closes at 4:30. You go on river cruise. See sunset. Very beautiful. 500 baht." She thinks she sees interest in my eyes. "500 baht you, and 500 baht you. 1000 baht. I get you tuk-tuk."

Our guide book actually discusses the old "The sight you want to go to is closed" move. But even if it hadn't, what kind of people fall prey to this? We were now several miles from the river, having covered the distance on foot in the sweltering heat, and we could see our destination. What genius wouldn't at least investigate personally and see the thing they walked an hour to see? So we're in the tuk-tuk on our way to the sunset cruise...

Eh, see what I did there? We, of course, did not go with the nice lady. We walked up to the Golden Mount, which was open (and sounds quite majestic by the way. GOLDEN MOUNT. I sort of expected to see a burning bush and talk to at least one god from one of the dominant world religions). All the bushes were surprisingly flame retardant, but the temple was pretty cool and the view was stunning. I've always said (always for the last several years) that cities with lots of pollution have the best sunsets. Greenhouse gasses are beautiful! El Paso comes to mind, and Bangkok was the same. The sunset was fantastic 03 Windows Overlooking Canal
03 Windows Overlooking Canal
 . After the sun finally disappeared, we headed to the wat next door, Wat Sa Ket. The outer portion of the temple was under construction, but the wat itself was full of monks, sitting in the twilight in their orange robes, and chanting hypnotically. We sat for quite some time, watching and listening. I've always liked chanting. This is not a joke, I think it's really cool. Gregorian chant kind of stuff. So this was incredible for me. I left feeling very at peace.

After that we took a 30 minute/$2 cab ride back to the hotel. It's great. In Europe I had to walk several miles with my pack because we couldn't afford food, much less transportation. So being able to just hop in a cab and allow it to take us home while we chat about our day and enjoy the AC... I felt like a millionaire.
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