I've been in Bangkok for about 5 days now and I hate to say it, but it hasn't been the most enjoyable part of the journey. Mainly because for the past few days I've been feeling so terribly sick. But, a doctors trip and blood test proved Malaria is negative so that is good. I've already been feeling better today, but yesterday was awful.
So let's see, the things I have done while I've been in Bangkok. Saw more temples.
Me and Pete went to Wat Pho which the home of the reclining buddha and the birthplace of Thai massage. There is a school for thai massage there. We really enjoyed it there. I felt very calm and at ease sitting there in front of a large golden Buddha in one of the temples. It was quiet, and not too many visitors. At one point a school group of about 45 kids probably around 8 years old filed in a put their hands together and bent down to the floor three times, and is typical prayer fashion. I was able to think and reflect on what we had done, and what was ahead for me there, I really liked that.
Then we walked over to a different temple building that houses the famous reclining Buddha that is representative of the Buddha entering Nirvana. Very cool, even though it is very busy, it's still a sight to see.
Then it was time for me to receive a phone call from my friend Tar at AYC on the status of when my paperwork would be ready to take on a border trip to apply for a new visa- I was in luck- it will be ready on Tuesday, September 14th so that I can make my next trip to Chiang Mai, spend a few weeks there touring and working on the farm I'd planned to work on and then from there take a trip to Laos to spend a few days for the visa. If all goes well this is the plan.
At that point though, around 5pm when we were sitting at the edge of the temple complex, the clock was nearly striking midnight and me and Pete's adventures in Thailand together would come to a close. His flight was due to leave at 11pm that night, so we only had time for one more meal together and a few beers at my guesthouse.
Then, as quick as it all started, his taxi came and he was off to the airport. I was alone in Bangkok, oh my goodness. Of course I cried, I didn't know what else to do! But after a while, I was alright. I knew this time was going to come, so I was a little prepared for it.
Since then, I have done some adventuring by myself until I was too sick to manage wandering around. So the next day I walked around to some other temples and took in the sights. It was the Queen's Birthday, so there were garlands everywhere and many people at the temples. Then I ventured to Khao San Road, which is a pretty famous backpacker stop and home to a very lively night market. The street is closed off to traffic, only pedestrians- and everyone is out and about. Music is blaring from the bars and restaurants, all sorts of vendors are out selling everything from fruit shakes to sneakers, and it can be a bit overwhelming. I did a little research though, and found out there are some bookstores on Khao San Road, amidst the chaos. I was desperately looking for a fiction book to keep me busy. I really enjoy my book about getting kids into nature and how important nature is for our development and sanity- but it's just not cutting it right now!
So of course I spent my time in the little book stalls. I found a paperback version of the hobbit for a few bucks and I was sold. Me and Peter had just been talking about that book, so I figured I had to get it. And I'm enjoying it thoroughly so far!
The next day I took the express boat down to the Grand Palace where the Jade Buddha sits. The Grand Palace is home to many museums and collections, as well as private buildings that are for government use only. I think at one point the King used to live within the Grand Palace complex, but now he lives more north of the Grand Palace. The parts that are open to the public are the temple with the Emerald Buddha (which is actually Jade, but the legend goes that when it was first discovered it was thought to be Emerald), the large gold chedi, and the extensive murals of the Ramayana. There are other smaller temples within the complex, such as a royal masoleum, but many of these temples are not open to walk through. That was a little disappointing. The Jade Buddha is smaller than most buddha statues and smaller than you might expect, but it is still rather impressive. The temple sees a lot of traffic, so it wasn't as quiet as other temples, but it is known as one of the holiest places in Bangkok. I sat for quite a while just to be still and think, and that was nice.
It's amazing that in such a frenetic city, great solitude and quiet can be found inside the temple walls. Even in the busiest parts of town, once you step into a temple, the noise and chaos seems to melt away. It's so comforting to have that kind of quiet of mind and spirit. Because no matter where else you are in Bangkok, there is always a lot of noise and people everywhere.
That pretty much brings me up to date. I was going to go to the popular Chatuchak or "JJ" market on Sunday because it's only a weekend market, but that's when my troubles began. I had just made a friend, a French woman, and we planned to make our way there together, and then the next morning I had to back out. I was pretty bummed.
But tomorrow I meet with Tar at AYC again and hopefully collect my papers for my visa. Then we'll see what the afternoon brings, if I feel like getting out and about much. Then I leave Wednesday morning for Chiang Mai via train.
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