Day trip to Ayatthuya

We woke up this morning, and it was heavy going. We had plans for a day trip, but I got up late and Mer even later. 

We finally did get going around 9 for breakfast and then had two morning chores: 1) we were both nearly out of laundry and 2) we needed a ride to the large Bagkok airport (Suvarnabhumi). We got our clothes dropped off and a van ticket purchased. Onto the day trip. 

Now, if there was one more place in Thailand I wanted to see, it was Ayatthuya. It was the seat of Thai power that unified the country as we know it today (and they overran the Khmers of Angkor Wat) before it fell to the Burmese. However, the Thais rebounded and moved their capital to Bangkok where they've since thrived.  

We were following the guide advice from travelfish.org to get a minibus from the Victory Monument. It was 7 km away. The taxis and tuk tuks were offering to bring us for 300 baht ($8.50), which was exorbitant. Mostly, they wanted to sell us a tour or drive us to Ayatthuya for an even higher price. I finally did hear the offer for a 10 baht ride, which was a well documented scam to take you no where you wanted, instead to a highly confrontational gem sale. I laughed in his face. 

Also, I was frustrated. We'd asked about 10 drivers and all we were offered was inflated prices. We'd made it out of the tourist district and Mer was not willing to walk it ("That would be our day trip!") but I wasn't willing to succumb to ridiculous pricing. Arg! Finally, a tuk tuk driver drove up behind us. Mer asked again and he said he could do it for 150 baht. Fine!

We got to the victory monument and quickly found the minibuses. Unfortunately, all the destination signs were in Thai. We did a couple laps of the bus stands before a police officer reached out to help. He took us to the right stand (where we then saw 'Ayatthuya' written in English.) It was another 120 baht ($3.40) for the hour and a half ride. (Which was more than our ten minute tuk tuk!)

However, the bus didn't take us to the center of Ayutthaya, but to a mall on the outskirts. Of course there were more tuk tuks waiting, offering tours for the day or another 200 baht just to take us to the market (where we wanted to rent bicycles). There was a Spanish couple in our minibus that I tried to negotiate with to combine a tuk tuk ride, but they wanted an expensive tour. I was not going to overpay for a short 3 km ride!

Not only did I want to use the bathroom in the mall, but I needed to cool off from this targeted, tourist pricing. We did, and then exited from another side. There were minibuses again that locals were using. They were only 10 baht each! But I wanted to make sure they were going to the right market. Mer just wanted to go. We bought the tickets and then piled into the van. Finally, to Ayutthaya!

We were dropped off a few blocks short of the market, but we were fine to walk it. But once we got there, we couldn't find any bikes for rent. We went around another street looking for more. Finally, there were bikes! But the guy wasn't open today, it was Monday after all (apparently the day many things close in Thailand.)

So we kept walking. None of our guidebooks had good maps or listings for Ayutthaya, but Travelfish.org did. Unfortunately, we didn't have wifi here. Also, it was hot. Like Hue hot. The sun was out and beat on us until sweat was again coming from everywhere. 

Finally, we managed to walk to our first site (Google maps still worked!) of Wat Maha That. It is the oldest and largest in the Ayutthaya area. We paid our entrance fees, and then we were in. 

We noticed a lot of similarities to styles in Angkor Wat. The biggest difference was the use of bricks. 

Some places still had stone coverings, but it seemed the building material of choice here was brick. 

Soon, after we'd circled the whole complex in the hot sun, it was time to move on to the next stop just a hop through the park. My Google maps showed there were a couple of ways to get through. The shade was wonderful and we even got a few breezes off the lake. 

Pretty quickly, though, it began to unravel. We thought we could take a bridge through. It only led to an island (albeit with a huge Buddha statue). 

We wound our way back, crossed the right bridge, and made our way to the next ruins. 

But they weren't the right ruins! There was a huge wall blocking them off with no apparent way in. I consulted the map. We turned left when we should have gone straight. We went back and retraced our steps to go straight. 

Lost again! I checked my map and this time we managed to turn right! How was this happening?

At this point, I became frustrated. I was hot. I was hungry. Now I couldn't follow a map. Mer tried to help as her guidebook said where the entrances are. We finally agreed (maybe she succumbed) to heading back left. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, we found Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This was the palace of the Ayutthaya elite. No monks. No commoners. Apparently, the raiding Burnese wanted this place destroyed (as they melted off the gold of a huge Buddha here) but we found massive structures still in place. 

Including entire columns of a former royal court area. 

There were some great picturesque doorways and windows for us. 

And the most photogenic of all were the 3 chedis of a Thai king's dynasty. 

We even climbed some. 

And Mer found a new hat. 

Soon, it was late afternoon. Both of us where hot, tired, and hungry. We decided to deal with the last of that by finally eating. We started to walk back to where the minivans could whisk us back to Bangkok when we finally found a roadside restaurant. Pad Thai and chicken with rice and vegetables. Yes, please!

Feeling much more content we walked back to the market area where, indeed, there were minivans to take us back to the Victory Monument in Bangkok. Amazingly, it was the same price, 120 baht. We waited a few minutes for other passengers to fill the van and we were off. 

During the hour and a half ride back, I plotted away to get back to our guesthouse without the exorbitant taxi price. Bangkok has an elevated train, or BTS, stop at the victory monument. That connects to the river where we could board the Chao Phraya express boat northwest that stops a block from our place. Mer decided she was up to the task. 

As we pulled into the monument, there were immediately stairs up to the BTS stop. We checked out the map, saw where we needed to transfer, asked the lady for help, and bought two tickets for 84 baht ($2.40). So far, so good. As we boarded the train, Mer commented, "It's just like Japan!"

We then made our transfer (on a much busier train!) and were off to the pier!

That's when disaster struck. As we got off the BTS and went down the stairs to the pier, there was an enormous line for the boat. I tried to verify that the line was for the Chao Phraya express and the folks there wobbily shook their heads. We waited in that line for about an hour. Night fell before we finally made our way onto an available boat. Mer actually got a seat as everyone else piled in around us. The boat took off and then I sunk my head. 

"Are we even going the right way?" Mer asked me. I shook my head 'no.' We wanted to head north. This boat was heading south. It took about 15 minutes to head to a tourist pier with lights, shopping, restaurants, and a Ferris wheel. 

We were hot, tired, salty, building hunger again, and definitely not in the mood for taking a tourist boat the wrong way. My eyes ached from my contacts. I just wanted to get back. By now it had been nearly two hours since we first arrived near the victory monument. My attempted 'cheap cut' had failed miserably in time spent. 

We got to the end and tried to negotiate our way back on the boat. The first guy said 'no more boats' but then a 2nd lady kindly let us on as they began re-loading passengers. 

Mer just looked at me. "My guy that's 99% of the time easy-going is now upset. I don't even know what to do with you, but smile because this happens so rarely." The frustrations of the day just mounted against me. The overcharging tuk tuks, the indirect travel paths, no bikes to rent, getting lost between sites, and now waiting in line forever for a boat going the wrong way. I could only peer out at heat lightning flashing in the night sky. It looked like a battle going on in the clouds. It seemed to mirror the storms inside me: Lots of flashes, but no sound or rain. 

Finally, we landed on our original pier. We got off and tried to find our intended company. That service ended at 7:30. It was now 9 pm. We walked out to the street trying to get a tuk tuk or taxi back. 

"300 baht"

"200 baht"

"Two people, 250 baht"

Grr, we made it to the main street and waved a taxi. "How much to Khao San Rd?"

"Meter," he answered. 

"About how much?" I inquired. 

"150 baht."

We got in to get home. As we rode off, we noticed there was no meter. I didn't care anymore as the price was right and I was nearly done. 

We got back on the wrong side of Khao San Rd, but I didn't care. I was back in control of where I was going and how much. We traversed the loud tourist street and to our own quieter soi where our Guesthouse was. Once back, I was able to shower off the long day and take the contacts out of my aching eyes. 

Although Mer said she preferred our roadside kabob place, we walked down our little soi to see if we could find anything else. I inhaled a 7 Eleven iced coffee along the way, but ended up right back for kabobs. It was pretty filling. 

We then set out for some night shopping. Mer really liked some shirts in me. We tried to look around a bit, but then my tummy started rumbling. Maybe it was the day or maybe it was the rushed iced coffee, but I needed to go home. 

We got back in and I settled in for sleep. It was our last sleep of the trip. It had been good and long and we had seen so much at a torrid pace. 

But now we were both ready to go home. One more morning in Bangkok and then we were on the plane. Today prepared me for it. 

One might in Bangkok makes a hard man humble-day 2

That title is less of a descriptor and more of a deliberately planted ear worm. It's the 80's tune bouncing in my head as we've been in this city. Just let that play in your head as you read about our day. 

We woke up to our regular breakfast of eggs, ham, and toast. We then set out on errands first (couldn't get laundry back in time, but did set up our bus to the airport for the next day) and then onward to the piers. Today, we'd be using Bangkok's ancient transportation vein, the Chao Phraya river. We knew to blow past those offering a tourist boat tour. But we ended up blowing past explaining where we even wanted to go as we were paraded onto the next boat only to discover we were going the wrong way. Thankfully, no fare was charged as we merely crossed to the other side of the river. 

We soon got on a boat heading the right direction and two pier stops up for 14 baht each (40¢). We then had to snake our way through the neighborhood which first meant getting us through the morning market. Upon entry, I saw the adjoining roofs and narrow passageway up, and the buckets and tables of fresh meat down. It was going to be a tight space with pungent smells. With Mer, I had to hustle. 

What I didn't get a whole lot of time for was pictures. There were catfish swimming in small pools, eels in a bucket, frogs with a net over top, and small turtles swimming in a small kid's pool. Only in the afternoon was I able to come back on a different street to capture a pic. 

We quickly darted through and Mer was able to control her gags on the other end. We continued forward as as two points of interest were right next to each other: the Vimanmek museum and the Dusit Zoo. 

As we passed the museum, we noticed a sign saying it would only be open until noon that day (and due to clear skies in the morning, we wanted to do the zoo first.) So we inquired inside and one of the ticket ladies said they'd be open and the next English tour would be at 3 pm. Mer felt like she got the info we needed. I was doubtful our question was answered correctly. But, onward we went to the zoo. 

Entrance was easy and we got right in, only to notice a large school group coming at us. We tried to duck into the first exhibit, the koalas, but the group followed us in. We barely saw him sleeping when the cacophony chorus caught up and we had to exit. It was a time I was so thankful to not be the responsible adult for that group of children. They were actually well behaved, but I just didn't want to have to keep them in line or control their noise. 

So, we continued onto the bears. There were two golden and two Asian bears. Neither looked too happy. 

At this point, we were actually hungry. It wouldn't be Thailand without a 7 Eleven nearby. And sure enough, there was one inside the zoo. We grabbed some sandwiches and water. 

We were sitting on benches near a pond having our mid-morning snack when Asian cousins of our Texan grackles swooped in hoping for a bite. Their beaks were bigger and longer with blazing yellow eyes. I tried to maintain our position and food with blazing eyes of my own. Then I peered over to our pond and immediately told Mer to get up and move. 

This Komodo Dragon was as long as I was and clearly cruising for something. I didn't want it to be us or our snacks, so onward we moved. 

Next were the hippos. They were asleep in the water, as they should have been. 

Next up were the big cats. Several could not be seen. Of the ones we did see, they were, again, all sleeping. I found a lion. 

Mer found the tiger. 

Adjacent were several places for different langur monkeys. They were pretty neat. 

Mer really wanted to touch one through fence. I told her that would be entirely disrespectful. Then another field trip of students passed by. And who reached out to touch the baby langur? The parent chaperone in view of the zoo guide! So afterward, we got our shot in too. 

At this point, we may or may not have wheeled back around to the 7 Eleven for additional treats. 

How did we go this long before we found the 40¢ ice cream!

It was on our walk back that we found that although a former king's animal collection in Bangkok, Thailand may seem a distant and exotic location, we weren't all that far away from home. 

Although a Texas bumper sticker reminded us of where we came from, we still went on to the long-necks of Africa. 

Around the corner were more hippos! These were pygmy hippos and guess what they were doing? 

We then went inside the nocturnal exhibit. Could you imagine what animals were doing in there during daylight hours? 

It was inside here, though, that Mer stumbled upon the cardboard cut-out version of herself. 

Our time at the zoo was coming to an end. It was nearly 3 and we knew the English tour would start soon. So, we exited the zoo and made it the next block over to the Vinmanek museum. 

But we couldn't find the entrance. We walked further to where car entered. Closed. We walked further. Not open. Finally we found an entrance where a guard was letting a construction vehicle leave. We asked where we could enter. He pointed to the sign we saw earlier. Closed at noon. 

Score another for no speaking the language. Frustratingly, we walked back to the pier. We decided a trip to Chinatown would salve our disappointment. The boat was the perfect way to get there. 

Chinatown was chock full of people and goods. We followed a single-file line through all sorts of wares available. At one point we turned from the street to enter a further maze of shops of all kinds. After about 30 min, I stopped to look at my map. We had wandered far beyond where I thought we'd be. Knowing we wouldn't buy much (there's no room in our backpacks!) we began to maze our way back to the pier. 

It has been a full day in the sun (no rain!) and we felt it. Although I did discover on Chinatown that 7 Eleven also sells a 'fountain' iced coffee that reminds me of the delicious ca phe súa da from Vietnam that I couldn't get enough of. 

We got back to our place and had a rest. 

When it was time for dinner, I wanted to try an 'Israeli' restaurant that caught my eye at schwarma. It was near the tourist hotbed of Khao San Rd. It ended up near enough the outskirts that it was easy to find. We both opted for the chicken with hummus. I added the fries and Singha beer. 

It was very good even if it varied from the Asian fare we were supposed to look for in Bangkok. After dinner, we decided to take a gander at Khao San Rd. It was pretty similar to previously visited Pham Ngu Lao in Saigon, Pub Street in Siem Reap, and Patong Beach: Vendors, hawkers, westerners, and locals offering drink specials, trinkets, shows, and paraphernalia. 

In the midst of it all, we decided to get crazy. It was 8:30. The night was young. About a block down, we found a pharmacy. After a moment looking around, we found what we needed to take the party up a notch. 

Contact lens solution. 

We made our 280 baht purchase ($8) and headed back to our guesthouse. We showered and went to bed as our transport to the airport would be leaving st 8 am. 

One night in Bangkok indeed. 

Wake up in Bangkok

About 5 am I woke up on our bus with the sun starting to light up our surroundings. I checked the map to see we were on the outskirts of the city. I fell back asleep to wake up again at 6:30 to a brighter light and the beeping of traffic. 

We were in Bangkok. 

More accurately, we were in Bangkok traffic. Its notoriety was well documented. We spent the next hour slowly approaching Khao San Rd and our last stop for this bloated bus of tourists. 

By the time we got off the bus, our bags had already been tossed onto the sidewalk as we avoided the early morning tuk tuk offers. I knew our place was blocks away. We hoofed it the few blocks around a busy downtown Bangkok artery (and my sunburnt back made itself known under my heavy pack) before we found a quiet soi, or alley, where our A&A guesthouse was located. We relished our early check-in and went to our 4th floor room for a shower. 

After cleaning up, we went downstairs for breakfast. Although not included our first day, we enjoyed regular protein of eggs and ham. Afterward, we were off to see Bangkok. 

We walked the few blocks through a university campus to get to the big daddy of Bangkok tourist sites, the Grand Palace. Although Mer debated her wardrobe choice before leaving ("Don't worry, honey," I told her, "this is a sexist country! I'll be fine in my shorts and t-shirt, but you'll need to cover your shoulders and knees.) It turned out I was the one not meeting dress code. I had to place a 200 baht deposit to rent some pants for our visit. Inside the palace it was a zoo of tourists and guides with flags, poles, and stuffed animals on the ends of selfie sticks. The Grand Palace was busy, but Mer and I negotiated our way through the crowd to finally find our way in. 

Before we knew it, we were in front of a desk offering free English tours at 10:00. We found it at 10:03, quickly signed up and then joined the group. While it was hard to be in a group trying to navigate through other groups, I was happy to hear the Thai tales. Our guide explained the structures and statues and their bases in Hindu/Buddhist mythology along with Thai folklore. I noted the similar story to the Lao tale we read in Luang Prabang, with notable differences. I at least learned who the green guy was with a creepy face. 

He is yaksha, the king of demons. In the Thai story, he kidnaps the queen and tries to make her fall in love with him. But Rama, the king, has his own monkey army led by Hanuman, the white monkey who fights to get her back. 

We were led to temple after shrine after stupa. All of them were intricately decorated. 

So much glitter and shine!

Almost all the temples were closed most all year, except in April during Thai New Year. It is then that throngs of Thais fill the complex for the celebrations. 

Finally, we were led to the Wat Phra Kaew. The holy of holies in Thailand. Housed inside was the Emerald Buddha (which is actually made of Jade) which originated in Chiang Mai. Interestingly, this Buddha in Thailand was carried off to Laos a few times to correspond with the Pha Bang in Luang Prabang in Laos that was carried off here. These Buddhas are considered rivals and should never been located in the same city together (like Texas-Oklahoma or Mich-Mich St.) Photography was not allowed, but since other Asians were doing so, we did too. 

It's the small one way on top. It's only 60 cm high. And, like Barbie, has a summer, winter, and rainy season outfit. Next week is the changing ceremony. 

Our tour was about to end through a path that didn't allow re-admittance, so we peeled off to go see things we zipped past. One was a golden stupa. 

Others were spires we'd missed. 

Finally, we found our way out after dodging groups and sabre-rattling for photos.  

After the long Grand Palace ordeal, we were hungry. Of course there were plenty of fruit peddlers and expensive eateries near the greatest tourist site on Bangkok. So we walked down a ways near a pier to our next Wat destination. There we found an eatery serving some fried flat noodles and chicken, vegetable, and rice. 

Right around the corner was another famous Wat in Bangkok, the Wat Pho. Here was housed the largest reclining Buddha in the world. The reclining pose is meant to symbolize the last stages of a Buddha's life (death) before entering nirvana. When they said it's large, it's not an overstatement. 

This Buddha was nearly too big for its britches as its head touched the ceiling on one side. 

Our trek continued through the rather large complex. We even made a new friend on the way. 

You could say our relationship was rocky at best. 

We also found some pretty doorways. 

It was at this time I told Mer I was wat-ted out. Maybe it was the hot (four days on the beach ruined us!) Maybe it was the bus sleeping after 4 exchanges. Maybe I couldn't see any more sparkling Buddhas. Whatever the reason, I bordered on a 30-year old temper tantrum and we both decided it was good to get back. 

We should've started a moment sooner. We'd traversed quite some distance and I got lost trying to avoid divided highways we couldn't cross. We were within blocks of our place when skies tore open. We took cover under the highway bridge. 

But we were also nearby the Chao Phraya river. As the rain whipped the wind blew. We even got sprayed below the bridge. 

Eventually, we had to make a break for it once the rain stopped swirling. Our pant legs and shoes got soaked as we scurried back. But we made it. Just in time for my ornery self to take a nap. 

Once I awoke, it was time to eat (convenient how that works) so we scouted our places to go. Street food is the fabled fare of Bangkok, so we headed out for some of the most famous, Jok Pochana. 

It was just across a small river from us and down a dark alley (to which the light rain didn't add any charm.) But there it was, just as Google maps stated. There were plastic tables outside a crammed interior with a cooking area in between. We were seated at a table where plates and utensils once stood as the restaurateurs regularly reached around us to gather them. As this scene can only describe, the food was marvelous.

All the people working in this restaurant were entirely smiling and happy. They appeared to fully enjoy their job and the love was tasted in their food. We will probably be back (and that without the help of our departing coaxing, "Thank you! See you tomorrow!")

Day 1 Bangkok was in the books. Time for a rainy return to our place and plot out tomorrow's adventures.