Chapter 11
Bangkok – The city of trees and angels
The biggest city of Thailand is Bangkok, the capital of the Thai Kingdom. This city through the last centuries has grown both in size and in importance in the South-East Asian region. Thanks also the wisdom of the past governments and kings, Thailand has chosen the best international partners, and this has allowed the country to grow in peace and wellness, at least when compared to the conditions of the neighbouring countries (Burma, Laos, Cambodia and we could also count Viet Nam even if doesn't touch the Thai border).
The city herself is quite young as it was established in the late 1700s. In fact, before Bangkok, the capital of the modern-day Thailand was another city called Ayutthaya, placed a bit more north than Bangkok, upstream on the Chao Phraya River. In 1768 after an attack by the Burmese army, the city of Ayutthaya was burnt to ashes. The surviving king decided to move the capital temporarily downstream on the river, where there was an important commercial town called Bangkok.
At this point, the origin of the city name is a bit of confused. In fact, it looks like the original name of Bangkok could come from the words "Bang" (in Thai บาง), but the second part could both be from "Kok" (in Thai กอก) which is the shorter name of the "Makok" (in Thai มะกอก), a fruit tree (Spondias Mombin) or it also could come from the word Koh (in Thai เกา) that means "Island", as the Chao Phraya river bends and shapes the land where the city is like an island (and it's likely that in past canals were dug to turn it into a real island). Anyway, in our day, the Thais write the name บางกอก, so the "fruit tree" speculation is the most likely.
The king Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, in 1782 established the new capital on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and decided to give a name to the city. In Thailand of those times a language of Indian influence, derived from the Pali language was popular. The name given by the king Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke is still alive today, and Bangkok is the name left only for the Farangs as the real one couldn't be pronounced by them. The same name was later modified and corrected by King Mongkut in Pali and Sanskrit. So the name appeared in the following ways:
1. King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke version was “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” (in Thai กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตน์ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์).
2. King Mongkut version in Pali-Sanskrit was “Krung-dēvamahānagara amararatanakosindra mahindrayudhyā mahātilakabhava navaratanarājadhānī purīramya utamarājanivēsana mahāsthāna amaravimāna avatārasthitya shakrasdattiya vishnukarmaprasiddhi”.
Most of the Thais today can only pronounce the name, but don't know the meaning of it as it's in a language that isn't used anymore. If we translate this name, the meaning will be:
"The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarm".
In our day the old name is still alive and it's registered as the longest name of any city in the world, and it's also enlisted into the “Guinness World Records”.
For the population, the use of this long name would be unpractical, so it was shortened in just “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” (in Thai กรุงเทพมหานคร), or just “Krung Thep” (in Thai กรุงเทพฯ), which means “The city of Angels”. So, it may happen to hear the Thais name Bangkok as Krung Thep, as for them, this is the real name of the city.
Today in Bangkok there are about 8.000.000 registered inhabitants. The surface of the city is split into 50 different districts. The metro area is one of the largest of the South East Asia and it has already invaded the neighbouring provinces. From outside, and from far, the city looks like a metropolis of skyscrapers surrounded by an ocean of smaller buildings and parks. For the Thais living there, Bangkok, is valued as a city that will soon become one of the main economic cores like Hong Kong and Taiwan, even if it's still growing, and the poor districts along with the rising criminality aren't helpful.
While for many people Bangkok may be an important business place, there are also three more different kinds of people going there. I'll write those that I sorted out in my stay there.
1. Business-people: The core of the commerce in Thailand is in Bangkok and it attracts lots of people going there for business. Moreover, Bangkok is also the main centre for gemstones dealing in all South East Asia, and there you can find gems coming both from the neighbouring countries and from all over the world.
2. Sex Tourists: Many sex tourists arrive in Bangkok daily as there are two of the biggest brothel/red light districts of the world. They are called “Nana Plaza” (a three floor “U” shaped complex of only Go-Go Bars and Beer Bars, surrounded by “freelancers” girls, boys and Labyboys) and the Soi Cowboy (very similar to the Nana Plaza, but a bit smaller).
3. Travellers going somewhere else: In Bangkok there is the biggest airport in the South East Asia, and most of the flights pass through it. The name of the airport is Suvarnabhumi Airport (in Thai ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ) and the Thais pronounce it something like “Suhwannaphm”. So, for the people that have to make a coincidence with a day (or a night) between the two flights, it can happen that they'll stay overnight. Now there are many hotels in the airport area. They are mainly expensive, but can be acceptable against the long journey to the city centre.
4. Tourists going to visit the city: This city has much to offer and it could be worth spending a couple of days to look around it. There are principally palaces and museums, and they can be very interesting.
I had already passed through Bangkok many times in my trips, and I decided that it would be the right moment to visit it. So, on this trip, I decided to spend the last two days (actually one and half day) of my trip there, and to visit the few things that interested me the most. Of course, there would be more of much interest, but, as my time there was short, I had to make a selection and sort which things were more interesting to me.
In Bangkok there are many districts, but the two that are the favourite of travellers are the “Sukhumvit area” and the “Riverfront”. These areas have their own characteristics. The Sukhumvit area is cheaper than the Riverfront, but has more traffic. Anyway, more tourist venues are there. In this area there are good hotels, but most could be below the level expected for the money that you pay. In the Riverfront, the hotels are absolutely gorgeous, but very expensive. I'd still suggest the Riverfront for people looking for a quiet environment with romantic sunsets by the river. Seeing that I wasn’t looking for romantic things and I’m used to staying more cheaply, I decided to look for a very low budget hotel in the Sukhumvit area.
After my long trip across Kampuchea and Thailand it came the time to take the flight that from the beautiful Phuket brought me back to Bangkok. The flight takes about an hour and then I was back again in the Suvarnabhumi Airport. From there I took a taxi and I asked to be brought to the centre. When I told the driver “Bring me to Sukhumvit street, soi 6” he laughed and brought me there. The way to the centre takes about 45 minutes or 1 hour. Bangkok, from far looks like a cluster of skyscrapers. As you get closer to the centre, you keep on seeing that the beautiful neighbourhoods alternate with less beautiful ones. Sometimes it can happen that you'll also notice slums appear from nowhere and disappear at the same speed, overwhelmed by the high buildings.
When I reached the Sukhumvit Street, I noticed that it was dark and messy. The intense traffic was overbearing. When I got down from the taxi, I tried to look up to the sky, but I saw that, where once was a street, now it looked more like an underground world. Two more streets levels were above my head. The first one above me was a pedestrian walkway as broad as the very street. Over it, there was one more level, where the monorail train was running. Traffic, low light, smell of exhaust gas, terrible heat along with high humidity, it felt like hell. Or maybe it was the hell to look like this.
While wandering with my backpacks looking for my hotel, I saw the reasons why my taxi driver laughed when I told him the address. My hotel was in a building just backing on to the Nana Plaza. At that time it was day, the Nana venues were closed and looked quite sleepy. Few girls were scattered all around. Like fishes swimming uninterested in the sunken dead ship around them. The frozen open-wide mouth of the Nana-Plaza was waiting to come back awake at sunset, when it’d come back to swallow sex tourists looking for a nonexistent reality, of unreal relationships.
I entered my hotel, and I was treated like a thief. They double-checked my id card, passport and vouchers. They gave me a small paper “hotel passport” with written over it in pen the number of my room, and advised me that if I lost it, I couldn't enter my room anymore. Then, I was free to go to the room. It was bad smelling and everywhere there were cigarette burns. The window was looking out over a construction yard. The bathroom looked rusty and the walls were threatening to collapse from one moment to the next.
I took just enough time to take out of my backpack the few things that I needed and then, I left the hotel. My plan was to go and visit the Grand Palace and the surrounding areas. Before leaving, I went to the tourist desk in the hotel and I checked the “day trips” available. To give you an idea of the offers, I'll type the top sellers:
1. Bangkok City & Temple Tour with Grand Palace;
2. Ayutthaya Tour by River Cruise;
3. Dinner Cruises on the Chao Phraya river;
4. Bangkok Floating Market;
5. River Kwai Tour;
6. Siam Niramit (a show similar to the “Fantasea” in Phuket, where are shown on a stage many choreography about the history of Thailand).
I took some leaflets about the tours and I left the hotel. In fact, I already planned to go and see the Grand Palace by myself, without taking a tour. In fact, I wanted to take it slow and also to visit two more places near there, and I didn’t want to do it with a guide making me rush through them. I needed to do it slowly and in a relaxing way.
The city herself is quite young as it was established in the late 1700s. In fact, before Bangkok, the capital of the modern-day Thailand was another city called Ayutthaya, placed a bit more north than Bangkok, upstream on the Chao Phraya River. In 1768 after an attack by the Burmese army, the city of Ayutthaya was burnt to ashes. The surviving king decided to move the capital temporarily downstream on the river, where there was an important commercial town called Bangkok.
At this point, the origin of the city name is a bit of confused. In fact, it looks like the original name of Bangkok could come from the words "Bang" (in Thai บาง), but the second part could both be from "Kok" (in Thai กอก) which is the shorter name of the "Makok" (in Thai มะกอก), a fruit tree (Spondias Mombin) or it also could come from the word Koh (in Thai เกา) that means "Island", as the Chao Phraya river bends and shapes the land where the city is like an island (and it's likely that in past canals were dug to turn it into a real island). Anyway, in our day, the Thais write the name บางกอก, so the "fruit tree" speculation is the most likely.
The king Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, in 1782 established the new capital on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and decided to give a name to the city. In Thailand of those times a language of Indian influence, derived from the Pali language was popular. The name given by the king Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke is still alive today, and Bangkok is the name left only for the Farangs as the real one couldn't be pronounced by them. The same name was later modified and corrected by King Mongkut in Pali and Sanskrit. So the name appeared in the following ways:
1. King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke version was “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” (in Thai กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตน์ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์).
2. King Mongkut version in Pali-Sanskrit was “Krung-dēvamahānagara amararatanakosindra mahindrayudhyā mahātilakabhava navaratanarājadhānī purīramya utamarājanivēsana mahāsthāna amaravimāna avatārasthitya shakrasdattiya vishnukarmaprasiddhi”.
Most of the Thais today can only pronounce the name, but don't know the meaning of it as it's in a language that isn't used anymore. If we translate this name, the meaning will be:
"The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarm".
In our day the old name is still alive and it's registered as the longest name of any city in the world, and it's also enlisted into the “Guinness World Records”.
For the population, the use of this long name would be unpractical, so it was shortened in just “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon” (in Thai กรุงเทพมหานคร), or just “Krung Thep” (in Thai กรุงเทพฯ), which means “The city of Angels”. So, it may happen to hear the Thais name Bangkok as Krung Thep, as for them, this is the real name of the city.
Today in Bangkok there are about 8.000.000 registered inhabitants. The surface of the city is split into 50 different districts. The metro area is one of the largest of the South East Asia and it has already invaded the neighbouring provinces. From outside, and from far, the city looks like a metropolis of skyscrapers surrounded by an ocean of smaller buildings and parks. For the Thais living there, Bangkok, is valued as a city that will soon become one of the main economic cores like Hong Kong and Taiwan, even if it's still growing, and the poor districts along with the rising criminality aren't helpful.
While for many people Bangkok may be an important business place, there are also three more different kinds of people going there. I'll write those that I sorted out in my stay there.
1. Business-people: The core of the commerce in Thailand is in Bangkok and it attracts lots of people going there for business. Moreover, Bangkok is also the main centre for gemstones dealing in all South East Asia, and there you can find gems coming both from the neighbouring countries and from all over the world.
2. Sex Tourists: Many sex tourists arrive in Bangkok daily as there are two of the biggest brothel/red light districts of the world. They are called “Nana Plaza” (a three floor “U” shaped complex of only Go-Go Bars and Beer Bars, surrounded by “freelancers” girls, boys and Labyboys) and the Soi Cowboy (very similar to the Nana Plaza, but a bit smaller).
3. Travellers going somewhere else: In Bangkok there is the biggest airport in the South East Asia, and most of the flights pass through it. The name of the airport is Suvarnabhumi Airport (in Thai ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ) and the Thais pronounce it something like “Suhwannaphm”. So, for the people that have to make a coincidence with a day (or a night) between the two flights, it can happen that they'll stay overnight. Now there are many hotels in the airport area. They are mainly expensive, but can be acceptable against the long journey to the city centre.
4. Tourists going to visit the city: This city has much to offer and it could be worth spending a couple of days to look around it. There are principally palaces and museums, and they can be very interesting.
I had already passed through Bangkok many times in my trips, and I decided that it would be the right moment to visit it. So, on this trip, I decided to spend the last two days (actually one and half day) of my trip there, and to visit the few things that interested me the most. Of course, there would be more of much interest, but, as my time there was short, I had to make a selection and sort which things were more interesting to me.
In Bangkok there are many districts, but the two that are the favourite of travellers are the “Sukhumvit area” and the “Riverfront”. These areas have their own characteristics. The Sukhumvit area is cheaper than the Riverfront, but has more traffic. Anyway, more tourist venues are there. In this area there are good hotels, but most could be below the level expected for the money that you pay. In the Riverfront, the hotels are absolutely gorgeous, but very expensive. I'd still suggest the Riverfront for people looking for a quiet environment with romantic sunsets by the river. Seeing that I wasn’t looking for romantic things and I’m used to staying more cheaply, I decided to look for a very low budget hotel in the Sukhumvit area.
After my long trip across Kampuchea and Thailand it came the time to take the flight that from the beautiful Phuket brought me back to Bangkok. The flight takes about an hour and then I was back again in the Suvarnabhumi Airport. From there I took a taxi and I asked to be brought to the centre. When I told the driver “Bring me to Sukhumvit street, soi 6” he laughed and brought me there. The way to the centre takes about 45 minutes or 1 hour. Bangkok, from far looks like a cluster of skyscrapers. As you get closer to the centre, you keep on seeing that the beautiful neighbourhoods alternate with less beautiful ones. Sometimes it can happen that you'll also notice slums appear from nowhere and disappear at the same speed, overwhelmed by the high buildings.
When I reached the Sukhumvit Street, I noticed that it was dark and messy. The intense traffic was overbearing. When I got down from the taxi, I tried to look up to the sky, but I saw that, where once was a street, now it looked more like an underground world. Two more streets levels were above my head. The first one above me was a pedestrian walkway as broad as the very street. Over it, there was one more level, where the monorail train was running. Traffic, low light, smell of exhaust gas, terrible heat along with high humidity, it felt like hell. Or maybe it was the hell to look like this.
While wandering with my backpacks looking for my hotel, I saw the reasons why my taxi driver laughed when I told him the address. My hotel was in a building just backing on to the Nana Plaza. At that time it was day, the Nana venues were closed and looked quite sleepy. Few girls were scattered all around. Like fishes swimming uninterested in the sunken dead ship around them. The frozen open-wide mouth of the Nana-Plaza was waiting to come back awake at sunset, when it’d come back to swallow sex tourists looking for a nonexistent reality, of unreal relationships.
I entered my hotel, and I was treated like a thief. They double-checked my id card, passport and vouchers. They gave me a small paper “hotel passport” with written over it in pen the number of my room, and advised me that if I lost it, I couldn't enter my room anymore. Then, I was free to go to the room. It was bad smelling and everywhere there were cigarette burns. The window was looking out over a construction yard. The bathroom looked rusty and the walls were threatening to collapse from one moment to the next.
I took just enough time to take out of my backpack the few things that I needed and then, I left the hotel. My plan was to go and visit the Grand Palace and the surrounding areas. Before leaving, I went to the tourist desk in the hotel and I checked the “day trips” available. To give you an idea of the offers, I'll type the top sellers:
1. Bangkok City & Temple Tour with Grand Palace;
2. Ayutthaya Tour by River Cruise;
3. Dinner Cruises on the Chao Phraya river;
4. Bangkok Floating Market;
5. River Kwai Tour;
6. Siam Niramit (a show similar to the “Fantasea” in Phuket, where are shown on a stage many choreography about the history of Thailand).
I took some leaflets about the tours and I left the hotel. In fact, I already planned to go and see the Grand Palace by myself, without taking a tour. In fact, I wanted to take it slow and also to visit two more places near there, and I didn’t want to do it with a guide making me rush through them. I needed to do it slowly and in a relaxing way.
_Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang – The Grand Palace
The most important thing that a tourist can visit in Bangkok, is the Grand Palace. This complex of building has housed the Kings since when after the fall of Ayutthaya, they moved to Bangkok. In our days, the king doesn't live in this palace anymore, but moved his house to the “Chitralada Palace”, a few kilometres from the Grand Palace.
This palace is still functional, and beside being a very important tourist attraction, it still houses many government departments such as:
1. Bureau of the Royal Household;
2. Office of the Private Secretary to the King;
3. Royal Institute of Thailand.
Moreover, the banquets, meetings and special ceremonies are still held inside this palace.
The Sukhumvit area is still far from the Palace. As soon as I got outside the hotel I stopped a motorbike-taxi. First I checked that he had, at least, a helmet for me and then we left for the palace. I had chosen a motorbike-taxi, even if it’s not the safest way to travel, as the traffic was all jammed and I couldn't reach the palace in any other way. The ride was long, but this driver was very good. In the meanwhile, I had a chance to look around the city and check if there was something interesting around my hotel, unfortunately, there wasn’t. The only things around there were hotels, massage parlours, malls and restaurants.
When I reached the Grand Palace, I noticed that there were many police and also the Army stopping cars and checking people. I stood in line and waited for my turn to enter. Surprisingly they decided that I looked inoffensive enough to let me enter without checking me. The entrance of the first part of the Grand Palace, is free for everybody. It's just an huge lawn and some shops. The high walls all around shelter the garden from most of the sounds of the city, and turn this part of the Palace into a peaceful spot, of course, if you don't count the screaming tourists. You can see the first part of the Grand Palace in the first two pictures of this group.
When I was going towards the gates to enter the historical area, some soldiers came and, kindly, pushed the people to the sides of the street. Soon a soldier with a trumpet started to play some music, a group of soldiers presented their arms and entered some dark-windowed cars. They drove before us, and entered the part of the Grand Palace that is reserved for the King and his staff. I went to a soldier and I asked him “Excuse me Sir, who's that guy there in the car?”. The soldier looked at me and answered in English “He's the King of Kampuchea!”. I was very surprised, in fact, two weeks earlier I was in Kampuchea, and now I'd seen the King for real. At least, I'd seen his car. The reason for his presence in Bangkok was to commemorate the battle between Thai and Khmer troops at Preah Vihear. After the king of Kampuchea drove through the people, we were set free again.
To enter the historical area, you have to pay a ticket. You can chose to take a ticket only for the palace, or one inclusive of the entrance to other places, like some museums. Seeing that I hadn't much time, I decided to take the ticket only for the Grand Palace. After taking the ticket, I had to stand in a queue to enter. When I was in the line, I was advised that, to enter, I needed to wear long trousers or a long skirt. Seeing that I was wearing shorts, I felt to be in trouble. I asked a guardian how I could enter, and he suggested I go to the gate, where I could borrow some trousers. So, I went back to the main gate, and I borrowed a pair of trousers in a special office that had been established for this purpose!
When I got outside with my brand new green trousers, a guy stopped me. I know that if somebody offers me some deal out of nothing, it would be surely a scam. It was a guy that asked me if I was interested in gemstones. He said that “Hei, you! Cheep gemstones!”. It's obvious that for everybody this could look like a scam. But, on the other hand, it's likely that many tourists fall into this trap. In fact, the Bangkok police department keeps on reminding the people, through newspapers and websites about this scam. In addition, the Bangkok police department has also built a website with an everyday growing list of these scamming gem shops. As I could hardly distinguish a ruby from a brick, I told him to bug off, and I went again to the queue to enter the Grand Palace.
To enter the Grand Palace you have to pass through a metal-detector gate and the bags will be scanned with x-rays. The reason is that this Palace is both a real treasure and because of the great number of people visiting it, it could turn it into an objective for a terrorist attack. After the short check-in procedure, I was allowed to enter. The Thais have the chance to enter without paying the ticket, but they also need to do the check-in procedures. The Grand Palace was the house of the king since the capital was moved from Ayutthaya to Bangkok in the late 1700s. Since then, many kings have done something to enhance the palace and made it to look always more beautiful. What we can see now is a very beautiful gem. The most interesting part for the tourists, is the historical one, especially because you can still see the old architecture, while the modern buildings have an international style and they could fit well into any other modern city of the world.
As soon as you enter the ancient part of the Grand Palace, you'll find yourself into what looks like an ancient times themed fairy tale. Ancient pagodas, stupas and temple are around you. Naga snakes along with giants, demons and other mythical creatures are watching you from every corner. It's hard to describe the Grand Palace, especially because there isn't an obliged path but you’ve freedom to visit it as you like. Anyway, I'll try to describe the two places that are were, for me, more interesting.
The entrance gate will bring you into a small hallway just before the façade of an huge temple. On both your sides, two shrines look like they are guarding it from both the sides of the façade. The temple, a real masterpiece of gold and wood, houses one of the most sacred and precious holy treasures of all Thailand. The Emerald Buddha.
But the visit to the sacred Buddha statue has to wait as the entrance of the temple is on the opposite side. Looking at the temple more carefully, it’s easy to notice something interesting. In fact, as you can see in the fourth picture of this group, the temple has a very beautiful and elaborate lintel. I pointed my camera there and using the high power zoom, I was able to have a clear picture of it. You can see it in the fifth picture. Of course, when you're there, you can see it well for yourself, but I hadn't another way to show it well in a picture. While many people just walked by it without noticing it, I was impressed. In fact, most of the people could think that all that golden elaborate masterpiece could be just a fantasy scene, but it isn't. Looking at the picture more carefully, you'll notice that the background is an elaborate entwined pattern of Naga snakes. In this elaborate work you can both see the Nagas as many-headed snakes and also as half-snake and half-human beings. In fact, the legends say that the Nagas could also change their shape from snake to human and back at will. In the middle of the lintel, like breaking out of the Nagas scene, there is the Hindu God Vishnu, riding a Goruda. It was interesting for me, as I've seen similar scenes in Kampuchea too. I was also surprised to see that this temple had Hindu sacred decorations even if housing a Buddhist relic. It looks like in Thailand the ancient traditions are strongly living alongside the newer customs.
While on the way to the opposite side of the Emerald Buddha temple, I went near the “Stupas terrace”. It's a terrace, where were built three temples, the ones that you can see in the centre of the third picture. They are very beautiful and huge. The first one is a golden-painted stupa, the second a Naga decorated stupa (you can see it in the seventh picture), while the third is a beautiful small temple. There near, on the opposite side of where is the Emerald Buddha, there is something that surprised me again. In fact, hidden between these huge temples, there is a small model of Angkor Wat. When I saw it, I asked myself why it was there. Probably because in the past, even after the fall of the Khmer empire, Angkor Wat was kept alive as a temple, and centre of the South East Asia pilgrimage sites.
I left the terrace, and I wandered around. The prayers of some monks were in the background. The day was running late, and the place with the passing of time was becoming more beautiful. I sat some minutes watching the monks, and listening to them, I started to recognise the words of the prayers that I was asked to learn at the massage school the years before. I was surprised how I still remembered some, rather short, parts. It wasn't like when, in Chiang Mai, I had the fortune to hear the monks singing the prayers, but it was still beautiful.
After I went to see the Emerald Buddha. At the entrance of the temple it is asked not to take pictures, so I didn't take any inside. The Emerald Buddha, is very beautiful. It's small with its charming green colour. The story of this Buddha statue is quite interesting, but although the real story tells that this Buddha passed by the hands of many kings, until Rama I brought it to Bangkok, the legend is different. And I'm going to tell you the less reliable, but more fascinating legend. In fact, it looks like at the times of the Burmese invasion, many treasures were stolen from Thailand. Later, after the fall of Ayutthaya, the recovery work started. Many parts of the ancient Ayutthaya temples were brought to other cities of the Thai kingdom. Then it happened that a plaster statue was given to a temple in Chiang Mai. The statue was taken there. It wasn't very good looking, but it was old and was worth keeping. Then, one day, while placing it in a shrine, something went wrong, and the statue fell on the ground. The plaster shattered and revealed another Buddha beneath it. It was green and looked like Emerald. So, the plaster was removed and the Emerald Buddha of our days was found. From a more accurate checking it was also noticed that it's not made of Emerald, but it's made of an excellent quality of Jade. Anyway, it kept his name as the Emerald Buddha. The respect for this statue is great, and the authorities also asked goldsmiths to craft some gold clothing for him. It was very moving to see this statue, and I loved it.
Later I went to the most modern part of the Grand Palace and I saw some of the administrative and more modern, buildings. You can see them in the pictures 8, 9 and 10.
Soon later I went out of the ticket-access-only area, went to give back the green trousers and I went back to the streets. I still had some things that I needed to visit, and one of them, meant a lot to me.
This palace is still functional, and beside being a very important tourist attraction, it still houses many government departments such as:
1. Bureau of the Royal Household;
2. Office of the Private Secretary to the King;
3. Royal Institute of Thailand.
Moreover, the banquets, meetings and special ceremonies are still held inside this palace.
The Sukhumvit area is still far from the Palace. As soon as I got outside the hotel I stopped a motorbike-taxi. First I checked that he had, at least, a helmet for me and then we left for the palace. I had chosen a motorbike-taxi, even if it’s not the safest way to travel, as the traffic was all jammed and I couldn't reach the palace in any other way. The ride was long, but this driver was very good. In the meanwhile, I had a chance to look around the city and check if there was something interesting around my hotel, unfortunately, there wasn’t. The only things around there were hotels, massage parlours, malls and restaurants.
When I reached the Grand Palace, I noticed that there were many police and also the Army stopping cars and checking people. I stood in line and waited for my turn to enter. Surprisingly they decided that I looked inoffensive enough to let me enter without checking me. The entrance of the first part of the Grand Palace, is free for everybody. It's just an huge lawn and some shops. The high walls all around shelter the garden from most of the sounds of the city, and turn this part of the Palace into a peaceful spot, of course, if you don't count the screaming tourists. You can see the first part of the Grand Palace in the first two pictures of this group.
When I was going towards the gates to enter the historical area, some soldiers came and, kindly, pushed the people to the sides of the street. Soon a soldier with a trumpet started to play some music, a group of soldiers presented their arms and entered some dark-windowed cars. They drove before us, and entered the part of the Grand Palace that is reserved for the King and his staff. I went to a soldier and I asked him “Excuse me Sir, who's that guy there in the car?”. The soldier looked at me and answered in English “He's the King of Kampuchea!”. I was very surprised, in fact, two weeks earlier I was in Kampuchea, and now I'd seen the King for real. At least, I'd seen his car. The reason for his presence in Bangkok was to commemorate the battle between Thai and Khmer troops at Preah Vihear. After the king of Kampuchea drove through the people, we were set free again.
To enter the historical area, you have to pay a ticket. You can chose to take a ticket only for the palace, or one inclusive of the entrance to other places, like some museums. Seeing that I hadn't much time, I decided to take the ticket only for the Grand Palace. After taking the ticket, I had to stand in a queue to enter. When I was in the line, I was advised that, to enter, I needed to wear long trousers or a long skirt. Seeing that I was wearing shorts, I felt to be in trouble. I asked a guardian how I could enter, and he suggested I go to the gate, where I could borrow some trousers. So, I went back to the main gate, and I borrowed a pair of trousers in a special office that had been established for this purpose!
When I got outside with my brand new green trousers, a guy stopped me. I know that if somebody offers me some deal out of nothing, it would be surely a scam. It was a guy that asked me if I was interested in gemstones. He said that “Hei, you! Cheep gemstones!”. It's obvious that for everybody this could look like a scam. But, on the other hand, it's likely that many tourists fall into this trap. In fact, the Bangkok police department keeps on reminding the people, through newspapers and websites about this scam. In addition, the Bangkok police department has also built a website with an everyday growing list of these scamming gem shops. As I could hardly distinguish a ruby from a brick, I told him to bug off, and I went again to the queue to enter the Grand Palace.
To enter the Grand Palace you have to pass through a metal-detector gate and the bags will be scanned with x-rays. The reason is that this Palace is both a real treasure and because of the great number of people visiting it, it could turn it into an objective for a terrorist attack. After the short check-in procedure, I was allowed to enter. The Thais have the chance to enter without paying the ticket, but they also need to do the check-in procedures. The Grand Palace was the house of the king since the capital was moved from Ayutthaya to Bangkok in the late 1700s. Since then, many kings have done something to enhance the palace and made it to look always more beautiful. What we can see now is a very beautiful gem. The most interesting part for the tourists, is the historical one, especially because you can still see the old architecture, while the modern buildings have an international style and they could fit well into any other modern city of the world.
As soon as you enter the ancient part of the Grand Palace, you'll find yourself into what looks like an ancient times themed fairy tale. Ancient pagodas, stupas and temple are around you. Naga snakes along with giants, demons and other mythical creatures are watching you from every corner. It's hard to describe the Grand Palace, especially because there isn't an obliged path but you’ve freedom to visit it as you like. Anyway, I'll try to describe the two places that are were, for me, more interesting.
The entrance gate will bring you into a small hallway just before the façade of an huge temple. On both your sides, two shrines look like they are guarding it from both the sides of the façade. The temple, a real masterpiece of gold and wood, houses one of the most sacred and precious holy treasures of all Thailand. The Emerald Buddha.
But the visit to the sacred Buddha statue has to wait as the entrance of the temple is on the opposite side. Looking at the temple more carefully, it’s easy to notice something interesting. In fact, as you can see in the fourth picture of this group, the temple has a very beautiful and elaborate lintel. I pointed my camera there and using the high power zoom, I was able to have a clear picture of it. You can see it in the fifth picture. Of course, when you're there, you can see it well for yourself, but I hadn't another way to show it well in a picture. While many people just walked by it without noticing it, I was impressed. In fact, most of the people could think that all that golden elaborate masterpiece could be just a fantasy scene, but it isn't. Looking at the picture more carefully, you'll notice that the background is an elaborate entwined pattern of Naga snakes. In this elaborate work you can both see the Nagas as many-headed snakes and also as half-snake and half-human beings. In fact, the legends say that the Nagas could also change their shape from snake to human and back at will. In the middle of the lintel, like breaking out of the Nagas scene, there is the Hindu God Vishnu, riding a Goruda. It was interesting for me, as I've seen similar scenes in Kampuchea too. I was also surprised to see that this temple had Hindu sacred decorations even if housing a Buddhist relic. It looks like in Thailand the ancient traditions are strongly living alongside the newer customs.
While on the way to the opposite side of the Emerald Buddha temple, I went near the “Stupas terrace”. It's a terrace, where were built three temples, the ones that you can see in the centre of the third picture. They are very beautiful and huge. The first one is a golden-painted stupa, the second a Naga decorated stupa (you can see it in the seventh picture), while the third is a beautiful small temple. There near, on the opposite side of where is the Emerald Buddha, there is something that surprised me again. In fact, hidden between these huge temples, there is a small model of Angkor Wat. When I saw it, I asked myself why it was there. Probably because in the past, even after the fall of the Khmer empire, Angkor Wat was kept alive as a temple, and centre of the South East Asia pilgrimage sites.
I left the terrace, and I wandered around. The prayers of some monks were in the background. The day was running late, and the place with the passing of time was becoming more beautiful. I sat some minutes watching the monks, and listening to them, I started to recognise the words of the prayers that I was asked to learn at the massage school the years before. I was surprised how I still remembered some, rather short, parts. It wasn't like when, in Chiang Mai, I had the fortune to hear the monks singing the prayers, but it was still beautiful.
After I went to see the Emerald Buddha. At the entrance of the temple it is asked not to take pictures, so I didn't take any inside. The Emerald Buddha, is very beautiful. It's small with its charming green colour. The story of this Buddha statue is quite interesting, but although the real story tells that this Buddha passed by the hands of many kings, until Rama I brought it to Bangkok, the legend is different. And I'm going to tell you the less reliable, but more fascinating legend. In fact, it looks like at the times of the Burmese invasion, many treasures were stolen from Thailand. Later, after the fall of Ayutthaya, the recovery work started. Many parts of the ancient Ayutthaya temples were brought to other cities of the Thai kingdom. Then it happened that a plaster statue was given to a temple in Chiang Mai. The statue was taken there. It wasn't very good looking, but it was old and was worth keeping. Then, one day, while placing it in a shrine, something went wrong, and the statue fell on the ground. The plaster shattered and revealed another Buddha beneath it. It was green and looked like Emerald. So, the plaster was removed and the Emerald Buddha of our days was found. From a more accurate checking it was also noticed that it's not made of Emerald, but it's made of an excellent quality of Jade. Anyway, it kept his name as the Emerald Buddha. The respect for this statue is great, and the authorities also asked goldsmiths to craft some gold clothing for him. It was very moving to see this statue, and I loved it.
Later I went to the most modern part of the Grand Palace and I saw some of the administrative and more modern, buildings. You can see them in the pictures 8, 9 and 10.
Soon later I went out of the ticket-access-only area, went to give back the green trousers and I went back to the streets. I still had some things that I needed to visit, and one of them, meant a lot to me.
Wat Po – The house of the Reclining Buddha and of an Ancient Art
In Bangkok there is a large number of temples that are worth a visit, but as I could stay there only little more than a day, I had chosen the few that could be more important to me. Just near to the Grand Palace, there is one of them. Actually, the visit to this temple, was one of the reasons for my coming to Bangkok, and it meant more than the very visit to the Grand Palace. When I was outside the main gate of the Grand Palace, I went in the direction of the Chao Phraya river. When I reached the end of the Grand Palace walls, I followed the walls behind the corner heading south. Soon, I reached a crossroad, and there I saw the Wat Po temple.
First impressions, the Wat Po temple, doesn't stand out from the other temples around the city, as it has a very common shape. You can see it in the second picture of this group. Once I had crossed the road before it and I entered the very narrow gate of the temple walls, I found myself in a small courtyard, with before me the façade of a big temple. If you go there in the late afternoon, probably you'll meet many kids playing in the same courtyard as they were brought there by their parents after school. The entrance of the Farangs into the temple is only after the paying of a ticket. The Thais can enter there for free.
The temple looked almost deserted. The Thais there were only few, and the Farangs were even less. It gave a very different feeling in contrast to the unbelievable crowd in the Grand Palace. This wasn't a place of showing-off richness. This was a place, enclosed between thick walls, of peace and spirituality. A place where to sit and meditate. A place where to breath the spirituality.
Once I’d gone through the gate, the guards welcomed me with a smile, and showed me the way where to start the visit. Soon, I learnt that the temple grounds are split into many smaller courtyards. Every courtyard was dedicated to something different. Of course, for a Farang, it can be hard to fully understand everything that appears before he/she in the visit.
When I was there I rushed to the opposite side of the temple grounds, as I wished to see something as soon as I could. Later I could visit all the rest. I took my map in hand and I went through many small doors, steps, among stupas and behind temples.
Then two small building appeared before me. They were absolutely ordinary-looking. You can see them in the fifth picture. In spite of their look, they marked a place very important to me. In fact, that is the place, the house of the Wat Po Thai Massage School. Beside that it's the most important Thai Massage school of all Thailand, that is also the place where the modern Thai Massage was encoded. In fact, the traditional Thai Massage dates from about 2500 years ago. The tradition tells that it was brought to Thailand by the Teacher Doctor Jivaka Khumar Bhaccha, a contemporary of Lord Buddha. Only recently it was felt the need to rediscover the traditional Thai Massage and to blend it with the most advanced medical discoveries. There started a hard work that involved both the search about the earlier traditions of the Thai Massage described in ancient scrolls and bas-reliefs in the archaeological sites. After it, doctors checked if these therapies could be really healthy or dangerous, and kept only the healthy ones. The Wat Po research group did most of the work, but among them there were also other professionals from different regions of Thailand. Among them, there was the Headmistress of the Thai Massage School that I attended in Chiang Mai (TMC School). After the encoding of the new traditional Thai Massage, and the approval from the state, was opened the new Wat Po school, while my Headmistress opened her own school, with the very same principles of the Wat Po one, but in Chiang Mai, to let people all around learn from them. Now only few schools are internationally recognised, and Wat Po along with the TMC School, are two of them.
After this long trip and this search in Bangkok I decided that I couldn't miss the chance of having a real Thai Massage in Wat Po. I took a 45 minutes massage. Let me say that I liked it, even if, on certain spots my massage therapist did it so strong that I almost screamed. Anyway, after it, I felt better than Great.
After the Thai Massage session, I went back to my visit of the temple grounds. There were many things that were worth seeing, so I did on the way back from the massage school, until I met something gorgeous.
There was a square. It was small. In the middle of the square and all around, there was a forest of stupas. They were mostly small, but three very tall ones where standing proud, like wishing to pierce the sky, or maybe to guard us from there, so we couldn't harm the small ones. You can see them in the fourth picture of this group. When I was there, the light was starting to lower, and the place looked even more magical. These stupas are masterpieces. All of them, both the big and the small ones, are covered in flowery patterns. The astonishing thing was that all of them, all the flowers, the geometrical designs along with all the other designs were made of small pieces of porcelain. They weren't properly a mosaic, as they weren't showing flat imagines, but they were coming out of the surface in relief, like real porcelain flower blossoming out of the stupas. You can see some of them in the picture number 6 of this group.
Behind the higher stupas, there were other small gardens. Most of them dedicated to some legends that are known only by the Thais. For example, a gate was named “The Giants gate”, as there are two ancient statues showing two benevolent giants. Near there you can also find a building, near to some libraries, called “The Legend of Songkran”. This legend is quite popular in Thailand and gives the name to the Songkran festival (also known as the Water Festival, as people usually play with water and wet each-other).
The Legend of Songkran
The word Songkran (in Thai สงกรานต์), comes from the Sanskrit and it means something like “Passing through”. The meaning is about the Sun passing from an astrological sign to the other. In this case, is when the Sun moves from Pisces to Aries, and it's around the 13th of April. This is a day of much joy and is celebrated in all Thailand. It also marks the day that the Sun comes back to the northern hemisphere, bringing the new hot season and the monsoons that will bring water to the rice fields.
The legend behind the Songkran dates back in time, to when south east Asia was of mainly Hindu religion. The legend says that, once upon a time, there was a region ruled by the God Indra. In the heavens lived a young celestial being named Dharmapal. He was famous for his wiseness. In the land beneath them, lived a man. He was rich and benevolent. He did all the good that he could, but he was frustrated by the fact, that he couldn't have a son. So, Indra decided to reward him giving him a son, and asked Dharmapal to incarnate as the son of the man. Dharmapal accepted and the rich man had a son.
The old man and his son distinguished themselves for their knowledge and wisdom, until one day another celestial being called Kabilphrom, probably upset by their wisdom, challenged Dharmapal. The challenge consisted of a single question that Kabilphrom would give to Dharmapal. If Dharmapal couldn't answer, he'd be beheaded, while if he answered correctly, it would be Kabilphrom to be beheaded. So, Kabilphrom asked Dharmapal “In which part of the human body does "rasi" reside?” (Rasi means something like “greatness”), and gave him a week to search for an answer. The days went by and the end was getting close that he hadn't yet found an answer. Then, on the last day, he went out for a walk and lay down under a tree. There flew two eagles, and the two started to talk between themselves. Dharmapal, who had divine powers and could speak to the animals, overheard them talking about his challenge and they said between themselves the answer. The answer was that the “rasi” resides in the face in the morning, and the chest at midday, and in the feet in the evening. In fact, people were used to washing and scenting the respective parts of the body regularly during the parts of the day. So, the next day, Dharmapal answered correctly and Kabilphrom, was to be beheaded. Before dying, Kabilphrom, knowing that, being a God, a curse from his death would fall on every place where his severed head would fall. As a last wish, he called his seven daughters and ordered them to catch his head before falling. In fact, he explained that, if his severed head would fall on the ground, the entire land would burn down to ashes. If the head would be thrown into the ocean, it'd dry. If the head would be thrown in the air, the heavens would be destroyed. He told his girls to craft a special blessed receptacle, called “Wanfah pedestal”. This receptacle, would be stored in a cave, in a mountain, in the land of the Gods. His daughters would take turns and each should take care of the head for 365 days, before “passing” the duty to the next (this repeats the concept of the Songkran, the passing from one zodiac constellation to the other, the changing of the seasons, the changing of the exposure to the sun of the hemispheres).
As every year the Songkran falls on a different day of the week, the holiday has to celebrate the different Goddess that is taking charge of the management of the severed head. The Goddesses are connected to the days of the week, and they are:
Songkran Goddess
1. Sunday – Tungsa Devi: She wears pomegranate flowers behind her ears. Her gem is ruby. She eats figs. She holds a discus in her right hand and a conch in her left. She rides a garuda.
2. Monday – Korakha Devi: She wears flowers from the Indian cork tree behind her ears. Moonstone is her gem. She has a sword in her right hand and a staff in her left. She eats oil. She rides a tiger.
3. Tuesday – Raksos Devi: She has lotus buds behind her ears. Her gem is agate. She holds a trident in her right hand and a bow in her left. She drinks blood. She rides a pig.
4. Wednesday – Montha Devi: She has champak flowers behind her ears. Cat's eye is her gem. She holds a stylus and a staff. She drinks milk and eats butter. She rides a donkey.
5. Thursday – Kirinee Devi: She wears Magnolia flowers behind her ears. Her gem is emerald and she eats nuts and sesame seeds. She holds an hook and a bow in her hands. She rides an elephant.
6. Friday – Kimitha Devi: She wears waterlilies behind her ears. Topaz is her gem. She eats bananas. A sword is in her right hand and a lute in her left. She rides on a buffalo.
7. Saturday – Mahotorn Devi: She has water hyacinth flowers behind her ears. Blue sapphire is her gem. She eats hog deer meat. She holds a discus and trident in her hands. She rides on a peacock.
On this day, to commemorate the Goddesses many beauty contests for the girls around Thailand are also held.
After visiting the smaller gardens and temples, I decided to leave for the last the bigger one. In fact, the bigger temple, is one of the most famous of all Bangkok. To enter there, on a normal day, you could have to queue, but that day, the Wat Po complex was almost deserted, and I had access without any line. As soon as I entered the temple, I saw him. Lord Buddha was welcoming me with his very peaceful look. Inside this temple, one of the biggest statues in the world of a reclining Buddha is housed. He's absolutely astonishing. The huge statue is covered in gold, and the soles of his feet are made of carving in mother-of-pearl. The size of the statue made me fall silent, when circling around him to see it better from close to. This Buddha statue comes from the ancient city of Ayutthaya. It looks new, as very good restoration works have been done, but it looks like it was made under the reign of king Rama I, the first king of Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand.
After the visit to the big Buddha, I went outside. The sun was low on the western banks of the river, and I had to decide soon my next move.
First impressions, the Wat Po temple, doesn't stand out from the other temples around the city, as it has a very common shape. You can see it in the second picture of this group. Once I had crossed the road before it and I entered the very narrow gate of the temple walls, I found myself in a small courtyard, with before me the façade of a big temple. If you go there in the late afternoon, probably you'll meet many kids playing in the same courtyard as they were brought there by their parents after school. The entrance of the Farangs into the temple is only after the paying of a ticket. The Thais can enter there for free.
The temple looked almost deserted. The Thais there were only few, and the Farangs were even less. It gave a very different feeling in contrast to the unbelievable crowd in the Grand Palace. This wasn't a place of showing-off richness. This was a place, enclosed between thick walls, of peace and spirituality. A place where to sit and meditate. A place where to breath the spirituality.
Once I’d gone through the gate, the guards welcomed me with a smile, and showed me the way where to start the visit. Soon, I learnt that the temple grounds are split into many smaller courtyards. Every courtyard was dedicated to something different. Of course, for a Farang, it can be hard to fully understand everything that appears before he/she in the visit.
When I was there I rushed to the opposite side of the temple grounds, as I wished to see something as soon as I could. Later I could visit all the rest. I took my map in hand and I went through many small doors, steps, among stupas and behind temples.
Then two small building appeared before me. They were absolutely ordinary-looking. You can see them in the fifth picture. In spite of their look, they marked a place very important to me. In fact, that is the place, the house of the Wat Po Thai Massage School. Beside that it's the most important Thai Massage school of all Thailand, that is also the place where the modern Thai Massage was encoded. In fact, the traditional Thai Massage dates from about 2500 years ago. The tradition tells that it was brought to Thailand by the Teacher Doctor Jivaka Khumar Bhaccha, a contemporary of Lord Buddha. Only recently it was felt the need to rediscover the traditional Thai Massage and to blend it with the most advanced medical discoveries. There started a hard work that involved both the search about the earlier traditions of the Thai Massage described in ancient scrolls and bas-reliefs in the archaeological sites. After it, doctors checked if these therapies could be really healthy or dangerous, and kept only the healthy ones. The Wat Po research group did most of the work, but among them there were also other professionals from different regions of Thailand. Among them, there was the Headmistress of the Thai Massage School that I attended in Chiang Mai (TMC School). After the encoding of the new traditional Thai Massage, and the approval from the state, was opened the new Wat Po school, while my Headmistress opened her own school, with the very same principles of the Wat Po one, but in Chiang Mai, to let people all around learn from them. Now only few schools are internationally recognised, and Wat Po along with the TMC School, are two of them.
After this long trip and this search in Bangkok I decided that I couldn't miss the chance of having a real Thai Massage in Wat Po. I took a 45 minutes massage. Let me say that I liked it, even if, on certain spots my massage therapist did it so strong that I almost screamed. Anyway, after it, I felt better than Great.
After the Thai Massage session, I went back to my visit of the temple grounds. There were many things that were worth seeing, so I did on the way back from the massage school, until I met something gorgeous.
There was a square. It was small. In the middle of the square and all around, there was a forest of stupas. They were mostly small, but three very tall ones where standing proud, like wishing to pierce the sky, or maybe to guard us from there, so we couldn't harm the small ones. You can see them in the fourth picture of this group. When I was there, the light was starting to lower, and the place looked even more magical. These stupas are masterpieces. All of them, both the big and the small ones, are covered in flowery patterns. The astonishing thing was that all of them, all the flowers, the geometrical designs along with all the other designs were made of small pieces of porcelain. They weren't properly a mosaic, as they weren't showing flat imagines, but they were coming out of the surface in relief, like real porcelain flower blossoming out of the stupas. You can see some of them in the picture number 6 of this group.
Behind the higher stupas, there were other small gardens. Most of them dedicated to some legends that are known only by the Thais. For example, a gate was named “The Giants gate”, as there are two ancient statues showing two benevolent giants. Near there you can also find a building, near to some libraries, called “The Legend of Songkran”. This legend is quite popular in Thailand and gives the name to the Songkran festival (also known as the Water Festival, as people usually play with water and wet each-other).
The Legend of Songkran
The word Songkran (in Thai สงกรานต์), comes from the Sanskrit and it means something like “Passing through”. The meaning is about the Sun passing from an astrological sign to the other. In this case, is when the Sun moves from Pisces to Aries, and it's around the 13th of April. This is a day of much joy and is celebrated in all Thailand. It also marks the day that the Sun comes back to the northern hemisphere, bringing the new hot season and the monsoons that will bring water to the rice fields.
The legend behind the Songkran dates back in time, to when south east Asia was of mainly Hindu religion. The legend says that, once upon a time, there was a region ruled by the God Indra. In the heavens lived a young celestial being named Dharmapal. He was famous for his wiseness. In the land beneath them, lived a man. He was rich and benevolent. He did all the good that he could, but he was frustrated by the fact, that he couldn't have a son. So, Indra decided to reward him giving him a son, and asked Dharmapal to incarnate as the son of the man. Dharmapal accepted and the rich man had a son.
The old man and his son distinguished themselves for their knowledge and wisdom, until one day another celestial being called Kabilphrom, probably upset by their wisdom, challenged Dharmapal. The challenge consisted of a single question that Kabilphrom would give to Dharmapal. If Dharmapal couldn't answer, he'd be beheaded, while if he answered correctly, it would be Kabilphrom to be beheaded. So, Kabilphrom asked Dharmapal “In which part of the human body does "rasi" reside?” (Rasi means something like “greatness”), and gave him a week to search for an answer. The days went by and the end was getting close that he hadn't yet found an answer. Then, on the last day, he went out for a walk and lay down under a tree. There flew two eagles, and the two started to talk between themselves. Dharmapal, who had divine powers and could speak to the animals, overheard them talking about his challenge and they said between themselves the answer. The answer was that the “rasi” resides in the face in the morning, and the chest at midday, and in the feet in the evening. In fact, people were used to washing and scenting the respective parts of the body regularly during the parts of the day. So, the next day, Dharmapal answered correctly and Kabilphrom, was to be beheaded. Before dying, Kabilphrom, knowing that, being a God, a curse from his death would fall on every place where his severed head would fall. As a last wish, he called his seven daughters and ordered them to catch his head before falling. In fact, he explained that, if his severed head would fall on the ground, the entire land would burn down to ashes. If the head would be thrown into the ocean, it'd dry. If the head would be thrown in the air, the heavens would be destroyed. He told his girls to craft a special blessed receptacle, called “Wanfah pedestal”. This receptacle, would be stored in a cave, in a mountain, in the land of the Gods. His daughters would take turns and each should take care of the head for 365 days, before “passing” the duty to the next (this repeats the concept of the Songkran, the passing from one zodiac constellation to the other, the changing of the seasons, the changing of the exposure to the sun of the hemispheres).
As every year the Songkran falls on a different day of the week, the holiday has to celebrate the different Goddess that is taking charge of the management of the severed head. The Goddesses are connected to the days of the week, and they are:
Songkran Goddess
1. Sunday – Tungsa Devi: She wears pomegranate flowers behind her ears. Her gem is ruby. She eats figs. She holds a discus in her right hand and a conch in her left. She rides a garuda.
2. Monday – Korakha Devi: She wears flowers from the Indian cork tree behind her ears. Moonstone is her gem. She has a sword in her right hand and a staff in her left. She eats oil. She rides a tiger.
3. Tuesday – Raksos Devi: She has lotus buds behind her ears. Her gem is agate. She holds a trident in her right hand and a bow in her left. She drinks blood. She rides a pig.
4. Wednesday – Montha Devi: She has champak flowers behind her ears. Cat's eye is her gem. She holds a stylus and a staff. She drinks milk and eats butter. She rides a donkey.
5. Thursday – Kirinee Devi: She wears Magnolia flowers behind her ears. Her gem is emerald and she eats nuts and sesame seeds. She holds an hook and a bow in her hands. She rides an elephant.
6. Friday – Kimitha Devi: She wears waterlilies behind her ears. Topaz is her gem. She eats bananas. A sword is in her right hand and a lute in her left. She rides on a buffalo.
7. Saturday – Mahotorn Devi: She has water hyacinth flowers behind her ears. Blue sapphire is her gem. She eats hog deer meat. She holds a discus and trident in her hands. She rides on a peacock.
On this day, to commemorate the Goddesses many beauty contests for the girls around Thailand are also held.
After visiting the smaller gardens and temples, I decided to leave for the last the bigger one. In fact, the bigger temple, is one of the most famous of all Bangkok. To enter there, on a normal day, you could have to queue, but that day, the Wat Po complex was almost deserted, and I had access without any line. As soon as I entered the temple, I saw him. Lord Buddha was welcoming me with his very peaceful look. Inside this temple, one of the biggest statues in the world of a reclining Buddha is housed. He's absolutely astonishing. The huge statue is covered in gold, and the soles of his feet are made of carving in mother-of-pearl. The size of the statue made me fall silent, when circling around him to see it better from close to. This Buddha statue comes from the ancient city of Ayutthaya. It looks new, as very good restoration works have been done, but it looks like it was made under the reign of king Rama I, the first king of Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand.
After the visit to the big Buddha, I went outside. The sun was low on the western banks of the river, and I had to decide soon my next move.
Wat Arun – The Temple of the Dawn and the Loi Krathong festival
The Grand Palace and the Wat Po temples are both near the Chao Phraya river. When I came out of the Wat Po temple, the sun was setting. I felt quite tired, and I didn't know what to do. In fact, according to my plans, a temple was left to be seen. I went toward the banks, as I wished to see it, at least, from the distance. I reached a pier and I discovered that the banks were flooded. I kept going to the farthest pier and then I saw it. The Wat Arun, that means “Temple of the Dawn” was standing on the other side of the river. Then, when I was there I checked the price of the fare to the other side of the river. It was 30 Baath, less than 1 Euro. So, I thought, in English “I went this far, let me go all the way!”. I bought a ticket and I sat on a shuttle boat. The sun was low, and painting a crimson sunset behind the Temple of the Dawn. You can see the sunset and the temple in the pictures 1 and 2 of this group.
The crossing is very short, and when I reached the other side, I noticed that there were many people mainly Thais, and a party was being set up. In a moment, I remembered that it was the second night of the Loi Krathong festival. It was a good way to see it well.
I went to the temple and I bought a ticket. The man at the entrance told me to make it short as he needed to close the temple soon. The temple is made of some narrow stupas, but the most amazing thing is that it's all covered with white porcelain and painted porcelain tiles. These tiles are the ones that in the morning give the temple an orange golden glow that makes it look magical. You can see the temple in the pictures 3 and 4 of this group. While I was there also the moon rose and came to join the Loi Krathong party with us.
Usually this festival falls in the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional lunar calendar. In the western calendar it is around November. According to the tradition, the festival could originate from the Hindu festival called Deepavali, where small lanterns are put into the river Ganges to honour the Gange Goddess. It was in 1863 that King Rama IV introduced this festival into Thailand, as a way to honour Lord Buddha. Now the main places where this festival is held are Sukhothai, one of the ancient capitals, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai, where it is also called “Yi Peng”. A particular thing about this festival is also the use of the flying lanterns called “Khom Fai”. These lanterns, thanks to a candle placed beneath them, will fly into the sky. During the Loi Krathong days you can see the sky filled with them, making it look like a bright galaxy of moving stars. Actually, the “Khom Fai” has also become a tourist attraction, and in the most important touristic places, such as Patong Beach, you can often find locals selling these lanterns to the people on the beach.
The Loi Krathong Legend
The Loi Krathong legend is a bit different from what historical files tell us. In fact, it’s like this. ‘The very beautiful Queen Noppamas was a consort of the Sukhothai king Loethai (XIV century) and she was the first to craft a Krathong raft and make it float’. Now many beauty contests in memory of Queen Noppamas are held.
With the Loi Krathong, the Thais are also hoping to be blessed by the Goddess of Water Phra Mae Khongkha (in Thai พระแม่คงคา).
Although the first day is only a reason to go to markets and to have some small party, the second day of the Loi Krathong festival, is usually held near the sea or rivers and is the most important one. As at every party, there is music, foods, games and shows. The most typical thing that somebody can do in this festival, is to buy a “Loi Krathong raft”. These rafts are about an hand wide, and usually are made with wood, flowers, candles and incense. The tradition requires that you light it and the put it in water. The act of pushing it away, is like “pushing away the bad luck”. You can see these rafts in the picture number 6 of this group.
As soon as it became dark, the real show started. Many barges were covered with lights and things and started to pass in front of the people. The show was a competition for the best one. Some of them also had people acting or dancing on them. You can see some of them in the pictures of this group.
I spent a long time watching them, and I took also the chance to eat something there too. I had fun watching the show and the time passed by quite fast.
It was very late when I decided to go back home. Also the Thais were starting to go away. I took a shuttle-boat to the other bank of the river, and then another motorbike taxi back to my hotel.
When I got back to the hotel, I found out that I hadn't booked the next day trip, and the tourist desk of the hotel was already closed. So, I didn't go to my room, but I came back to the streets, and I had hard time in finding an open tourist desk. I passed through kilometres before finding one. Then, by good luck, I found one and I booked a tour to the Bang Pa-In palace and the ancient city of Ayutthaya. I think that I could have managed to make this trip myself, but then, I preferred to take an organised day trip in a way to save some time and cash too.
After this, I again made my way back to the hotel, and when I reached it, I was absolutely exhausted.
The crossing is very short, and when I reached the other side, I noticed that there were many people mainly Thais, and a party was being set up. In a moment, I remembered that it was the second night of the Loi Krathong festival. It was a good way to see it well.
I went to the temple and I bought a ticket. The man at the entrance told me to make it short as he needed to close the temple soon. The temple is made of some narrow stupas, but the most amazing thing is that it's all covered with white porcelain and painted porcelain tiles. These tiles are the ones that in the morning give the temple an orange golden glow that makes it look magical. You can see the temple in the pictures 3 and 4 of this group. While I was there also the moon rose and came to join the Loi Krathong party with us.
Usually this festival falls in the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional lunar calendar. In the western calendar it is around November. According to the tradition, the festival could originate from the Hindu festival called Deepavali, where small lanterns are put into the river Ganges to honour the Gange Goddess. It was in 1863 that King Rama IV introduced this festival into Thailand, as a way to honour Lord Buddha. Now the main places where this festival is held are Sukhothai, one of the ancient capitals, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai, where it is also called “Yi Peng”. A particular thing about this festival is also the use of the flying lanterns called “Khom Fai”. These lanterns, thanks to a candle placed beneath them, will fly into the sky. During the Loi Krathong days you can see the sky filled with them, making it look like a bright galaxy of moving stars. Actually, the “Khom Fai” has also become a tourist attraction, and in the most important touristic places, such as Patong Beach, you can often find locals selling these lanterns to the people on the beach.
The Loi Krathong Legend
The Loi Krathong legend is a bit different from what historical files tell us. In fact, it’s like this. ‘The very beautiful Queen Noppamas was a consort of the Sukhothai king Loethai (XIV century) and she was the first to craft a Krathong raft and make it float’. Now many beauty contests in memory of Queen Noppamas are held.
With the Loi Krathong, the Thais are also hoping to be blessed by the Goddess of Water Phra Mae Khongkha (in Thai พระแม่คงคา).
Although the first day is only a reason to go to markets and to have some small party, the second day of the Loi Krathong festival, is usually held near the sea or rivers and is the most important one. As at every party, there is music, foods, games and shows. The most typical thing that somebody can do in this festival, is to buy a “Loi Krathong raft”. These rafts are about an hand wide, and usually are made with wood, flowers, candles and incense. The tradition requires that you light it and the put it in water. The act of pushing it away, is like “pushing away the bad luck”. You can see these rafts in the picture number 6 of this group.
As soon as it became dark, the real show started. Many barges were covered with lights and things and started to pass in front of the people. The show was a competition for the best one. Some of them also had people acting or dancing on them. You can see some of them in the pictures of this group.
I spent a long time watching them, and I took also the chance to eat something there too. I had fun watching the show and the time passed by quite fast.
It was very late when I decided to go back home. Also the Thais were starting to go away. I took a shuttle-boat to the other bank of the river, and then another motorbike taxi back to my hotel.
When I got back to the hotel, I found out that I hadn't booked the next day trip, and the tourist desk of the hotel was already closed. So, I didn't go to my room, but I came back to the streets, and I had hard time in finding an open tourist desk. I passed through kilometres before finding one. Then, by good luck, I found one and I booked a tour to the Bang Pa-In palace and the ancient city of Ayutthaya. I think that I could have managed to make this trip myself, but then, I preferred to take an organised day trip in a way to save some time and cash too.
After this, I again made my way back to the hotel, and when I reached it, I was absolutely exhausted.
Bang Pa-In – Where the king met a girl
The day of my trip to Bang Pa-In and Ayutthaya I woke up that it was sunrise. I went down to the hotel hall and then I asked where I could have breakfast. The desk guys told me something like they wanted to hide from me the way to some secret treasure but then, in the end, I managed to find it. The secret to finding that room, was that, surprisingly, I had to follow some ancient magical writing saying “Breakfast room” (and then an arrow board showing the way). It was too early and the previous night I had come to the hotel too late to expect that I could manage the heavy duty of finding the breakfast room all by myself. When I reached it, I saw the most beautiful and tasty-looking breakfasts that I had seen for a long time. I was hungry and I did my best at trying all those foods. Later I went back to my room, I took my small backpack, and I went to the hotel hall to wait for a minivan.
The minivan arrived on time, it took little time to gather also the other passengers. Among us there were two old ladies, that I later discovered were sisters. They had the ability to slow everything with their slow walking, and they lacked the ability to stay silent for over 2 seconds straight.
The minivan ride was short as we were taken to a bus parking lot and we were asked to go on one. Inside it was freezing cold. Soon later we left Bangkok, and crossing, first the city, then the suburbs, then again the suburbs and later more suburbs, in the end we reached some country. Once we reached the country, it took a short time to reach the Bang Pa-In palace (in Thai พระราชวังบางปะอิน).
The Bang Pa-In palace is also known as the “Summer Residence” of the king. Unluckily, it looks like it's not anymore used in this way, but only for some happenings and king's parties. The best use is done by Her Majesty the queen Sirikit, as she likes to have many parties for charity. She's very loved in Thailand.
The tour guide of that day told us that the same name Bang Pa-In means something like “Where the king met a girl”. In fact, the legend says that during the times of Ayutthaya, the king during a trip found himself stranded for the night in that area. It wasn't advisable to keep on sailing by night, and he decided to ask for shelter there. In this place he met a beautiful girl and he spent the night with her. In this way, the girl got pregnant and after nine months, she gave birth to a little boy. The king decided to keep the boy and to rise him at court. The boy couldn't become a king, but at least, he could have an easy life at court. Many years later, on his deathbed, the king named his first son as the future king, and the son of the other lady as a prime minister. Soon later the new prime minister decided that the new king wasn't the worth of his father and made an insurrection against the new king. Soon the king fell, he was eventually killed as were the customs of the times, and the prime minister became the new king called Prasat Thong. Soon he took his mother to court as he wished to give her also an easy life. Then, he decided to commemorate the place of the meeting of his parents building a summer palace there. So, he built in 1632, the first Bang Pa-In palace.
This legend could fit into the origins of the place, but the scholars say that after the fall of Ayutthaya the Bang Pa-In palace was abandoned and the parks overgrown. It needed to wait until the second half of 1800 that king Mongkut (king Rama IV) would start some restoration work of the site. Later, king Chulalongkorn (king Rama V) between 1872 and 1889, built the best palaces inside the walls of the Bang Pa-In palace.
In the restyling process, king Chulalongkorn decided to copy as much as he could from the foreign styles. So, when you are there, you can see many small buildings looking like they come straight from different places of the world. For example, just near to the entrance, there is a small shrine looking like an Angkor Wat tower, guarded by two Singha lions. You can see all around parks that look like from Versaille, France. Every single building has its interesting peculiarities. The most interesting of all, is a pond with in the middle a house-like structure which, in its own centre, shelters a statue of the king. You can see it in the picture number 2 of this group. Near there you can also see a colourful Lookout Tower, the same that you can see in the picture 3, and also a bright white Victorian Tearoom on the pond, as you can see in the picture number 4.
The house of the king, where was also built the throne room, is in Chinese style. It's quite near to the Lookout Tower. The house of the king has absolutely beautiful decorations, and it has the colours of the heavens (blue), of the luck (red) and of the prosperity (yellow and gold). You can see it in the picture number 6 of this group. The house isn't very big. People are allowed to visit it. In order to enter, I had to take my shoes off, and to wait in a small queue. Inside it's forbidden to take pictures and all the time guards were following me. The tour is short as you can only see the throne room, and then you can go upstairs to peer into the private rooms of the king from a corridor.
When I got outside of the house of the king, I started to make my way back. At the same time, I had the chance to see from far another building that looked like it came from New Orleans, where were also attended private Jazz concerts for the king.
I came back to the bus perfectly in time, but we still had to wait for some late people. When they came, we left the beautiful Bang Pa-In palace, and we went to the ancient capital.
The minivan arrived on time, it took little time to gather also the other passengers. Among us there were two old ladies, that I later discovered were sisters. They had the ability to slow everything with their slow walking, and they lacked the ability to stay silent for over 2 seconds straight.
The minivan ride was short as we were taken to a bus parking lot and we were asked to go on one. Inside it was freezing cold. Soon later we left Bangkok, and crossing, first the city, then the suburbs, then again the suburbs and later more suburbs, in the end we reached some country. Once we reached the country, it took a short time to reach the Bang Pa-In palace (in Thai พระราชวังบางปะอิน).
The Bang Pa-In palace is also known as the “Summer Residence” of the king. Unluckily, it looks like it's not anymore used in this way, but only for some happenings and king's parties. The best use is done by Her Majesty the queen Sirikit, as she likes to have many parties for charity. She's very loved in Thailand.
The tour guide of that day told us that the same name Bang Pa-In means something like “Where the king met a girl”. In fact, the legend says that during the times of Ayutthaya, the king during a trip found himself stranded for the night in that area. It wasn't advisable to keep on sailing by night, and he decided to ask for shelter there. In this place he met a beautiful girl and he spent the night with her. In this way, the girl got pregnant and after nine months, she gave birth to a little boy. The king decided to keep the boy and to rise him at court. The boy couldn't become a king, but at least, he could have an easy life at court. Many years later, on his deathbed, the king named his first son as the future king, and the son of the other lady as a prime minister. Soon later the new prime minister decided that the new king wasn't the worth of his father and made an insurrection against the new king. Soon the king fell, he was eventually killed as were the customs of the times, and the prime minister became the new king called Prasat Thong. Soon he took his mother to court as he wished to give her also an easy life. Then, he decided to commemorate the place of the meeting of his parents building a summer palace there. So, he built in 1632, the first Bang Pa-In palace.
This legend could fit into the origins of the place, but the scholars say that after the fall of Ayutthaya the Bang Pa-In palace was abandoned and the parks overgrown. It needed to wait until the second half of 1800 that king Mongkut (king Rama IV) would start some restoration work of the site. Later, king Chulalongkorn (king Rama V) between 1872 and 1889, built the best palaces inside the walls of the Bang Pa-In palace.
In the restyling process, king Chulalongkorn decided to copy as much as he could from the foreign styles. So, when you are there, you can see many small buildings looking like they come straight from different places of the world. For example, just near to the entrance, there is a small shrine looking like an Angkor Wat tower, guarded by two Singha lions. You can see all around parks that look like from Versaille, France. Every single building has its interesting peculiarities. The most interesting of all, is a pond with in the middle a house-like structure which, in its own centre, shelters a statue of the king. You can see it in the picture number 2 of this group. Near there you can also see a colourful Lookout Tower, the same that you can see in the picture 3, and also a bright white Victorian Tearoom on the pond, as you can see in the picture number 4.
The house of the king, where was also built the throne room, is in Chinese style. It's quite near to the Lookout Tower. The house of the king has absolutely beautiful decorations, and it has the colours of the heavens (blue), of the luck (red) and of the prosperity (yellow and gold). You can see it in the picture number 6 of this group. The house isn't very big. People are allowed to visit it. In order to enter, I had to take my shoes off, and to wait in a small queue. Inside it's forbidden to take pictures and all the time guards were following me. The tour is short as you can only see the throne room, and then you can go upstairs to peer into the private rooms of the king from a corridor.
When I got outside of the house of the king, I started to make my way back. At the same time, I had the chance to see from far another building that looked like it came from New Orleans, where were also attended private Jazz concerts for the king.
I came back to the bus perfectly in time, but we still had to wait for some late people. When they came, we left the beautiful Bang Pa-In palace, and we went to the ancient capital.
Ayutthaya – The Invincible One
Near the Bang Pa In palace lies one of the most important heritages of all Thailand. Along the Chao Phraya river, once upon a time, lay a very rich and powerful city. It’s same name identified both the same city as invincible, and also gave the name to the same kingdom. The rich Ayutthaya, the invincible one, was near to where I was. And I needed to go and see it.
The city of Ayutthaya, which full name is “Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya” (in Thai พระนครศรีอยุธยา) is also the capital of its own province, where also lies the Bang Pa-In palace.
After the visit to the Bang Pa-In palace, we got on the bus, and soon we left to visit Ayutthaya. The trip is short, and soon we reached the Ayutthaya area.
The city of Ayutthaya was built under heavy influence from the Hindu religion. Also the Khmers, that occupied these lands for a very long time, influenced this area with their own customs. It was probably in that time, that the heavy influence of these cultures, inspired the name of the city. By the time that in Kampuchea the capital Angkor Thom was at its peak, in Thailand a massive immigration was bringing people from the Chinese Yunnan, fleeing from the Mongolians of the Khans. They first settled themselves in the far north, where they established their capital in Sukhothai, but soon later, the prince Uthong lead them southward, and established the new capital where now is Ayutthaya, with him as the legitimate king, named Rama Thibordi I, in 1350.
The exodus of the first Thais, the contact with the more advanced Khmers and the choice of a new religion, brought these people to learn about many of the Hindu myths, among them, one of the most important ones, the Ramayana (in Thai “Ramakien”). This is the tale about the Hindu king Rama (in sanskrit राम) in a long battle to rescue his beloved woman. This hero, was also the king of a city called Ayodhya, that means "The invincible one". In memory of the tales of king Rama in the Ramayana, the prince UThong, named himself king Rama Thibordi I and his city “Ayodhya”. Later the name, from Ayodhya, became Ayutthaya.
The Khmers, that reached their expansion in these lands under the reign of the glorious king Jayavarman VII, also influenced the Thais in their costumes and architecture. Inside the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat, in Kampuchea, you can see a bas-relief with king Suryavarman II marching with Thai mercenaries at his side. This means, that there wasn't, at least in the beginning, a real clash between the Thais and Khmers, but was more likely a reconcilement and many contacts. Later, as the Khmers weakened in this region, the Thais took control of the area with prince UThong, and the settlement of the new capital, Ayutthaya.
If you look at the area from the sky, you could notice that the ground where the ancient city rose looks like an island. In fact, the city itself, rose where is the conjunction of three different rivers: the Lop Buri river, the Pa Sak river and the Chao Phraya river. In our days, there are two main areas where you can find the most of the temples. They are:
1. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet areas;
2. Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas.
With the bus we reached first the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet areas. A huge parking lot allows the buses and minivans to park without problems. From the parking lot, with a very short walk, we reached the outsides of the archaeological park, where also lies a beautiful modern Buddhist temple with a huge sitting Buddha statue inside. Most of the people usually go straight to the gates of the archaeological park, but this temple is worth a visit.
From the outside of the archaeological park, we could only see the modern walls that enclose it. Many high trees shelter the temples behind with their branches and leaves. But from behind that green and generous curtain, we could still see the tops of three stupas, like three brothers that, curious, stretch their necks to look from far at those people that made such a long way to come to them.
As soon as we entered the archaeological park, we found ourselves before the three stupas. You can see them in the picture number 2 of this group. These stupas were built by a king for himself and his two sons. Just beside them, lies the remains of the ancient Grand Palace. Actually, when the Burmese army invaded this area, they did an absolutely destructive work, and now are mostly left ruins to be looked at. Beside this consideration, the place is magical, and if feels like drenched in the history itself. It's common to stop for some seconds in the ancient streets and to try to imagine how it probably looked when the city was alive. All around these streets now are scattered ancient statues of Lord Buddha, but most of them have been badly damaged or beheaded.
Soon later we were called back by our guide, and we left this place, to go more deeply into the island. In fact, in the middle of it, there is a lake. Near this lake lies the second important place, the Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas.
To reach this second area, we took a long way round, that lead us to a small lake in the centre of the ancient Ayutthaya. It's not a very big lake, but it looks more like a group of ponds. We went through them using some wooden bridges, and we reached the entrance for this area.
The Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas are the most spectacular ones. In fact, as you can see in the pictures 3, 5, 6 and 7 in this area we saw many stupas and ancient buildings. Here the restoration work was much better than in the previous areas. The most impressive things were that the architecture looked much more influenced by the Khmer than in the previous areas. Moreover, this area is also scattered thoroughly with Lord Buddha's statues. You can see hundreds of them, and some are also inside the walls of the stupas. It was amazing to wander around there.
One more interesting thing was that, in this area, there is also a very beautiful shrine. In fact, there is a tree on which, long time ago, somebody placed an head of a Lord Buddha statue, just not to lay it on the ground. With time, the tree has grown around the head and now it looks like it’s hugging the head. Or perhaps, the tree really is hugging the lord Buddha's head. This place is a real shrine, and you can see many people praying there. You can see it in the picture 4 of this group. The same scene is very common in Bangkok postcards too. So, it was really beautiful to go and actually see it.
We took our time wandering around the archaeological park, and I felt like I needed more time to see it carefully. I missed my schedules from Kampuchea that had allowed me to stay in those beautiful places as long as I wished. Anyway, this trip was worth the visit to this ancient city.
Later came the time to go back. We made our way back through the ponds, to our bus. On the way back, I also bought some fresh mango to eat. I definitely love that fruit. An American lady came to me and asked “But is good that thing there?” pointing to my Mango. I answered “Yes, it’s lovely”, and she replied “Are you sure? I don’t know if to buy it…”, so I replied to go and take some, but then she didn’t. On the way back, I had again time to glance some more at the wonderful city of Ayutthaya. Perhaps, a long time ago, an invader army set it aflame, and apparently made it fall. But then, Ayutthaya, the invincible one, won his battle against the centuries, and now it came back from its own ashes to shine again, and to tell us stories of an ancient past.
Our bus left Ayutthaya on time, and we were taken to a ferry. Where we were asked to go over. Our trip was also inclusive of a lunch on the way back to Bangkok sailing on the Chao Phraya river. On the boat, while having a really good typical lunch, I met some engineers from Khuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They told me that they had gone to Bangkok for a conference of sewer system engineers, but they were mostly impressed by the European systems. While hearing them, I felt quite proud of the Italian sewer system. Then, they started to tell me many details and I lost the track a bit of what they were saying. I also thought to suggest they go and take a look at the sewer system of Patong Beach, but then I decided to steer the conversation to something more easy.
After the lunch, I went to the outside of the boat, and I sat on the fore part, taking some sun and watching Bangkok, first getting closer, and then to slide slowly at the sides of the river. You can see it in the pictures 8 and 9 of this group. It was there, with the gentle breeze, the hot sun and relaxing that I understood that it was my last trip in Thailand for that trip. Bangkok went by slowly like saying a “see you again” to me. For sure I told her those words.
The boat brought us in at one of the most beautiful places on the Riverside. It wasn't far from the Wat Po temple, and the hotels around there were absolutely gorgeous.
A minivan was waiting for us, and it took short time to bring us back to our hotels. The crazy traffic in Bangkok was confusing. After I got out of the minivan, I still had time to wander around a bit and then I went back to the hotel.
In the hotel I packed one more time my backpacks. This time I had to take a very long trip. The trip that would bring me back to my country. Back to my world. I left both Kampuchea and Thailand thousands kilometres distant from me, but, thanks to the beautiful emotions that I had from them, they'll be forever close to me in my memories.
The city of Ayutthaya, which full name is “Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya” (in Thai พระนครศรีอยุธยา) is also the capital of its own province, where also lies the Bang Pa-In palace.
After the visit to the Bang Pa-In palace, we got on the bus, and soon we left to visit Ayutthaya. The trip is short, and soon we reached the Ayutthaya area.
The city of Ayutthaya was built under heavy influence from the Hindu religion. Also the Khmers, that occupied these lands for a very long time, influenced this area with their own customs. It was probably in that time, that the heavy influence of these cultures, inspired the name of the city. By the time that in Kampuchea the capital Angkor Thom was at its peak, in Thailand a massive immigration was bringing people from the Chinese Yunnan, fleeing from the Mongolians of the Khans. They first settled themselves in the far north, where they established their capital in Sukhothai, but soon later, the prince Uthong lead them southward, and established the new capital where now is Ayutthaya, with him as the legitimate king, named Rama Thibordi I, in 1350.
The exodus of the first Thais, the contact with the more advanced Khmers and the choice of a new religion, brought these people to learn about many of the Hindu myths, among them, one of the most important ones, the Ramayana (in Thai “Ramakien”). This is the tale about the Hindu king Rama (in sanskrit राम) in a long battle to rescue his beloved woman. This hero, was also the king of a city called Ayodhya, that means "The invincible one". In memory of the tales of king Rama in the Ramayana, the prince UThong, named himself king Rama Thibordi I and his city “Ayodhya”. Later the name, from Ayodhya, became Ayutthaya.
The Khmers, that reached their expansion in these lands under the reign of the glorious king Jayavarman VII, also influenced the Thais in their costumes and architecture. Inside the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat, in Kampuchea, you can see a bas-relief with king Suryavarman II marching with Thai mercenaries at his side. This means, that there wasn't, at least in the beginning, a real clash between the Thais and Khmers, but was more likely a reconcilement and many contacts. Later, as the Khmers weakened in this region, the Thais took control of the area with prince UThong, and the settlement of the new capital, Ayutthaya.
If you look at the area from the sky, you could notice that the ground where the ancient city rose looks like an island. In fact, the city itself, rose where is the conjunction of three different rivers: the Lop Buri river, the Pa Sak river and the Chao Phraya river. In our days, there are two main areas where you can find the most of the temples. They are:
1. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet areas;
2. Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas.
With the bus we reached first the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet areas. A huge parking lot allows the buses and minivans to park without problems. From the parking lot, with a very short walk, we reached the outsides of the archaeological park, where also lies a beautiful modern Buddhist temple with a huge sitting Buddha statue inside. Most of the people usually go straight to the gates of the archaeological park, but this temple is worth a visit.
From the outside of the archaeological park, we could only see the modern walls that enclose it. Many high trees shelter the temples behind with their branches and leaves. But from behind that green and generous curtain, we could still see the tops of three stupas, like three brothers that, curious, stretch their necks to look from far at those people that made such a long way to come to them.
As soon as we entered the archaeological park, we found ourselves before the three stupas. You can see them in the picture number 2 of this group. These stupas were built by a king for himself and his two sons. Just beside them, lies the remains of the ancient Grand Palace. Actually, when the Burmese army invaded this area, they did an absolutely destructive work, and now are mostly left ruins to be looked at. Beside this consideration, the place is magical, and if feels like drenched in the history itself. It's common to stop for some seconds in the ancient streets and to try to imagine how it probably looked when the city was alive. All around these streets now are scattered ancient statues of Lord Buddha, but most of them have been badly damaged or beheaded.
Soon later we were called back by our guide, and we left this place, to go more deeply into the island. In fact, in the middle of it, there is a lake. Near this lake lies the second important place, the Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas.
To reach this second area, we took a long way round, that lead us to a small lake in the centre of the ancient Ayutthaya. It's not a very big lake, but it looks more like a group of ponds. We went through them using some wooden bridges, and we reached the entrance for this area.
The Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Mahathat areas are the most spectacular ones. In fact, as you can see in the pictures 3, 5, 6 and 7 in this area we saw many stupas and ancient buildings. Here the restoration work was much better than in the previous areas. The most impressive things were that the architecture looked much more influenced by the Khmer than in the previous areas. Moreover, this area is also scattered thoroughly with Lord Buddha's statues. You can see hundreds of them, and some are also inside the walls of the stupas. It was amazing to wander around there.
One more interesting thing was that, in this area, there is also a very beautiful shrine. In fact, there is a tree on which, long time ago, somebody placed an head of a Lord Buddha statue, just not to lay it on the ground. With time, the tree has grown around the head and now it looks like it’s hugging the head. Or perhaps, the tree really is hugging the lord Buddha's head. This place is a real shrine, and you can see many people praying there. You can see it in the picture 4 of this group. The same scene is very common in Bangkok postcards too. So, it was really beautiful to go and actually see it.
We took our time wandering around the archaeological park, and I felt like I needed more time to see it carefully. I missed my schedules from Kampuchea that had allowed me to stay in those beautiful places as long as I wished. Anyway, this trip was worth the visit to this ancient city.
Later came the time to go back. We made our way back through the ponds, to our bus. On the way back, I also bought some fresh mango to eat. I definitely love that fruit. An American lady came to me and asked “But is good that thing there?” pointing to my Mango. I answered “Yes, it’s lovely”, and she replied “Are you sure? I don’t know if to buy it…”, so I replied to go and take some, but then she didn’t. On the way back, I had again time to glance some more at the wonderful city of Ayutthaya. Perhaps, a long time ago, an invader army set it aflame, and apparently made it fall. But then, Ayutthaya, the invincible one, won his battle against the centuries, and now it came back from its own ashes to shine again, and to tell us stories of an ancient past.
Our bus left Ayutthaya on time, and we were taken to a ferry. Where we were asked to go over. Our trip was also inclusive of a lunch on the way back to Bangkok sailing on the Chao Phraya river. On the boat, while having a really good typical lunch, I met some engineers from Khuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They told me that they had gone to Bangkok for a conference of sewer system engineers, but they were mostly impressed by the European systems. While hearing them, I felt quite proud of the Italian sewer system. Then, they started to tell me many details and I lost the track a bit of what they were saying. I also thought to suggest they go and take a look at the sewer system of Patong Beach, but then I decided to steer the conversation to something more easy.
After the lunch, I went to the outside of the boat, and I sat on the fore part, taking some sun and watching Bangkok, first getting closer, and then to slide slowly at the sides of the river. You can see it in the pictures 8 and 9 of this group. It was there, with the gentle breeze, the hot sun and relaxing that I understood that it was my last trip in Thailand for that trip. Bangkok went by slowly like saying a “see you again” to me. For sure I told her those words.
The boat brought us in at one of the most beautiful places on the Riverside. It wasn't far from the Wat Po temple, and the hotels around there were absolutely gorgeous.
A minivan was waiting for us, and it took short time to bring us back to our hotels. The crazy traffic in Bangkok was confusing. After I got out of the minivan, I still had time to wander around a bit and then I went back to the hotel.
In the hotel I packed one more time my backpacks. This time I had to take a very long trip. The trip that would bring me back to my country. Back to my world. I left both Kampuchea and Thailand thousands kilometres distant from me, but, thanks to the beautiful emotions that I had from them, they'll be forever close to me in my memories.
The overview of a beautiful trip
This trip between Kampuchea and Thailand was really beautiful for me. I loved to see so many places and to meet so many people too. Looking back, I see that it was somehow also dangerous, but it was worth it. I learnt much from these places and people, far more beyond that I could imagine, and I'm glad that I did it.
I decided to close this Travel Diary with a picture from Raya Island, one of the most beautiful places where I've ever been. I still have great memories of this trip, and I hope that I gave some good feelings about my trip to you too.
I decided to close this Travel Diary with a picture from Raya Island, one of the most beautiful places where I've ever been. I still have great memories of this trip, and I hope that I gave some good feelings about my trip to you too.