I’ll put a bit of a pause on trying to catch up on my 1995 journey, I’m almost there with India, just got Varanasi to go, but I’d like to focus on where we’re at right now – Thailand.
Well, we’re on the Island of Koh Chang, in some jungle restaurant where our very basic jungle bungalow is, listening to bird and monkey sounds, with a relatively cool breeze (especially compared to the hellish April heat of Bangkok) recovering from a night of BBQ, weed and massage after spending a few days in Bangkok visiting the temples of Wat Phra Kaew (AKA the Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun, then a day trip to Ayutthaya plus the Lollipop Marijuana Dispensary around Khao San Road.
That sentence probably needed a few full stops.
So Bangkok. It’s flipping hot in April. 38 degrees maximums everyday we were there with the temperature barely getting below 28 any night. Who is crazy enough to travel to Thailand at this time of year? Looking around, there were plenty of us!
Our first day we headed to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha – but also includes the Grand Palace). Despite the heat, it literally blew our minds. We managed to accidentally time it so we could start a free tour at 10 am. But before even getting into the temple we had to cover up to show respect to the holy location. My wife was fine with her shirt and long pants, but I, with my shorts, had to buy the common Thai elephant pants you see tourists everywhere wearing to temples. You can buy these just inside the gate for 200 baht, you can get them cheaper at the nearby markets along the river so perhaps drop off there first if you want to save yourself 50-80 baht. You can get hats there as well, which I wished I’d done before going on the two-hour tour, the top of my head has never baked so much in the sun, it felt like a cheese toastie under a grill. I had to run between the temple buildings, seeking what little shade I could.
Many superlatives for Wat Phra Kaew, being Bangkok’s number one tourist attraction there’s little I have to add apart from a few pictures I have here. There’s more on my instagram: greenpaddocks.
The next day we headed to Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun – which is across the river from Wat Pho. Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho are pretty close to each other, and an easy walk (not so easy in the heat mind you) and ferry ride from Khao San Road. Then the ferry should cost around 30 Baht each and you can get tickets from the wares, just tell them where you want to go and hand over the cash and they sort you out on the right boat. Can’t remember the name of the pier closest to Khaosan Road and it’s hidden away down a little alleyway so good luck finding it! Best to search the directions on google maps then zoom in on the river for your closest stop. My wife says it’s stop 13! And the stop for Wat Phra Kaew is possibly number 9, like that great Yoko Ono/ John Lennon song, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9.
The temple of the Emerald Buddha is a place of quiet contemplation. One of the few places you can’t take photos so you can just sit quietly and look at the walls and the very small emerald Buddha. I find I get a lot more out of just looking than taking photos (I have a complaint about the attitude of others further down!). The thing to remember at these temples is that they are actively used by the Thai, so in amongst the tour groups and millions of cameras you also have Thai Buddhists coming along to take refuge in the Buddha, in the Sangha, in the Damma (the Buddha, community and the truth as told by the Buddha).
The next day we headed to the reclining Buddha, Wat Pho. Again with the photos I won’t sort them out yet as we took heaps of live pictures and they don’t upload easy, again, check out my Instagram page/ site, whatever you call it.
At Wat Pho, I first went to the toilet, which is usually uneventful, but this time I walked in and stood at the urinal and suddenly some dude was massaging the back of my neck, I was halfway through peeing so I didn’t stop and turn around until I was done and there was some guy asking for money. Now it should be red flags when a guy comes up and massages you in the toilet while you’re doing a pee. And yes, the guy was searching my backpack as I peed which I didn’t notice until I went out, he didn’t find anything but bottles of water. So, word of advice, don’t keep anything more valuable in your backpack than bottles of water, and, perhaps more importantly, before you go for a pee – guys of course but similar for women – check that there is no one else in the toilets, just have a quick scan, and then if you’re a guy peeing while standing, pee so you can see the rest of the toilets. Look, the massage was pretty good so I’m not sure why the pickpocketing thief doesn’t just go get a legit job doing that, but anyway, life choices. We watched the guy following many other tourists in the morning from behind trying to get into their backpacks, so, just water and clothes in backpacks, no wallets, money, phones – because one day you’ll be tired and you’ll turn and before you know it, it’ll be gone! Impermanence, just like the Buddha said!
Like Wat Phra Kaew there are active temples used by Thai Buddhists. My wife and I sat there at one in Wat Pho where buddhist monks were chanting and praying, but unlike Wat Phra Kaew’s temple of the Emerald Buddha, you can take photos at this place, so after a few minutes of peace we had people barging in, cameras already going filming video blogs, taking photos, including with very noisy cameras. The monks didn’t seem to be disturbed, but, Buddha give me strength, I found the whole thing annoying and when a tourist fresh from a cruise ship stood over me ignoring my presence below I pushed him off and waved him away. He didn’t care, the photo is more important. Before I blew my top in front of the Buddha I ran out and waited outside while my wife continued her quiet contemplation.
I had a similar experience in the hall containing the giant golden reclining Buddha. I was standing quietly contemplating the statue, as far into a corner I could be, when a German guy, fresh off a giant cruise ship said, ‘can you please move? I want to take a photo’, and I shrugged my shoulders and said, ‘no, I came to look, not take photos’, and very sarcastically the guy said ‘thanks’, his face reflecting the tragedy of not getting a photo. Tourists suck, including me. One day into our round the world tour and I can see we can see photos are what’s driving us now and we can’t enjoy things without getting a pic. The more ‘no photo’ signs around the better.
I’m in no way superior to these run in and click and run out type of tourists. I know the people I find annoying are just people not necessarily trying to be annoying, they are just people trying to take millions and millions of photos without looking at a single thing. It’s not exactly a new phenomenon, and I need to learn patience. This is just the world. As they said in my vipassana meditation courses. You can either complain about the heat, or you can take out an umbrella and protect yourself from the sun. Still rules to help us all enhance our travel experiences without always trying to catch it forever, wouldn’t go astray. Everything is impermanent, these words, your pictures, ourselves. We all arise and then pass away. Not accepting impermanence leads to people like me being annoyed at tourists in front of golden Buddha statues and people like the German being annoyed at people like me who won’t step out of the way of a golden Buddha for him to take a photo with his wife in front of the golden Buddha because he’s rushing around for the three hours the giant tour ship give him in Bangkok. And I got a great photo of the giant Buddha without anyone in front of it ;).
And with that display of hypocrisy, and attempt at insight, that’s almost as much blogging as I’ll do today. Later in the day, like I flagged above, I went to the Lollipop Marijuana Dispensary and bought marijuana for the first time in my life – legally! That’s a big leap from the Buddist musings and breaks one of the five central precepts of Buddhism: abstaining from getting intoxicated. I know, I know. I’ll work on it. But from a law and order perspective legalising weed is a good move. Being the son of an alcoholic I can tell you legally available alcohol causes many more problems than weed. But just as I wouldn’t support banning beer, I don’t support banning weed. Back in 1995 I could have been thrown in jail for smoking weed. Too many people have gone to jail for smoking and selling weed. Sure, regulate it but use your resources for better things. We have ways of living like Buddhism and its five precepts, which are, roughly: abstain from killing; abstain from stealing; abstain from lying (and gossiping); abstain from sexual misconduct; and yes, abstain from getting intoxicated! These are great, and some are much easier to keep than others, like the first four ones – apart from gossiping, I looooove to gossip – but you know, for sure give up drinking and smoking weed, but we’ve seen what problems we have when we make these things completely illegal! We’re not perfect.
And here’s a plug for Lollipop! Great service at a reasonable price! And again, applause to the Thai government for trying something different, I hope despite some teething problems they continue allowing recreational weed use with strict regulations!
The next evening, after our day trip to Ayutthaya, I got stoned and posted pictures of myself on Instagram buying weed, because you know what, it’s legal, so go blow it out your bum if you’re worried LOL 😉 I’ll write more about Ayutthaya and Koh Chang in the next few blogs, and I may, at some stage, get around to finishing off the earlier 1995 blog about India, and also my last time in Thailand on an Island. Mental note for me as I’m liable to forget.
And yes, the pants are super