Something’s wrong if I’m thinking. “ok, let’s get this out of the way”. It’s just that I’ve waited too damn long in between blogs and I’ve moved on (I’m currently in Florence, Italy) and I just wanna yell and scream and jump up and down about Italy!! Sigh…but I DO need to go back and record ALL parts, IN order, so bear with me. I’m sure once I get going I’ll be like, oh yeah, this was great!
So after touring northern Thailand, I hopped on a plane and flew just over an hour down to Bangkok. From there, I was going to take the train northwest to Kanchanaburi, but the schedule just didn’t coincide well with my arrival in Bangkok so I chose to take a taxi for the 2 hour drive, which turned into 3.5, but I was happy just sitting in the back with the a/c and looking out the window. Kanchanaburi is like “the country” – think “upstate NY” – many people asked me why would I go there? Well, first off I needed to stretch my trip out a bit and go slow – Thailand is inexpensive and I was trying to save money, and I was also trying to push back getting to Italy (my next destination) until the spring season. Having spoken to some people who had been there, it sounded like a good place for a couple of days to enjoy nature before taking on the big city. If you’re thinking you’ve heard of Kanchanaburi, it’s probably because you studied it in your teens – it’s where the The Bridge On The River Kwai actually exists, and obviously the movie was filmed here too. That’s pretty cool, I thought, to touch a piece of history that I had studied and knew a bit about. The town is all about WWII, the bridge, the cemetery, the sights where the prisoners were kept and made to work in grueling conditions. Not very uplifting, but important nonetheless. My hotel was right on the River Kwai, and a 5 minute walk to the bridge. I have to say I was nervous walking across the bridge – I’m afraid of heights, and there are no guard rails so it’s really not safe, and if a train comes you’re just supposed to move over, so I’m told. Here’s some pics.
The River Kwai from my balcony.
- Sunset on the River Kwai
The Bridge on The River Kwai!
The Bridge, where I climb up.
No handrails…holding my breath.
Walking the Bridge
View from the Bridge – my hotel is right past that dock on the left.
Huge Buddha can be seen from the bridge.
The other reason I waned to come to Kanchanaburi is because it has one of the prettiest waterfalls in Thailand for hiking – it’s called Erawan Falls. There are seven levels and it wasn’t always easy but I made it to the top, proudly! Interesting side note – I met a guy on my way up who is from Russia and his mother lives in the Ukraine. We had a really interesting conversation about Putin and how he sees the current situation. Obviously, all my info is from American sources so it was really eye-opening to hear his side of it. He wasn’t necessarily a Putin supporter in general, but he did support what Putin was doing, claiming that both the reigning gov’t in Crimea and the group that is taking over are BOTH fascists and corrupt, and Putin is protecting the Russians who make up most of the population of Crimea. Of course there are arguments on both sides of that, but I just liked conversing and hearing the point of view of a real insider. Because of the current situation, he had changed his plans and was leaving Kanchanaburi the following day to fly to the Ukraine to help his mother. A lot has happened since that conversation, and I do hope they are safe and well.
Erawan Falls, Level 1. Most people go to the first 4 levels because they are easiest to get to.
Level 3, I think. Clear, crisp, beautiful water
Need to cool my feet!
Level 4
The view…
Climbing up..
And up….
Level 5
Damn, it’s hot!
Level 6
I made it!
Happy me!
OK, on to Bangkok!! It’s amazing to me that I actually went to Thailand on my own, I guess I was nervous traveling alone especially at a time when there is a bit of political unrest in Bangkok. By touring the north first, I gave myself more time between the violent protests in Bangkok due to the elections and my arrival. I also had preconceived thoughts about what Bangkok was going to be like – I had heard the traffic was unbearable (true, but you don’t have to travel by car in the city), and I just pictured it like a seedy red light district – 42nd street 30 years ago. I pictured all these Thai people trying to rip off anyone who isn’t Asian, and I guess I went in with my guard up. But the truth is, it’s not like that at all! My adorable little boutique hotel, Seven Hotel (www.sleepatseven.com) , was recommended by a friend that I hike with – her ex-sis and bro-in-law own it. That was good enough for me! And it was in a GREAT location – Sukhumvit 31, walking distance to the train. Being that I’m from NY, I have a street sense about me that says don’t fuck with me, I know you’re behind me, no, I’m not talking to you, stranger. Ok, maybe it’s not exactly like that, but I don’t think I look lost when I walk around, even if I am. Because if I am, I will duck into a pastry shop and ask for help, but you on the street aren’t gonna take advantage of my vacant tourist stare. Anyway, I really was comfortable walking around. I rode the subway like a pro – it’s fun learning how to do things in new cities, because every city is different. I bargained the cab drivers down to what I wanted, even walked away until he drove up to me and obliged. And I saw unbelievable, beautiful sights.
There are so many temples, of course, but the big highlight for me was Wat Pho. Oh – I did get scammed once here – not so bad though. There are guys who are taxi drivers who stand at some of these sights and “help” you get your bearings, show you where to go…but they will tell you that the sight you wanna see is closed until…well, if it’s 11:00 it’s closed till 2:30 so that he can take you around to see x,y, and z and then drop you back off here just in time for the opening. I had wanted to first go to the Grand Palace, and I was standing within earshot of an American family getting the schpiel being told it was closed until 2:30, although I did not know it was a schpiel at the time, and when I chimed in to inform them that I believed Wat Po was open and it was just next door, the cab driver nodded yes, and lost his “almost victims” because he thought I knew what I was talking about. I didn’t, but he confirmed it was open so we all walked over to Wat Pho. I waited till 2:30 to walk back over to the Grand Palace, and as I walked along the white wall, I listened to the speaker system loudly telling me and every other visitor, that the Palace is open everyday from 8 until 6, and if anyone tries to tell me otherwise, please do not believe them. I laughed. At least I didn’t lose any money.
Wat Pho is known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, and houses the most enormous Buddha in Thailand at 160 ft. It is also the home of the original Thai massage school, and a working monastery with monks in residence and a school for them. There are numerous chedis which contain the ashes of the royal family. The Buddha is covered in gold leaf supported by a base made of glass mosaic. His feet are inlaid with mother of pearl displaying symbols of identification for Buddhas. It is breathtaking. I stayed a long time just admiring him. Even the detail on the ceiling and walls of the structure that houses the Buddha was fascinating. Real artistry. The entire complex is jaw-dropping. I could’ve stayed all day, really. And I’m sure you will flip through these pics rather quickly, but for me, when I look at them, I remember turning each corner and just being wowed.
Entrance to Wat Pho
Cool guard
The House of the Reclining Buddha
He’s too big to fit in any one pic, but let’s start with his head…
As we walk down the length of him, we can glimpse different angles
These are part of his legs – maybe the lady in front gives a sense of scale.
And his feet
He is LONGGGGG!!
Toes
The bottoms of his feet with inlaid mother-of-pearl
Here’s a pic that gives a sense of scale
And from behind…
I love that I could walk around him entirely.
His hair – the details are incredible.
The glass mosaic detail that is on the base.
Offerings.
I can’t grasp that these are all made from vegetables and fruits and flowers. Gorgeous!
The chedis
The grounds are beautiful.
Welcome to Wat Pho!
Each chedi is detailed in a different color mosaic.
There are over one thousand buddhas at Wat Pho
Dirty on the left, clean on the right.
This buddha is covered in black wax or paint in order to receive his new building.
They cover the black part of the buddha while it is being cleaned.
Sparkling!
Unreal detail..
Jewish???
On the right and left you see the smaller buddhas
Me, sweating, and kneeling on the carpet for the buddhas.
Standing buddha ( Standing, sitting, reclining, sleeping,,,,)
Young monks on their way to class
Lessons under the trees!
Have you had your fill of temples yet? Not so fast – one more sight to see – the Grand Palace, which is where the royal family lives and the throne halls, and also where some gov’t offices are, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Pretty impressive. Built in 1782 by King Rama I, it is a HUGE square block, but not a normal block, more like 55 acres (really, 55) surrounded on all 4 sides by a white wall. Each side is over 1/4 mile long. Shiny gold and glass mosaics…
Inside the walls, pretty amazing.
A scaled model of the entire Grand Palace.
Had it not been for my Thai massage at Wat Pho, I would’ve collapsed. Thank goodness I have the best Italian restaurant, Bella Napoli, on the corner near my hotel – yes, I said Italian! You don’t expect me to survive on Thai food 24/7 do you? Do you know that Asians eat the exact same food for all three meals throughout the day? Yeah, that’s right – so I’m up to my ears in rice and veggies and fried eggs. So yeah, some pizza, some Italian pasta, some tomato and mozzarella was just perfect.
Toured Home 
Cia Bella I love you Love Anne
I didn’t flip through your pictures fast at all. In fact, I spent quite a bit of time on each one, enjoying the detailing. One question remained during every picture… Why don’t we have such beauty here?
I love your photos! They are so vivid and sharp and capture the essence of what you are seeing. I also applaud your courage. I don’t think I could do what you are doing. This will make a wonderful book!