Saturday, November 27, 2010

Buddha, boats and beers...

Our last day of work was spent among the ruins of the ancient capital of Siam, a UNESCO World Heritage site. About an hour from Bangkok, Ayutthaya is a beautiful spot full of ancient temples and lush gardens. It was truly stunning and a real privilege to have had such intimate access to some of the incredible locations there – including a view of the footprint of Bhudda.







































































































As it was our last night in Bangkok and the three of us who had managed to escape illness decided to make the most of our last moments and make our way to the Chayo Praya River to see the city from a long-boat. We hailed a tuk-tuk to take us to a location where we could rent a private boat. He avoided traffic the entire way by using some (shady) back alleys and offered to wait the entire hour for us to return from our boat ride. A private boat cost us 1200 Baht and we grabbed some large size Singhas for the ride. It was perfect time as it was dusk and the sun was just getting ready to drop behind the amazing Wat Arun. Our boat, like most on the river, was brightly coloured, very long and was actually powered by a car engine. I will let my photos speak for themselves but the cruise was definitely one of the highlights of my stay in Bangkok







































































Sure enough, our tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us when we returned to shore. We then decided to grab another drink and a bite. After a bit of shady dealings with our driver, and repeated offers to visit a ping pong show (yes…that kind of ping pong) we settled in at an Irish (strange I know) pub for drinks and dinner followed it up with a walk and some bartering for souvenirs.

I will definitely have to return to see more of Thailand but feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to see even a bit of this amazing country and meet some of it’s truly beautiful people. But my journey isn’t over yet…trip number 10 of 2010 (yes, I’ve met my goal!) awaits me in Tokyo!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

TKO

Totally. Kick-Ass. Outing.

Knowing that I had very little personal time in Bangkok, the only thing really on my list to do was to see a Muay Thai Boxing Match. Fortunately for me, I was traveling with some equally blood-thirsty individuals and we made a plan to do it on Wednesday night. Ring-side seats for Rajdamnoen stadium were at a reasonable price of 2000 Baht a person. The fighters were mostly youngish (but incredibly tough) Thai boys.. And while the matches were great – it was the fans that were the highlight. People were screaming and yelling with the kind of passion rarely seen at any sporting event I’ve ever been to. And while not a drop of blood was spilled, we did see a knock-out. I know this kind of thing isn’t for everyone but, in all honesty, the scariest thing about the match was the cockroaches running around on the floor.




Motorcycle Mama

I needed to do some banking in downtown Bangkok and what’s the fastest way for a single person to travel across town, you ask? A motorcycle taxi! At first I was somewhat curious as to why a helmet is not required, but quickly embraced the idea as we whipped (very carefully) through the back alleys across the city to the bank and back. There are tons of motorcycles in the city and it’s not unusual to see an entire family on one bike.


































Bangkok Weekend...

After a busy week, it was nice to be able to get out and see a bit of Bangkok. Our hotel location afforded us great proximity to some of the best shopping in the city...which is either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.

I set out with my new friends, both conveniently named Karen, and we took the Metro over to the shopping area. It was only one stop (and it would have been a short walk) but it was awesome to see their amazingly modern and clean transit system. It puts the TTC to shame. Once there, we realized the mall was not yet open but a friendly stranger decided to point us in the direction of a gem market. Turns out this random act of kindness was not actually random at all as locales are rewarded for sending tourists to gem markets and tailors. Regardless, the gem market was a success. After some bartering, Karen and I each left with a beautiful ring - mine a sparkly 2.5 karat Peridot (my birthstone) in a beautiful, simple gold setting.We hit the mall afterwards for some shopping (new, handmade leather shoes), lunch and a pedicure. We then made our way home via tuk-tuk. I could try and explain what a tuk-tuk is but I think it is better explained by this video. Our driver was extremely strange...waving at people and repeatedly saying "ladyboy" in a high pitched voice.  Check it out:



That evening we celebrated a very successful week of work with a nice dinner at Thang Long, an a-m-a-z-i-n-g Vietnamese restaurant just down the street from our hotel. Mmmmm! This was followed up by some cocktails and live music at Brown Sugar, a really cool jazz bar owned by a member of the Bangkok crew.







































Sunday was a lazy day. It had nothing to do with the mojitos, I swear.
Despite wanting to lie around all day, I went for a walk to take in the sights of Bangkok for what would be my only real day off in the city. The nearby Erawan Shrine was an amazing spot to take some photos of the beautiful yellow flowers, golden elephants along with Thai dancers and musicians. I did a bit of shopping and lots and lots of walking – so much that I decided to treat my aching feet to a Thai massage. So for approximately $8 (250 Baht) I got the most amazing one-hour, full body massage of my life. I was brought to a curtained off room and given some pajamas to put on. For the next hour I was contorted, pushed, pulled, rubbed and climbed on. This was followed up with a cup of tea before I floated back to my hotel, and readied myself for another busy week.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Kanchanaburi

Our time in Kanchanaburi was mostly spent working. After a long, hot day in the sun (and with some major jet-lag settling in) it was a challenge just to stay awake long enough to have some dinner. And although I had good intentions, I was never even once able to stay up and enjoy a cold beer after work. Incredible, I know.

As Kanchanaburi is fairly remote, our accommodations were perfectly suitable but certainly less glam than some of the other hotels I have been lucky enough to stay at on business. The hotel staff were lovely (pretty much like every other Thai person I have ever met) and the food was delicious (when I wasn’t too tired to eat it). Real Thai food – not the kind you get at Spring Rolls at Fairview Mall (though I do like me some Spring Rolls). My room was large with a beautiful Thai style platform bed. The bed was so big that I alternated sides each night. The downside? Little-to-no hot water and tiny, little black beetles all over the floor. Like, hundreds of them. However, in my very zen state of jet-lag and exhaustion, I was able to block out the bugs, focus on the amazing bed and make the best of my stay.

To say it was hot was an understatement but every time I would get even remotely close to complaining, I would remind myself of the cold at home and power through.

I was lucky enough to spend my days in the jungle, on the banks of the River Kwai with some beautiful, ancient trees looming above. The history of this location was not lost on me as I spent November 11th – Remembrance Day – here and proudly wore my poppy.

Some other highlights?
I was introduced to some amazing elephants that let me sit on their tusks and lifted me high in the air. I also visited a tiger temple which was presided over by an Abbott, a Bhuddist Monk who presented me with both a souvenir calendar as well as a tiger tooth necklace (which is meant to protect those who wear it).

And protect me it did. After a long week, we made our two hour journey back to the big city of Bangkok for the rest of our crazy adventure…


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

One Night in Bangkok

I have the best job.

Once again I am off traveling to an exotic, random locale in support of my work. So despite the less-than-glamorous aspects of a trip like this – the stress of all the planning, the jet-lag, the crazy hours, the inoculations - I do feel incredibly grateful to get to experience Thailand in this way. And, no, I can’t tell you about why I am here…well yet, anyhow.

The long flight here was, amazingly, quite pleasant. The empty seat next to me definitely made a world of difference on the thirteen hour flight from Toronto to Tokyo. Yet again I am traveling with someone I met for the first time (a business associate named Garry), so we were able to have a nice cold beer in the Tokyo airport and stretched our legs before the remaining six hours to Bangkok.

After finding our luggage, we met our driver and weren’t on the road for more than twenty minutes when we were pulled over by the police. But it was all just to let the King’s vehicle pass by us. The Royal family is very revered here in Thailand, so it was a privilege to see him drive by. But I like to think he was just coming to personally welcome us to his country.

After a good sleep and some breakfast, Garry and I decided to stretch our legs before the three hour journey to our final destination in Kanchanaburi. Lumpini Park is a short block from our hotel so we made our way down there to see the lake and people relaxing and enjoying the green space – children playing, soldiers riding their bikes, women with parasols and a couple practicing a ballroom dancing routine.

After some lunch we reluctantly get back in the van to fight some serious traffic and make our way three hours north west to Kanchanaburi – home of the bridge (yes, that bridge) on the River Kwai.

The 12 hour time change is not making sleep come easy. It’s late / early as I am writing this. So with a 5:45 call time in the morning, I think I had better try to get a few winks in before my busy day tomorrow. Till then…