Farangs in Bangkok

Fruits at the Weekend Market.
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Our arrival in Bangkok went off without a hitch.  We left for the Christchurch airport at five a.m., endured an eight hour layover in Auckland, and entertained ourselves with an endless supply of movies during the twelve hour flight to Bangkok.  At the gate we were greeted by the familiar face of Katy's dad Alan who gave us a great introduction to the city over our first few days.  Led by Alan and his friend Joe, we zipped past hordes of taxi drivers lining the walkway and exited into the steamy Bangkok night.  Once inside the city it became apparent that we were indeed in a new country.  The smog, dirt, and city odors were in rude contrast to the fresh air of New Zealand.

Thai silks at the Market.
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Bangkok, Thailand’s largest city, covers 600 square miles and has approximately 9 million residents. New York City encompasses an area roughly half that of Bangkok and supports nearly the same number of people. New York, with its efficient grid street system and miles of infrastructure extending as far below ground as skyscrapers do above, achieves the task of transporting and organizing the crowds. Bangkok on the other hand, is a city whose growth seems to have taken it by surprise.

Outside of our hostel, on the main road of Sukhamvit, the cars, taxis, tuktuks, bicycles, and motorcycles sat in gridlock for miles as far as we could see.  Lining the streets were skyscrapers intermixed with smaller buildings and abandoned lots.  The sidewalks themselves were generally impassable since the space was used by local entrepreneurs selling food, silk scarves, and T-shirts.  On the upside, this mixture of markets, gardens, and guesthouses meant that we could easily walk to many interesting sights in the local area.  In addition, the recent construction of the skytrain, an elevated train, meant we could zip efficiently over the traffic for a good portion of the city.

Monday's Yellow Shirts!!
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Our guesthouse, a beautiful haven prebooked for us by Joe (thanks!), was located safely away from the infamous 'Pat Pong' area of the city.  It is here in Pat Pong that you can find the red-light district, complete with sex shows and pitiful displays of tourists who come with a lethal combination of low self-esteem and fat wallets.

Our first full day in Bangkok was Sunday, and so we hopped on the skytrain over to the Chatuchak weekend market.  The indoor/outdoor market extends for miles and sells everything from clothes and houseware to pets and food.  It was an interesting experience and we were stunned to see designer wear like Lacoste, Teva, and Polo at such low prices!!  ;)

Aaron, Katy, and Katy's Dad at the Floating Market.
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After picking up some food from the stalls and taking another ride on the skytrain, we caught a riverboat for a different view of the city.  The Chao Phray River, with its extending canals, snakes around the western and south western areas of Bangkok earning the city the nickname, the 'Venice of the East'.  We followed the canals and waterways past large hotels and Wats, before turning off the main drag to meander through the urban areas of the city.  In this older part of town we saw, upon the river banks, the classical Thai houses which are built on stilts to allow cool air to flow underneath.  This design allows for additional outdoor shady areas.  Further down the canal, we pulled alongside a floating market for a walk through.  Unlike some of the other floating markets that are overrun by farang (tourists), this was a genuine local market.  Our guide led us through describing the variety of foods being cooked and sold, and finagling tastings for us along the way.

Bunnies for sale!
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Monday, our second day in the city, was 'yellow shirt day'.  On Mondays, all government officials must, and any others may, wear the yellow shirt with royal crest signifying their solidarity with the King.  People can be seen wearing these yellow shirts on most days of the week, but on Mondays the city is a sea of yellow.  The current King of Thailand is, with over 60 years, is the longest reigning in Thai history.  As well as the ubiquitous yellow shirts, the face of the King is an image you cannot escape from.  He is larger than life plastered on billboards and buildings.  Smaller portraits adorn the walls of guesthouses, restaurants, internet cafes, money, and most stamps.

Strawberries anyone?
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Another fascinating element of Bangkok is the pharmacy business.  In addition to the well established British company of 'Boots', are the mom&pop stores selling generic drugs which may be expired and may or may not be genuine.  The lax regulations surrounding over-the-counter medications mean that there is no problem in locating virtually any legal drug at the pharmacy.  For a variety of reasons, including lower labor costs and fewer lawsuits, prescription drugs cost substantially less than in the United States.  This came in particularly handy since Katy had managed to misplace all of her Malaria and TD pills, and was able to restock at Boots for a tenth of the cost without the need for a doctor's prescription note!

Fruit drinks galore.
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On our third day we ventured to Wat Phra Kaew and The Grand Palace. They sit inside one square mile of the city but contain temples that marvel on a much larger scale. The complex contains over 100 buildings, many of which are mostly or completely covered in Gold. Dispersed throughout the complex are statues of hundreds of imperial guards, unsuccessfully scaring off the tumultuous crowds with their angry glares. We spent hours exploring the temples, overwhelmed at the intricacy of their oriental architecture.

Hmm, I'll go with meat on a stick.
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After soaking in Bangkok for a few days we ventured out to the city of Ayuthaya, a short distance away.  Ayuthaya was the capital of Thailand from 1350 to 1767 until it fell following two years of war, and was looted by the Burmese.  A new city now exists between the ruins of the old temples and the surrounding river.  The interplay of nature, gorgeous crumbling ruins, and interesting history made for a great day trip.

The morning of our final day we awoke feeling more confident and comfortable in our surroundings.  Able to negotiate the skytrain, subway, and markets, we were feeling more like locals with each step.  We stopped by the post office to mail some items home.  Given a pile of stamps, Aaron proceeded to lick and affix the King's face to our cards.  Midway through we recalled a highlight in the bible (Lonely Planet Guide Book) about this very event.  Thais never lick their stamps!!  In fact, they think that only animals lick things and that people should not.  Instead there are damp sponges for stamp wetting.  So much for trying to shake it, I guess we are still farangs!