A Slower Pace

We had decided last night not to get up at the crack of dawn.  We have been rushing out each morning to avoid the sweltering heat of the day.   But we are all ready to wake up without rushing.  We took our time this morning.  Melissa, Chinda and Yves left around 9 a.m. to visit a relative.  Yves was in a delightful mood this morning!

Matt and I took our time and then headed out so I could visit the ATM.  Since we were already out we decided to walk and experience our neighborhood.  It’s a happening place with lots of interesting things to see.

We found a natural medicine pharmacy and paid a visit.  I have a bad cold that is disturbing my sleep.  I got three different products to help me get rid of it.  We realized we were both hungry so we headed inside the Terminal 21 mall near our Airbnb.  We were in search of something we could grab and eat.  The place is set up like it is an airplane terminal and every escalator ride to the next floor delivers you into another “city”.  We visited Rome, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, San Francisco city, San Francisco Pier and the top level was Los Angeles/Hollywood where you could go to the movie theatre.  It was kitsch at its finest. 

We ate Japanese food at a little fast food spot where they give you a food server’s glove to eat your chicken wings.  It wasn’t great but we were bordering on being hangry.

Matt has been wearing a pair of flip flops he left out in the rain and they shrunk.  His heel hangs over the back of the shoe.  So we went shoe shopping while in the mall.  He found some shoes that will work well when we hit the beach in Krabi later this month.  I think they look like robot shoes.

We traveled back down the escalators through the same travel destinations and headed back out into the heat.  I had told Matt I would love to ride in a tuktuk since Yves was not with us.  He bargained the driver down a bit and Matt hopped in.  I would like to say that I hopped in, as well.  I had no idea I would have to make a colossal step up while keeping my head down so as not to hit the roof of the tuktuk.  My knee replacements did not leave me with great bending ability.  I got onto the floor and with the help of Matt and the driver got my butt onto the seat. How embarrassing!  But the ride was delicious!  With the breeze through the open air vehicle it wasn’t unbearably hot.  I wasn’t expecting the photos of half naked women on the ceiling of the tuktuk.  That was a surprise.

When Melissa, Chinda and Yves returned we made plans for the rest of the day.  We took a Grab to Wat Arun, when translated means Temple of the Dawn.  It gets its name from the Hindu god Aruna. It is on the Chao Phraya River across from the Grand Palace.

Outside the gate of the temple are many stores where you can rent a traditional Thai outfit so you can take your Instagramable photos.  Some people had even hired professional photographers.

The whole temple is covered with ceramic shards and ceramic designs.

Matt, Chinda and I climbed (I crawled) up the very steep stairs to the first level of the prang.  

In several alcoves around the prang were statues of the Buddha, including this reclining Buddha.

We walked the circumference of the central prang so that we could enjoy it from every angle.  

There were several higher levels but they were barricaded from climbing.  I was glad I wasn’t tempted to try to climb (I mean crawl) any higher.

After Matt helped Chinda and I down the stairs, he and Melissa set off to enjoy this incredible place.  When they returned they told us they had been blessed by a monk and had bracelets put on their wrists by the monk.  Matt had crawled under the wooden bed of King Taksin, which will bring him good luck in the next life.  So Chinda and I headed over to be blessed by the monk.  We couldn’t kneel but Chinda spoke to the monk and he said we should just bow.  After blessing us with holy water he put bracelets on our wrists.  We are not to take them off.  They must fall off.  Next to the monk were these golden Buddhas.

We sat for a while longer enjoying the beauty of this place as the sun hit the prangs and we continued to people watch.  

Back outside the wall we found a place to get a cool drink.  I walked around just a bit and found these pictures of the current king (number 10), his wife and his mother.

There were bonsai trees everywhere.

By then we needed to scoot to get to our river cruise.  Matt and Melissa had researched which one to take and settled on the Manohora river cruise.  The boat was carved from teak with the traditional reua krachaeng canopy.  Vessels like this were once the primary mode of transport on the river.  They only seat 30 to 60 guests so we knew we weren’t going to travel down the river with hundreds of party goers listening to bad disco music.

Brett and Brendon had arrived in Bangkok in the early morning and we hadn’t yet seen them.  They arrived and we were ushered onto our boat.  They had come from getting Thai massages.  Brendon said, “I’ve been broken” as he described how his masseuse had bent his knee to the side, sat on it and then dug into his back with her elbows.

The evening breeze was lovely, the food was so-so but incredibly presented and the views of the city were outstanding.  I am so glad we did this excursion.

Chinda attended a Catholic school when she was a child and we passed it on the river.

We had planned to visit the Icon Siam mall today but never made it.  Malls are a big deal here.  We saw it from the river.

Wat Arun lit up at night was even more beautiful than what we experienced today.

We passed by the Grand Palace we had seen the day before.

We went under the Rama IX Bridge.

Yves fell asleep in Melissa’s arms.

The cruise lasted 2 1/2 hours with seven courses.  We said goodbye to Brett and Brendon and called for a Grab.  We got the same driver we had a couple days before.  What are the odds?  Back in our rental we all headed off to bed quickly.  Another day filled with wonder.  

A Grand Day

Having delayed the group yesterday I set my alarm for 6 a.m. but my dreams were all about how I kept us from leaving on time.  I dreamt that I slept through the alarm, broke the garbage disposal and couldn’t find my clothes.  I think I am going to need to tamp down my anxieties.

We were all up and dressed well before 8 a.m.  Matt and Melissa went in search of coffee and came back with French pastries, as well.  We ate and headed out the door.  Chinda is going to Chinatown to spend time with her cousin who lives in the house she grew up in.  She is also going to get her hair done and buy her grandson some gold bracelets.  The rest of us headed to the BTS Sky Train and transferred to the MRT (subway) to go to the Grand Palace.  

It was a hot walk from the subway station to the entrance of the Grand Palace.  I kept taking photos along the way of things like the Ministry of Defence Building.  Matt said, “You are about to see things way more amazing than that.”  Nothing could have prepared me for the extravagance of the Grand Palace area.  It is simply layer upon layer of incredible edifices.

Everywhere you turn there is something amazing to see.

There are statues everywhere.

This one is of the mythological Tan ti ma bird.

The wall that surrounds the Temple of the Emerald Buddha has a mural of the Ramakien tale, the Thai version of the Indian epic the Ramayana.  On the walls are 178 panels of colorful paintings of this classic story about the battle of good versus evil.  

There is a school of fine arts on the grounds of the Grand Palace and some of their students were working on refurbishing the murals.

The Phra Siranta Chedi enshrines relics of the Buddha. We weren’t allowed inside but the outside was incredible all on its own.  It did make me wonder about the beauty that must exist inside the buildings we could not enter.

There is a model of Angkor Wat on the grounds, which is where we are headed after Bangkok. 

Some of the doors are inlaid with mother of pearl.  

Buildings are painted gold and inlaid with mirror pieces to make them absolutely sparkle.

Every building, every statue, every thing is magnificent.

Yves was a trooper but it was blistering hot.  We stopped for a time and sat in front of fan to cool the poor child….and his parents down.

We wound ourselves around to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  We took off our shoes before entering.  Matt, Melissa and Yves made merit but I cannot kneel with my bad knees.  You are not allowed to take photos inside the temple but outside Matt captured this photo of the Buddha through the open doorway.  The Buddha’s clothing changes for the seasons. It is winter here (unlike any winter I have ever experienced) so he is wearing a coat.

By the time we made it to the Grand Palace we were all hot and sticky.

I snapped more photos as we found our way to an air conditioned building that served slushies.  Yves was very happy about the air conditioning.

By then we had seen all the beauty our brains and feet could stand.  We headed in search of a bathroom and food.  The toilet was very civilized and came with intricate directions on its use.  When I told Matt I used all the settings but massage he asked me to stop talking.

On our way to find food we walked through the amulet market.  It seemed complicated.  There are certain “authentic” stalls that sell real amulets made by monks.  I couldn’t tell the inauthentic from the authentic.  So I decided I wasn’t worthy of having one.

We found a cool place to eat lunch.  I went for the kra pow, the dish I enjoyed the night before, with a crispy egg.  It was delicious but very spicy.  We made it to the water taxi just as it was leaving the dock.

What an excellent way to move through the city and see its beauty.

We were headed to Chinatown to meet up with Chinda.  I am so fascinated by all the wires of this city.  

You can find everything in Chinatown from gold to shoes to street food.

We made it to Chinda’s family home where her cousin E.Muay now lives.  E.Muay got to experience the happy smiling Yves she didn’t get to experience the night before.

She ordered us Thai iced coffee and it was delivered to the door in plastic bags with a straw poking out the top.  It was delicious — strong and cold and sweet! She had her helper but it in little buckets for us to drink more easily.

Melissa and Chinda went back to our rental by Grab.  Matt, Yves and I took the MRT to the BTS Sky Train.  Matt and I being from the same competitive family tried to see if we could beat them back using public transportation but they won the contest they didn’t even know they were in.

We had reservations tonight to Burapa, the nice restaurant down the block that is set up to look like you are traveling in the Orient Express train.  We went early because this group has an infant and two elderly ladies.  We had the place to ourselves for the first hour.  We were seated in Business Class.  Matt must be an auditory guy because again he pointed out the Musak.  It was very odd.  We decided the genre was “Cover Songs by Dust Bowl Oliver Twist meets Big Band with Gospel Choir Back Up Singers”.  It took us a bit of time to place the genre.

The floor above was reserved for First Class.

Matt and I left the ordering to the experts — Chinda and Melissa.  It was all delicious.  

We ended the meal with mango sticky rice (of course) and Bananas Bananas — a combination of three different ways to serve bananas.  I had seen bananas being grilled on the street today and I was eager to see how they tasted.  I loved the steamed bananas in coconut topped with a dusting of brown sugar.  I see why Chinda was looking forward to the food.  

More than sated we walked back to our AirBnB.  I stayed up to work on this blog and my fellow travelers did the sensible thing and went to bed.  “Sleep while Yves is sleeping” is a good motto.

An extravagant welcome requires me to start thinking and stop “driking”

I took Tylenol PM last night when I went to bed.  I didn’t want anything to keep me from sleeping.  I woke up at 7:30 this morning to learn that everyone was up and dressed.  The plan for the day was made and the only thing keeping it from being implemented was a Grandma who slept in.  I threw myself together and we headed out for a breakfast of jok.  It is a rice porridge with pork balls.  I had a soft boiled egg added to mine.  Melissa got a century egg in hers, which she assured me was cured but not for a whole century.  Jok is delicious.  On Christmas Day I had asked Chinda what she was most looking forward to about going to Thailand.  She said, “The food.”  I understand.  Jok was a great way to start the day.

We got another Grab to take us to the Erawan Museum.  You can see it from a distance.  

The museum is inside a huge three-headed elephant based on the mythological Airavata.  The elephant stands on a sphere which signifies that it is protecting the earth and the sacred and valuable objects placed inside.  Matt and I took off our shoes and went in to experience the inside of the elephant. It is incredible inside.  

There are symbols and mythology and history all around you.  Around the base are four pillars representing different religions:  Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity.  This is the Christian pillar.

I
A set of  stairs take you all the way up through the leg of the elephant up to its head.  On the first landing is the statue of a Hindu God.

We made our way up to the very top of the inside of the elephant.  The room is filled with statues of the Buddha that you are not allowed to photograph.  At the very front is a statue of Buddha in which people were making merit.  I went forward, bowed and received a small vial of holy water.  I felt the sacredness of the space and felt teary and a bit overwhelmed.

Below the globe is a circular museum where we saw some of the rare artifacts that Lek Viriyapant had collected. It was his dream to build this museum and include these sacred objects which date back to ancient times.  There was a plaque on the wall of the museum with words by Viriyapant stating that modernity must hold onto the sacredness of the past.  He wanted to build this place so people would come and see the beauty and sacredness of what came before us.  He wanted people to understand their history.

Outside the three-headed elephant are a series of statue elephants that you can walk under.  Some Thais believe that walking under an elephant brings you luck. Matt and I walked under every one.  There was a sensor at their base so that when you walked under one of them it would make the sound of an elephant trumpeting.

We reunited with Melissa, Chinda and Yves.  They had found us a cool place to sit.  I needed to recuperate from the heat and all the stairs.  Chinda got me a mango popsicle and a Durian fruit popsicle for herself.  

When we had rested and Yves had eaten we headed back to our rental.  When we got back Matt and I took a very short walk to explore more of our neighborhood in the light of day.  This was my favorite bar name — “Stop thinking, start driking”.  I love this typo of English for a bar name.  As my friends know, I only need a few sips of alcohol to make me tipsy.  It sounded like what I would do if I had half a margarita.

After a quick trip to the little grocery store around the corner, we ate sticky rice and Thai fried chicken at the large dining room table in our rental.  Melissa’s cousin sent a car to pick us up and take us to her home.  We spent the late afternoon/evening with Melissa and Chinda’s extended family.  We arrived down an inauspicious alley.  Melissa’s cousin, Soon, greeted us outside and led us through the garage past the 2 Porsches, 1 Mercedes and 1 Ferrari.  We took off our shoes and went into the foyer where slippers were waiting for each of us.  Soon, her brother Sun, and their parents moved into this house in the last six months.  I clasped my hands together like I was praying to greet each person and stumbled over the Sawadee Ka Matt had coached me to say.  This is the home of Chinda’s cousin and his family.  Shortly thereafter another female cousin arrived, another male cousin and his two children, and the widow of another cousin and her son.  Soon and her brother also had their boyfriend and girlfriend there.  It gave me plenty of time to practice my Sawadee Ka.  Soon’s boyfriend was Thai but had gone to middle school and high school in Melbourne so spoke English with an Australian accent.  He took me under his wing and explained everything to me and where to find the bathroom.  He took good care of me throughout the evening.

Everyone was excited to meet Yves for the first time but he was uncooperative.  Twelve new people joyfully celebrating the New Year in a home where he had never been after a 24 hour travel ordeal was more than he wanted to enjoy.  He slept or he cried.  Those were his only two modes of being.  

We were all given lovely presents.  I received a purse interwoven with a dried and braided vegetable.  

We sat down to a dinner….I mean extravagant feast…of whole shrimp, crab, crab fried rice, shrimp donuts, kra pow, papaya salad, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, fried fish, chicken wings, etc., etc. etc.  I was overwhelmed with the amount of dishes.  I peeled a whole shrimp eyes still intact (with directions from Chinda) and tasted everything that wasn’t too spicy.  I loved the kra pow with the crab fried rice.  Every time I emptied my wine glass it was filled again.  I finally realized that I would have to leave it mostly full so that I didn’t get drunk and embarrass myself.

Soon gave us the tour of the house.  It turns out it was four stories and Chinda and I went up by elevator.  They have a prayer room, fitness room, putting green area, atrium, koi pond, three large bedrooms with huge walk in closets and impressive bathrooms and a maid’s quarter.  The master bedroom has a 10 ft wide bed.  It was impressive.  Eight is an auspicious number in Chinese culture and the number 8 was found throughout the house, including a huge mobile of fish in a figure eight.

I think it became apparent to everyone that we were fading fast.  A car was called and we returned to our rental.  It was around 8:30 and I went to bed immediately.  

Traveling with an infant has its privileges

On December 30, I set off on a grand adventure with my son Matt, his wife Melissa, their sixth month old son Yves and Melissa’s mother, Chinda. We are spending a month together in Thailand and Cambodia.  My other son Brett and his husband Brendon will join us during the month for about seven days.  I pinch myself to make sure that this trip is a reality and not a fantasy.  Here are some photos of my fellow travelers.

Melissa with Yves

Matt with Yves

Chinda and Susan — the Grandmas

Brett with Yves

Brendon with Yves

Melissa, Matt, Yves, Chinda and I left from LAX on a late night flight.  All four adults were worried about how Yves was going to manage the flights.  LAX was just as awful and disorganized as we predicted, but having an infant with us allowed us to circumvent the very long TSA line and cut right to the front.  Having an infant meant that we were able to board the plane right after First and Business classes.  Having an infant with us meant that Matt and Melissa were seated in the bulkhead which allowed Matt and Melissa to stretch out their legs.  After take off the flight attendant attached a bassinet to wall so that Yves could stretch out.  

When we finally arrived in Bangkok, we were told to circumvent the long customs line and moved to the front of the line because there was an infant in our group. Who knew that having an infant along would expedite things?

We flew on Starlux (a Taiwanese airline) to Taipei — a fourteen hour flight. We thought it would be miserable because Yves would cry the whole way. But Yves was amazing and his parents were excellent.  Matt said he would give Yves a B+ for his flight behavior.  Having flown with Matt when he was that age I would definitely give Yves a A-.  But the flight was miserable anyway because being on an airplane for 14 hours is miserable.  We arrived in Taipei in the early morning of January 1.  Having crossed the International Date Line we completely lost New Year’s Eve. I didn’t mind.

We had a five hour layover and spent it in the Oriental Club Lounge. Chinda loves Taiwanese beef noodle soup and they had it to order there.  We sampled their delicacies — everything from Taiwanese beer, barbecue pork steamed buns to boiled peanuts (not a fan).  I don’t love long layovers but I have to say, after 14 hours in a cramped airplane seat I was glad for the reprieve before boarding another plane. 

Our next flight was from Taipei to Bangkok.  The four hour flight felt short compared to the earlier flight.  We landed in Bangkok at 2 p.m. on New Year’s Day.  Matt used an app called Grab to get us a 10 passenger van to take us to our AirBnB.  We needed that big of a van to manage our luggage — 5 suitcases, 2 backpacks, a stroller, a diaper bag, and six purses/personal items.  When we went outside to wait for our driver we began to peel off the layers of clothing we needed for a 24 hour plane trip.  If this heat is typical of a Bangkok winter, I would melt in summer.

We are staying in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. Our AirBnB has three nice sized bedrooms — each with their own bathroom.  The kitchen, dining room and living room are all spacious.  It is lovely. The street we are staying on obviously caters to tourists.  The curbs are lined with tuktuks and taxis.  The open air bar has Fox Sports playing on its large screen.  It is a nice mix of the touristy shop and the upscale.  In fact, I started following a restaurant called Burapa on my Instagram and Matt made reservations to go there later this week.  It is just steps away ftom where we are staying I am so excited to eat there.  The rooms are designed to look like train cars.

Once we had all showered and unpacked, we headed out for some food that was not delivered to us on an airplane tray.  We headed to the BTS Sky Train station near our rental.  

We are located in an area where you can find everything you need/want:  a tattoo, a dildo sold in a kiosk on the street, cannabis, a Thai massage, burgers, pizza, Indian food, Korean food, curry and German fusion called Curry Wurst and so much more.  Our street is a happening place but our rental on the fourth floor is a quiet and soothing place.  We took the Sky Train to a nearby mall packed with shops, a gourmet grocery store and every kind of restaurant you can imagine.  The restaurant we were hoping to eat at was packed so we ate at the restaurant next door that had space for us immediately.  We were hungry.  It was good to be seated at a table and ordering from a menu!  Matt pointed out to us that the Musak was set on a loop to play one song over and over again.  Each time the song started over we ate faster so we could avoid hearing the song again!  I enjoyed the Thai omelet.  It has fish sauce added to the egg mixture.  To cook it they pour the egg mixture into hot oil.  It is delicious.

We are all dead on our feet and hoping that Yves gives us a quiet, restful night. But if he doesn’t, he is still so darn cute that we will love him anyway.