Note: I decided to continue this blog in English.
Thailand (2): BANGKOK MUST-DOS
Today I’m taking the express boat to some of the must-see attractions in Bangkok. At least that’s what TripAdvisor tells me. I arrive at the impressive Maharaja Pier and seconds later a friendly guy starts talking to me. He works at the Grand Palace. For sure. „Don’t go there now. It’s better at 1:00 PM and will be less crowded. All the big groups will be gone“, he explains in perfect English. „Don’t worry, there are many other great things to do and see around here.“ He takes my notebook and writes down some places. Then he adds: „A tuk-tuk to all these sights shouldn’t cost more than 100 THB“. What a surprise! Suddenly a tuk-tuk passes us and I’m on my way, not trusting this whole thing at all. A few minutes later we stopp at the Standing Buddha. Wow, he’s really tall and shiny. I take some great pictures and we continue to the Marble Temple. Another beautiful temple with only a very few tourists. I start thinking. „Maybe this trip isn’t so bad…“ I shouldn’t have said anything! My driver interrupts my thoughts. „Mister, one more stop. You go inside. I go get gasoline.“ Inside? Oh no! A tailor’s shop. Now I know for sure that I’m part of one of the most annoying tourist traps in Bangkok. Wonderful! However, I really want to buy a custom tailored shirt in Thailand… maybe they have good prices here. As you can see, I’m trying to convince myself that this isn’t so bad after all. I mean, at least I got to see a few cool places and I’m enjoying a really cheap ride everywhere. I enter „James Design – Exclusive Ladies & Gents Customs Tailors. Highly recommended“ and Ali, my eloquent vendor, sells me two beautiful shirts that’ll be delivered to my hostel in two days. (It’s true. They arrive two days later and I have to admit: I love them!) My tuk-tuk driver is also very happy. Wondering why? Haha! He finally takes me to my actual destination, the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo.
The heat is causing me trouble. But at least I’m not the only one. A thousand groups of mostly Chinese tourists bustle around me sweating, talking, waving their paper fans and sun umbrellas. „1:00 PM is better. What a joke!“ It’s almost impossible to take a photo without a few Chinese people posing somewhere. I guess every tourist and traveller in Thailand knows that this place is too beautiful to be missed. In Wat Phra Kaeo I’m able to catch a glimpse of the „Emerald Buddha“ (thanks to being tall) before the stream of visitors and too many smelly feet take me back outside. Before entering a temple in Thailand you must take off your shoes. I guess you can imagine what happens, when many people have to do that in a small room without AC while it’s really, really hot outside… A few hours later I’m extremely happy to leave the bustling palace and return to the pier. There I meet my tuk-tuk driver again and hop on. I need to pick up an overpriced train ticket to Chiang Mai that I bought earlier. Of course, he tries to take me to another tailor’s shop. But this time I’m sticking to my „NO!“ On the way back he doesn’t say a word and I don’t care. I’m looking forward to my next attraction: Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. There aren’t many tourists around here and I have some quiet time to explore everything. The „Reclining Buddha“ is really impressive: 15 m high and 46 m long. I also buy a little basket with coins and put them into many, many pots along the way. For good luck! Back outside I meet with a buddhist monk and we have a long chat about his religion. He shows me a little video and asks me to write down my feelings about buddhism. In exchange I receive a few postcards and the „movie“ on DVD. So, if you come to Germany, you’ll be able to learn as well 😉
My day ends at my new favorite food-court. No, not the one at MBK. I found a better one: Pier 21 at Terminal 21. I love it, even the crazy desert with beans in sugar syrup. Tomorrow I’ll see more of Bangkok during a guided tour through Chinatown.
Thailand (3) – A DAY IN CHINATOWN, BKK
I met Noi, my tour guide from „Bangkok Walking Adventures“, early the next morning at the Hua Lamphong train station. I was quite surprised when I couldn’t spot any other touristy looking person around him. „I hope I’m not the only one“, I thought quietly. I do like to meet new people during a tour. However, I was the only one this morning who felt like exploring the „Dragon’s Belly“. As it turns out, Noi was a fantastic guide and I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all – on the contrary. It was an amazing day! I tried delicious food, healthy drinks, visited many temples and learned about important traditions & rituals. I even learned a bit about my fortune by shaking some „fortune sticks“:
Kau Cim sticks (Chinese: 簽, qian, cim, chim, chien): The flat sticks which are stored in the tube. Generally made of bamboo, they resemble wide, flat incense sticks, and are often painted red at one end. A single number, both in Arabic numerals and in Chinese characters, is inscribed on each stick. Each stick has a different number on it, and no two are alike. There are usually a total of 100 sticks in the cup.
– wikipedia
The prediction begins by shaking the tube, which is usually tipped slightly downward. When a single stick falls out, the number will correspond to one of the hundred written oracles with an answer on it. I made it on my second try, yeah, and by now I was quite excited to find out about my future… If you’re excited as well, check the pictures below. I took a photo of my „oracle’s answer“. Noi seemed to know every corner of Chinatown and after all the future talk, we stepped back in time at the city’s most unique department store. Time really does stand still in there… half empty perfume bottles, clothes from the 70s and a lot of dust. What an experience!
MILO UNTERWEGS 
Ein Gedanke zu “ASIA ADVENTURES 2”