Land of “The King and I”

Here we are concluding a whirlwind three days in Bangkok. All the images I projected of elegant Thailand, principally perceptions from stage and screen, have been realized: the colors, the masses, the sounds, the aromas and, of course, the food. Once again, hospitality has been a highlight. Here a few others:

EATS
Did I mention the food? The cuisine is spicy and savory. Favorites include the large varieties of seafood (mostly fried), delectable veggies in oyster sauce and tons of stir-fried delicacies. Our group, which now numbers nine, has hit some terrific eateries, most of which offer local fare. Our tour guide has been helpful in introducing many of the goodies and happily most menus are available in English, which heightens our expectation and lowers the fear factor. Extreme cuisine, such as pickled cobra and smoked rat (no kidding), has been eschewed. I’m adventuresome, but not fool-hearty.


A WEEK TO BE IN BANGKOK
On the full moon of this particular month in the local calendar, residents of the kingdom celebrate a tradition called Loi Krathong. Everyone purchases circular floral arrangements that fit on top of slices of banana tree trunk. At the center are tall candles. This display is brought to the river or a canal (there are many in this city), and allowed to drift toward the sea. Picture thousands of these things flowing down the waterways, or sometimes aloft on balloons. The purpose is to let bad luck drift away, while also honoring one of the Buddhist deities. As it happens, another significant event is also occurring this week: the cremation of the king’s elder sister, a woman who passed away in February, and has been lying in state since. It takes that long for everyone in the kingdom to pay his respects. Today begins four days of mourning, with the cremation tomorrow. Then her ashes are placed in a gold urn and floated to the sea. (Lots of sea floating in this kingdom.) Consequently, the entire city of Bangkok has been decorated florally for this royal occasion (orchids are particularly popular), with huge billboard-sized photos of the princess on display in various stages of her 85 years.


GETTING AROUND
There are 12 million people in Bangkok, and most of them seem to be behind the wheel at the same time. They also drive on the wrong side of the road (from my perspective). Added to the funeral activities, and you’ve got Siamese Gridlock.


SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
In the past three days we’ve been to many Buddhist temple complexes, and viewed a number of multi-ton Buddha golden statues. My favorite is the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po. The king’s Grand Palace was just as advertised, with huge, spectacular buildings, gilded spires and crenellated walls. The blackboard that Anna used to teach all those Siamese kids is still on display, although the subjects of this kingdom have never been exposed to “The King and I” in any form, as any frivolous depiction of the king is strictly forbidden. In fact, the populace seriously venerates the monarch and his queen, even though the status of the royal family is solely as a figurehead today. The architectural influences in this city are not only Thai, but also Chinese and Cambodian. We did a tour of the extremely large Chinatown area, and noticed how orderly they maintain the chaos of thousands of shoppers. Although vendors sell their wares bazaar-fashioned in the open air, we agreed how clean everything was; food was exposed, but there wasn’t a fly in sight. How very different this was from the bazaars in the Middle East.



THE OLD HOMESTEAD AND TODAY’S SUMMER HOME
Before Bangkok was established as Siam’s capital in the late 18th Century, the king ruled from the city of Ayutthaya, about an hour and half out of Bangkok. The King of Siam was an absolute monarch, treated like a god (picture Yul Brynner’s attitude). Following an invasion by Burma, the capital fell to such disrepair that to be realized it had to be archaeologically excavated. So the buildings in this ancient city are not unlike Roman ruins, with most structures barely supporting their brick underpinnings. But the scope of its past grandeur is unchallenged. Conical burial monuments of brick remain, and reach to the sky. One can only imagine what these stunning buildings looked like before their corroded state. On the way to Ayutthaya, we stopped at the summer residence of the current King of Thailand (Siam became Thailand after WWII). I can report that the other half lives rather well.

OTHER ADVENTURES
When in Thailand, one is compelled to experience a deep-tissue massage, which is what we all did yesterday. After two hours of kneading, pounding, flexing and having this body walked over, I was ready to announce how much better I felt, whether true or not. Actually, it was very relaxing, even if I did feel like a chicken’s wishbone. The last few days have also seen us experience a variety of Thai transport media on land and sea, including elephant. Not as comfy as a camel, but the creature’s trunk was versatile enough to accept the mahout’s tip (and could probably compute the change if asked).

Time to pack for the next jaunt: a flight to Hanoi in the morning.