Traveling Southeast Asia: Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok

To get there, we went the sleeper train route
It's actually a good night's sleep, I found out.
Turn the chair into a bed and the curtain is drawn
Fourteen hours later it's already dawn.

Off the train, the smell is thick
The pollution’s enough to make you sick

Just when we thought Bangkok won't be for us

Our tuk tuk drops us off at a place that's A+.

At the Marriott Executive Apartments we stayed

Our friends hooked us up and we had it made.

We found friends in Pui, Kaew, and Mint.

The Mariott staff whose smiles never quit.

I got used to them calling me Emily Krab
What to know what it means? Well, that's just too bad.
 (Or read the rest of the blog!)

We learned how to say “Sawadeekah.”

And that “55” means the same as “haha”

We also discovered the Thais' love for their King.
His portrait hung everywhere, his anthem they sing.

I picked up a book, the story of his life.
And found it was full of action and strife.

A western schoolboy called upon when
His older brother Nan - the then King - was shot dead.



A "powerless" monarch, he's still done his best
To be strong for his people during political unrest
Go ahead - Google King Bhumibol if you dare.
His story will grab you, there's just so much there.

If you want to learn how to be a frat bro...

Head to Khao San, it's like Penn State's Frat Row

It's one long road where there's a strong pulsing beat
You can feel it down to the soles of your feet.

But I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't like
A cold Singha beer on a warm Bangkok night

And to top it all off, at the same time
I got a deep foot massage at the parlor outside.

Speaking of massages, I was able to go
For one $6/hour - the prices, so low!

A few last highlights before I conclude
A few final anecdotes to set the mood...

We went to Samed, island-hopping for the day
Until that time when our boat sailed away... :/

Yep, they'd forgotten us two at this rinky-dink spot
Our group had 8 people - wasn't like a lot!

But there we were, waving our hands
About to write S.O.S. in the sand.

When the boat finally realized that we weren't there
Then came back saying, "Sorry - but, now we're...er... here!"
Things turned out alright, I don't mean to be a hater
But it makes a good story, so I'll tell you 'bout it later.

We also had the chance to see the Siam Niramit
A show that rivals Broadway and is not to be missed.

It explains the story of Thailand's long past
It's full of magical surprises, what a blast.





Enough of my blabbing, let's get to the fun
Check out the pictures - I promise I'm done! 

****************************************************************

Wat Phra Kaew

(In English, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

This is a mini replica of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Maybe mini isn't the right word. It's really impressive. But those little pillars were about the length of a hand if I'm remembering correctly. My next blog installment will feature the real thing, which certainly bigger than the palm of a hand. :)

These tipped-forward woman-birds are all over the royal grounds.

Hybrid species are a big part of Thai spirituality. 

Days of the week

The positions of Buddha

The picture below was taken just outside of

the temple that houses the Great Emerald Buddha.

To give you an idea of what it feels like to

finally see the Emerald Buddha in person...

With emerald in the name, 
I was expecting you know...

an emerald.

But it's actually made of a dull, green jasper. But to be fair it was cut out of one big piece, which I guess it cool?

And although I had no reason to expect this, I figured the figurine would be big and imposing. It's 26 inches tall. It's also placed so high that and placed so high up in the temple that we actually couldn't find it the first time we went in.

 It's got different outfits according to the season. They are all made of gold. The state was originally believed to have been found/made in Cambodia. It found its way to Laos and finally ended up in Northern Thailand. It is considered to be the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, and I guess there was a lot of controversy over whose it really was. For this reason, it's a source of national pride. I think it's kind of like the Dokdo/Takeshima island controversy. Who does it belong to - Japan or South Korea? It's  probably not a significant or impressive island by itself, but having ownership of it has everything to do with the principle, pride, and power. 



This whole trip to the Wat Phra Kaew  - while beautiful - was by far my least favorite thing we did in Thailand. It was so overrun with tourists and it didn't seem to maintain the original charm and spirit I'm sure it once offered. Maybe that's also because I'm not Thai and can't appreciate the history and antiquity. I also knew very little about Siam history at that time, so most of the big sites I was only able to appreciate for their aesthetic value rather than their historical value. Looking back, it is kind of cool that I got to step foot on royal grounds that have witnessed its fair share of both majestic regality and fierce turmoil. 

Flipping back through my photos from this trip, 

I think I'll need to start a "Globe Hopping" photo montage.

If you were stranded on a desert island,
 what one item would you bring with you?

It's the tried and true icebreaker question. Right up there after "What would you do if you had $1,000,000?" It turns out that when it comes right down to it, you don't get to choose. People who get stranded on a deserted island usually don't have a lot of choices.

So the story goes that my friend and I end up doing a really cool one day island hopping tour. Keep in mind as I tell this story, that this is not some big cruise ship tour. This was a small boat with 8 people. Taking a quick respite from our snorkeling and just chatting on the beach, Nadia interrupts me mid-sentence to ask why it looks like our boat is leaving. Well, it turns out they were. And they did. They left us on a rinky-dink island the size of my elementary school and with the resources of...well, a rinky dinky island the size of my elementary school. It was really just a mound of sand with a few trees. Pretty, but not somewhere to get left behind.

But away they sailed with our wallets, our phones, and our clothes. We awkwardly tried to run after it, flailing our arms desperately because movies have taught us that that's what you do when your boat leaves you. But we knew they were too far to hear or see us.

Now, since I've lived blogged to tell the story you all know everything turned out alright. But that had nothing to do with our flailing. Thank god one of the other passengers kindly asked the driver where the two girls from the U.S. went. Which I'm guessing happened precisely as I watched the boat swing around for its sail of shame. As I saw the boat turn around to come back for us, I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me.

The dude who left us stranded. Tries to make up for it in song humor. Eh, I guess it kind of worked.

But then there was an awkward minute or two that we had to wait while the boat made its way to us. Which left me to devise how I would react once they pulled up to the shore.

My initial, natural reaction was,

"Uh, so... that happened."

And then the sarcasm kicked in.

And it took everything in me not to ask,

"Can you see me now? How about now?"

In the end, I settled for the

"I'll be the better person here." guilt trip.

Anyhow, never has the phrase "I think that ship has sailed" ever hit so close to home.

Emily Krab?!

"Krab" is a thai word that is tacked on at the end of a sentence or phrase as a way of showing respect towards one's interlocutor. Of course they have their own alphabet, so it looks completely different orthographically. But I think it's great that it turns out to be Krab when transliterated. Women have a word that works like this too: it's "kra." Same meaning. Just changes to reflect the speaker's gender. Anyhow, the whole thing just hits my funny bone. Especially because before I got the guts to ask why they were calling me this, I was left to wonder why they had unanimously decided to assign me such a crustaceous nickname.

The Lady Boy show…

1)   Is on the list of typical things to do when traveling Bangkok.

Refers to those who are/were born biologically male but change their appearance such that they look like women.

2)   Was, with the exception of one dancer, at the level of a your friend’s daughter’s recreational dance recital that you feel obligated to go to – but can’t stay awake during.

3)   Was empowering for the reason that it’s in present day Thailand, it’s accepted and okay to be transsexual, transgender, and anything in between.

4)   Made me feel a little weird once I heard that some Lady Boys are forced into the profession despite their interest. Not sure if that’s true or if it’s rumor.

5)   Entertaining because despite the fact that they aren’t actually singing – but are only required to lip sync – they simply don’t know the lyrics. To be fair, all of the songs are in English, but still it’s just one more reason to love it.

6)   Entertaining for the reason that it centers on classic diva jams and pretty, sequined costumes.

7)   Awkward because their cheesy smiles and glittering glamour were spent on an audience of only 13 people.

8)   Uncomfortable because after the show the actors blockaded the exit with an abrasive “Give us donations” gauntlet – emphasizing their deep manly voices with every intention to intimidate a ‘voluntary donation.’ The fact that they were wearing stiletto heels that looked more like avant-garde weapons probably wasn’t unintentional. It turns out that some of the friends I made with the Marriott staff are actually Lady Boys by night. They taught me that being a Lady Boy is brutally expensive. All the silicon, surgery, and fashion really adds up. Despite totally feeling cornered and bullied, I am happy to say I didn’t give in. Not sure if that if that was a risky move or is respectable.

 Tuk Tuks are the S@#*!

Photo from Urban Connection BKK.

Obvious safety issues and nasty pollution aside, why would you ever opt for a taxi? The wind in your hair will make you feel like a queen.For better or worse, the traffic in Bangkok is absurdly congested. So, you don't really have to worry about your tuk tuks testing the speed limit unless you're taking one light at night when the traffic is at its lightest.

Island Hopping

Besides the whole getting left behind on the deserted island thing, this trip was cool because I got to snorkel for the first time ever! On the sleeper train to Bangkok, I overheard a guy who said he was a diving instructor talk about life under the sea. He described it as something unearthly and totally incomparable to life on land. And although I’d way to scared to even do any intense scuba diving, my snorkeling experience was incredible. I was an alien exploring a new planet. I jumped from one gigantic coral to another. I swam through schools of fish that wee electric blue and sparkling silver. I saw things that I can’t even describe well enough to Google the name of. We weren’t in the clearest of waters, so things definitely weren’t as colorful as the pictures from the tour’s pamphlet. But that didn’t make the experience any less cool. It did make it a little scarier, though, because you could only see a yard or so in front of you at any given time. In fact, when we arrived at the first island, the driver told us to swim from the boat to the shore – which was a good 4-5 minute swim. I couldn’t even begin to see the bottom of the ocean, but what I could see very clearly were patches of jet-black sea urchins. A little unnerving, but each island only got better from there. Plus, we weren’t left behind on any subsequent island stops. While I’m too scared of scuba diving deep down under, the experience really made me want to learn more about ocean life. And watch the Little Mermaid.

Maid Café

This is a really weird little part of the world. Originally from Japan, Maid Café is a themed chain restaurant that bring Japanese mangas to life. Girls go through extensive training to become a waitress at a Maid Café. They are taught phrases in Japanese, learn how to speak in a high, perky voice, and get dance/chant training. However, at the end of the day, it seems their customers (audience?) come from one of o

nly two demographic groups: 1) curious tourists taking the “When in Rome” traveling approach and 2) creepy dudes who are a little too into mangas and Asian girls with short skirts and baby faces. The food is cutified to the nth degree. Rice is carefully shaped to take on the form of a teddy bear. The waitresses perform a magic happy spell on your food before you eat. If you’re lucky, they’ll call you Princess or Prince INSERT NAME. If you tip them, they’ll do a cutesy dance and chant. I am all about themed restaurants, but looking around I felt I was invading someone’s fetish fantasy.

The King and Siam history

It was the first time I’d been in a country that still has a monarchy. Or so I thought until I remembered that duh – Spain has a king and queen. But it’s different. Totally different. In bother countries, the kings are ceremonial figureheads, in most cases politically powerless. But the King of Thailand is a God-King. His image is colored with ancient superstition and magical power. In speaking with Thais, I noticed that they all seemed to say “my king” when talking about it. This was marked to me because I would never say “my president.” I’m not totally sure why they do this but I would speculate that it’s because they feel a close spiritual connection to him, much like some people might say “my god.” Anyhow, it’s super illegal to say anything derogative about the royal family. And most people, with the exception of red shirts, follow their king blindly and willingly. They really love him, as he’s done a lot for the people in terms of developing the agricultural community. He believes in helping the people help themselves.  When asked what role he plays in Thai society, he describes his position as the father of a nation who has avoided politics and rather focused his efforts on developing the agricultural economy and maintaining peace and unity in the country when it underwent serious turmoil. The people of the country that was once called Siam really look to the king for guidance. His story is a convoluted one. 

King Bhuimbol (the current king whose dynastic title is King Rama VIII) was born to a woman who grew up a poor child and paddled her way through the canals of Bangkok to stumble upon a golden opportunity: studying at the Royal Palace. She eventually fell in love with and married one of the then King’s sons, Prince Mahidol. Prince Mahidol, King Bhuimbol’s father, never became King. What happened is that the earlier kings from the Rama Dynasty procreated like bunnies, so they would sleep with an excessive number of harems, who were interestingly all kept in this weird little harem community on the royal grounds and were protected by military-trained female bodyguards. I can’t even imagine the cattiness that must have ensued when literally all the women living in this girls-only palace dorm building are all sleeping with the same guy and desperately want to give birth to his awesome baby boy so that the King will choose her son as the successor to the throne, making her Queen. Buy, oh yeah, there were also a ton of queens, but all with different titles and ranks and rights. 

So anyway, Prince Mahidol married a poor girl, which didn’t help him in the running for kingship, but he didn’t really care because he was too busy curing lepers and being Dad/Husband of the year. He raised Younger Brother Lek (what King Bhuimbol was called before he became King Bhuimbol)  and Elder Brother Nan (King Rama VIII’s name before he became King Rama VIII, or King Ananda. He was the one who got murdered, thus the reason Younger Brother Lek took over the throne and became King Bhuimbol) and their older sister in France. The boys didn’t even speak completely fluent Thai. But alas, Prince Mahidol ended up being summoned for kingship. But when he died early of a terminal and genetic disease that I can’t remember the name, Elder Brother Nan was called to the throne. He was eight years old. His mom was a really smart woman and instilled in her children independent thinking. She had Elder Brother Nan write out a Pros and Cons list to decide if he wanted to become King. He came up with a bunch of cons, one being “I would always been covered by the traditional 9-tiered umbrella (which is standard procedure for protection of the king) and thus wouldn't be able to play in the sun." But he came up with enough Pros to finally decide he would accept. This didn’t change much for him. He continued being a normal school kid in France, running around with his friends and wearing Khaki pants. But the Thai people were relieved by just knowing they had a King. Unfortunately, King Ananda was murdered when he was 19 after having relocated to Siam. Many rumors spread that this was Younger Brother Lek’s doing. That he wanted the throne, and murdered his brother for it. The murder is still shrouded in mystery, but most Thais don’t believe King Bhumibol had anything to do with his brother’s murder.

I’m going to stop myself right there because I realize I’ve gone on a bit of a tangent here. Interesting wrap-up fact: King Bhuimbol is also a very talented jazz musician. But anyhow, to make long story short, most Thais adore their king, who is now 86 years old and the longest-serving monarch alive today. They don’t like his son, though. In fact, some think the monarchy will dissolve when King Bhuimbol dies. Only time will tell. But, if you’re interested in learning more about Siam’s history and/or the Rama dynasty, please contact me. The book I’m currently reading is definitely biased towards a positive view of King Bhuimbol, and I plan on reading more about him after I finish it. But, there’s a ton of information out there. There is also so much I didn’t know about how the U.S., Britain, and Japan were all really prominent players in Thailand’s story. And the ever-shifting power dynamic between the Thai king, government, and military is also something not to overlook when researching this stuff.

Who was Jim Thompson?
A U.S. citizen? The Great Gatsby of dinner parties? A retired army officer? 
A spy? An ex-architect? A silk merchant? A renowned collector of antiques? 
The most famous foreign face in Thailand in his time? A man who mysteriously 
vanished in the Malaysian Cameron Mountains in 1967? 
Yes.

The following information has been pulled from the

 Jim Thompson House Museum's website.

"In the twenty years before his ill-fated holiday in Malaysia, he had accomplished more than most men in a full life. He had built a major industry in a remote and little known country whose language he could not speak; he had become an authority on an art that, previously, he scarcely knew existed and had assembled a collection that attracted scholars from all over the world; he had built a home that was a work of art in itself and one of the landmarks of Bangkok; and, in the process of doing all this, he had become a sort of landmark himself, a personality so widely known in his adopted homeland that a letter addressed simply 'Jim Thompson, Bangkok' found its way to him in a city of three and a half million people."

Excerpt from 'Jim Thompson - The Legendary American in Thailand', by William Warren.

• Born in Delaware in 1906, Thompson graduated from Princeton in 1928.
• Was a practicing architect in NYC until 1940.
• Volunteered for service in the U.S. army in the early 1940s.
• Was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner of the CIA during WWII. 
• In 1946, he got his discharge from the OSS and having grown fond of Thailand and its people, he took up permanent residence in Thailand.
• With peace restored after WWII, Thompson foresaw a significant increase in foreign travel to the Far East. But at the time, Thailand had no hotels that were up to international standards. He got involved in the renovation of the old Oriental Hotel, which became a hot spot for foreign travelers. A Mister Charlie Chaplin was known to have dropped by once or twice...
• Thompson discovered the dying, unappreciated craft of Thai Silk making. He revived the industry and transformed it into a world class designer brand. His development of the Thai silk industry is often cited as one of the great success stories of postwar Asia. He raised thousands of Thailand's poorest people out of poverty. 
• Built the Jim Thompson estate. The Falling Water of Thailand if you will. Using parts of old up-country houses (some as old as a hundred years) he succeeded in constructing a masterpiece that involved the reassembling of six Thai dwellings on his estate. He showcased his beautiful antiques and collected works of art in this home. The
• Thompson disappears while on holiday with friends in Malaysia. His disappearance becomes a sensation in Southeast Asia and abroad. Over the years, many hypotheses have been advanced to explain his disappearance. Theories range from his committing suicide to his being carried away by aborigines.
• While many were trying to figure out what had happened to Thompson, another strange development came to light. On Wednesday, August 30, it was reported that his older sister, Mrs. Katherine Thompson Wood, 74, was found bludgeoned to death in her Pennsylvania home. No link has ever been made, but it definitely seems weird.

Some pictures of my day at the Jim Thompson House


Not my personal photo. Taken by Catherine Clover, 2013.
"House on the Klong"
Klong is the name of the river canal that flows right past the estate.

Not my personal photo. Image courtesy of David Lansing.
"Interior open upper floor of Jim Thompson House"

Not my personal photo. Taken by Catherine Clover, 2013.

"A detail of the lush tropical garden surrounding the home and buildings"

Found on wherethailand.com

This is a famous painting set. It's a 12-part series
 that tells an important Thai legend. But that's 
unfortunately the extent to which I know about it.

There's a great little restaurant attached to 

the house/museum. This springy lime juice was fantastic.

Actually, all of the above is highly recommended 

if you're ever in the area. :)

Below are some low-quality snapshots of some 

high-quality art. Remember that 

Thompson was an art collector.

Here's a Thai Silk for Dummies. If you happen 

to be well-read on the art of Thai silk, 

you may skip this section of the blog.
If not, get those notebooks out!

Much like Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater is celebrated for its thoughtful integration of nature and architecture, Thompson designed his estate with its surroundings in mind. Electric pink flowers cascade effortlessly down stairwells like tinsel on a tree. The dark, sturdy wooden walls are cut out not by glass windows but tall rectangles, bravely open to the outdoors. This is exceptionally beautiful considering that when inside the house, you feel as though you've just been dropped in the middle of a leafy jungle wonderland. Beyond almost every window stand vibrant green tropical trees. It's all in stark contrast to the busy, dirty streets of Bangkok, which can be found a 3 minute walk from here.

Silk worm cocoons

What people pay the big bucks for...

Well, that's it for today. I hope you learned something new. Ciao!

Keep an eye out for the next installment, 
"Seoul with your Soul mate."

*And yes, as my grandma pointed out, these blog posts will be slightly out of order. My travels through Southeast Asia happened in February, but we'll now be traveling back in time to January when Bryan and I spent the month together in Seoul. #SorryGram!