Bangkok is a huge city. Twenty-two million people confined in 600 sqare miles of
space. The airport is 25 kms from
our hotel in the city’s center.
Thankfully we had pre booked a driver to meet us at the airport. We were too tired to think and thankfully he whisked us away to the hotel in an air-conditioned
limo.
The Eastin Grand is very upscale, with an infinity pool on
the fourteenth floor, its own stop on the BTS (Bangkok’s sky train), and within
easy walking distance to many attractions. Fortunately for us, “upscale” in Thailand doesn’t translate to
“expensive” in Canadian dollars.
Bangkok is a city of contrast, huge modern, prosperous looking buildings
sandwiched between broken-down, derelict, poverty filled abodes and shops.
 |
Eastin Grand |
Day one of our sightseeing began with a plan. The all-inclusive breakfast was to
serve as both breakfast and lunch.
It was fabulous with three food stations serving everything you could
imagine. Cereals, pastries, and
different varieties of fresh fruits at one, nine cooks at the next preparing
all the different meat groups and omelets cooked to your specifications, and an
all-Asian fare buffet. We had no
difficulty satiating ourselves to last until the evening meal.
 |
Off On Our First BTS |
 |
River Travel Through the City is Easy & Inexpensive |
The actual sightseeing plan started well then quickly turned,
but not in a bad way. We bought
our BTS One-day pass for unlimited use of the Sky train and our Chao Phraya
Tourist Boat Pass for the same. We
made our way to the river Chao Phraya with the intention of accessing many
sites. The Grand Palace, home of
Thailand’s Royal Family, was the initial target. Upon arrival, a
Tourist Policeman took us aside to warn us about pickpockets and overcharging
drivers. He also said the palace
was closed at the time but that we were “lucky”. The Royal Mausoleum was open for visitors. He explained that it is only open one
day a year for citizens to pray for the royal family. He quickly tucked us into a Tuk Tuk, told the driver where
to go and what to charge us and away we went. Apparently you must be flexible in Thailand as well as
India.
 |
Tuk Tuks Waiting For You |
The Royal Mausoleum is where generations of Royal ashes are interred. The grounds have ornate crypts,
beautiful gardens, surrounding the royal Buddhist Temple where the Royals pray
for their ancestors. We were the
only tourists there. They do not
advertise their one-day opening per year.
The Minister in charge of the site met us and for the next two hours we
were his personal guests and he was our personal tour guide. At one point he sat us down on some
benches, under a large shade tree and explained his life as a Buddhist and the
role of Buddhism in Thailand. As
the curator of the site he was immensely proud of the art and architecture and
went to great lengths to explain the meaning of all the precious stones that
prevail in Buddhist art. At one
point our host’s boss, the Minister in charge of all the Royal sites of
Bangkok, joined us and he too, proudly explained the history of the place and
its impact on the city. Both men
were loyal monarchists and conveyed great love for the current King and his
family. A wise traveler once told
us to expect plans to be waylaid but to also be open to even greater
experiences. We would put this
experience down as testament to this fact.
 |
The Whole Place Reeked of Serenity. |
 |
Our New Friend - The Minister-In-Charge (He had painted the door) |
 |
Royal Prayer Temple |
 |
The Buddha Weighs 800 kg of Pure Gold. |
Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your
perspective), both men advised us about a little known shopping secret. Thailand is world famous for its
precious gems and stones. Our
hosts informed us that the Royal Lapidary Jewelry Co. was open to the public
that very day. It is only open to
the public one day, every 33 years.
Both men had been there in the morning and purchased for their
families. The number “3” is the
lucky number in Thailand so we had to go.
The minister arranged a taxi, walked us to the stand and said good-bye. He started saying goodbye with a North
American shaking of hands, moved to a Thai cupping of hands and bowing, then
moved to a hug with a cheek brush, side to side. If he had moved to kissing I may have had to deck him but I
think he sensed it and stopped short.
We came away from the experience with a lot but most
importantly we think we have the whole hand clasping, head bowing thing sorted
out. Hands looking like they are
in prayer and bowing replace shaking hands. The hands are brought together cupped; fingers touching but
not palms – lotus style. Clasped
hands touch different parts of the person’s anatomy depending on who they are
greeting: 1) hands are clasped
with top fingers to top of forehead when acknowledging God, 2) touching top of
nose for Royals, 3) the tip of the nose for parents, 4) under nose/lips for
family, 5) under the chin for friends, and finally 6) middle of the chest for
meeting people younger than you.
We now do #6 a lot.
The Royal Lapidary shopping experience was unique. Normally open only to wholesalers, the
company was celebrating it’s 33-year of opening. We had our own sales person for the tour. The Royal certifies each precious stone
and this certification cannot be found elsewhere. I won’t say how much money was spent but one of our party
impressed the company so much they arranged the company car for us at the end
of the tour to take us anywhere we wanted. I asked permission to take pictures but was quickly surrounded and given a firm "no!"
So… in terms of sightseeing… we didn’t see anything we had
on our list but all in all it was a great day! Maybe tomorrow will bring different results.
 |
We Never Tire of Different Sunsets. |
The day closed with a fine traditional Thai meal at the
Thanying restaurant located a short walk from the hotel. The restaurant choice came as a
recommendation from sister Rita who dinned there previously.
Early to bed to ready for Day Two.
