We started our first day of proper touring with a walking tour of the back alleys of Bangkok. Our tour guide Simon grew up in the neighbourhood so led us through a maze of tiny walkways, little India, the turtle temple (with about 100 resident turtles), the Temple of Dawn, and Chinatown. It was fascinating to see an area where we never saw another foreigner since Lonely Planet clearly skipped that part in the guidebook. He also took us to the temple he attended as a child and gave us a crash course in Buddhism and the role of monks in society. It was definitely my favourite part. Like most religions, the opulence of the building was sublime, if not a little over the top.
We continued on with lunch on the waterfront and then a canal tour of the Chao Phraya river on a longboat, which is a long boat (duh) with a 100 hp diesel truck motor on the back with an extention of the crankshaft as the propeller. Resourceful people, these Thais. Despite her nervousness Mom managed to get in and out off the ferries and boats without falling in, though we did get a little splash now and then which made me thankful my Hepatitis A shot was up to date. We had a really interesting day and I was happy to have learned a lot more about Bangkok and some of the cultural complexities. Plus, Simon is a fantastic guide and manages to anticipate our needs, even materializing frozen faceclothes just when we're feeling the heat.
Next stop ... Chiang Mai in the North.
We continued on with lunch on the waterfront and then a canal tour of the Chao Phraya river on a longboat, which is a long boat (duh) with a 100 hp diesel truck motor on the back with an extention of the crankshaft as the propeller. Resourceful people, these Thais. Despite her nervousness Mom managed to get in and out off the ferries and boats without falling in, though we did get a little splash now and then which made me thankful my Hepatitis A shot was up to date. We had a really interesting day and I was happy to have learned a lot more about Bangkok and some of the cultural complexities. Plus, Simon is a fantastic guide and manages to anticipate our needs, even materializing frozen faceclothes just when we're feeling the heat.
Next stop ... Chiang Mai in the North.
1 comment:
Okay, I recognize Marilee, Tonya and Kim....hmmm, Tonya you are looking dark, short and stubby, better get back to Vancouver.
Perhaps written by a group participant, but maybe not.
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