Bangkok Part 2
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
1
24
42
Trip End
May 27, 2008
Bangkok,
Thailand
Monday, April 7, 2008
We getting to be pretty good at this. Figuring out which way to go our the monorail, how to pay for fares (depends on distance) and the ticket clerk only gives you change. You have to get your ticket from a separate machine, slide it through the slot to get onto the platform and again whe you get off.
We got off at Siam station sort of like Yonge and Bloor with the upscale Diors and Gucchis closest to the stops at the Siam Paradigm. You even have to get scanned to enter into the shopping plaza. How many times is this we've been scanned. If there's any residual alpha ray particles sticking to me from each scan I'll be glowing in the dark. Anyways we passed (maybe the scan was to see if we had a credit card on us so that we could shop.
A quick look around (if we shopped there we'd have to cut our travels short). Across the street and kitty corner was the shopping mall for our budgets, The MBK centre. 10 floors. When we crossed over the skywalk (the safe way to cross a street in Bangkok) we were already on the 3rd floor. Over 2 hours later we had covered maybe 2/3 of that one floor. It was like the stalls in the Ubud Market only not as smelly and there was more room to walk between them. Actually at one end of the mall it was like conventional stores (Burger King was opening there that day) while at the other end there were hundreds of kiosks arranged in rows. We did find some bargains there and another memory card (2 gig- $25) for my camera. Back to the hotel, a swim and an early dinner for the next day we had booked an all day tour. Pickup was to be at 6:30 am.
6:30 it was and we were'nt even the first people on the tour van (a 12 seater). They need vans as full sized buses would not be able to navigate any but the most major roads. At least the major roads were much wider than those in Bali and Cambodia.
On the 1 hour trip out of town to the Floating Market we talked to a fellow traveller who was travelling on his own. Bill Jackson, from somewhere in Missouri is soon to turn 94 years old!
Bill was very pleasant and kept me company while Cheryl checked out the stalls at the market. Oh, I forgot. To get there we had to take another James Bond boat. What movie was it that he was racing through the canals in one of these high powered boats? Steve? Danny?
If a customer on one side of the canal wants something from the other side he could put the money in a basket which is pulled over to the shop keeper on the other side on pulleys. The shop keeeper would put the goods and any change in the basket and pulley it back. The other way to shop would be to get into a dugout punt and paddle or pole your way along to the place you want to shop or the boat laden with goods (originally food, now more than half are souvenirs for the tourists).
Next stop was a monkey and elephant farm but no one on our bus was interested so we went to the Cobra Farm. I even convinced Cheryl to come on in. The first part was a collection of cages with various vipers and cobras, turtles and a huge crocodile. The best part was the show. Pythons slithering around necks and bodies. Audience participation was encouraged. Paul got to touch one with the head being held firmly by the handler. It felt like any other snake skin- but bigger. King Cobras danced ( they move to the movement of the trainer, they don't dance to the music as they are deaf). One foolhardy handler was in the ring with 3 King Cobras, swatting at them to make them leap at him, milking one of its venon to show that they are still deadly, and finally catching them- one with his right hand, a second with his left and the third---with his teeth.
After a buffet lunch Thai and western (we stayed away from anything not cooked) we went to the a wood carving centre. These guys were terrific. Whereas in Bali there was a great deal of detail in the carving this was even more so. Imagine a carving of a monkey, on a tree, in front of another branch in front of another tree in front of the background. I don't know they get the carving in the background without breaking the wood in front. One small slip and whoops.
On the way back we stopped into the Thai Cultural Centre. This too was very worthwhile as in addition to a huge show depicting facits of life in a village in Thailand they also had a short Elephant Show- dancing, waking over men lying down,balancing on logs, working moving logs and some unplanned events too. Do not stand under an elephant when it's his turn to go gallons of pee and the poo half filled a 5 gallon bucket.
Another hour back, dinner and a walk around the neighbourhood. No to Thai food at a Waffle House (too much grease) and ok to pizza at the Pizza Hut. We crossed over the skywalk on the way back to the hotel and found some shirts on sale.
Sat. morning we made a quick trip to the airport for flight number 15 to Phuket. Air Asia has a 15 km weight limit. We had been overweight on our 20 km allowance on the other flight but this time it mattered. $40 worth of overweight charges. Good thing we had mailed some of things home.
Comments
overweight?
'We were overweight.' Which part of your body did you mail home? Just kidding - I know what you mean.
I'm going on a trip next week myself - all the way to Orillia. I hope it isn't going to snow...
Have fun!
L. Cheryl
P.S. You wouldn't catch me touching those snakes. Perhaps the elephants.