Day 8 - Bangkok
Well, it was always going to happen and today marked that day. 8:00am the tour officially ended and so did our Vietnam & Cambodian adventure. A few members were flying out early this morning so we met for coffee to say our goodbyes through countless hugs and just a few tears. Chris in particular was a hard farewell because he, while an absolute stone-walled pain in the arse, was one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet and one who easily found a commonality with everyone and connected through that like life long friends. Chris was a great travel companion and proudly a great friend. Many of us though had booked extra nights in Bangkok, some at the same hotel others at nearby ones, allowing a few spare days to get around and decompress after nearly 3 weeks at full speed with the tour group.
Most had some idea of what they wanted to do, and in truth Fatpap left Australia with a full agenda of photo locations across Bangkok to go and shoot, but it now seemed less important than spending another day with new friends. So over coffee Fatpap and Carla decided to “go for a little wander” with the only plan setting off in a Southwest direction toward the river.
Along the route alleyways of shops filled every imaginable space with rows and rows of shoe merchants quite obviously making up the “shoe district”. Other streets hawked other products and while not really designed for the tourist, locals began filling the stores quite early in the morning seeking out their clothing, food or what ever else they were after. There was even a Christmas specialty store trading like no tomorrow which was a little surprising. Apparently the Thai people, while predominantly Buddhists, love celebrating in the western tradition. We were both definitely winding down at this stage, Carla was off to Phuket the following day for a week - just part of her up-and-leave-home strategy of travelling - and Fatpap was happy to not play the tourist any longer. It was a really pleasant morning just meandering the entanglement of Bangkok’s Chinatown however another idea came to mind we thought was worth pursuing.
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings in the heart of Bangkok that’s been the official residence of the Kings of Siam / Thailand since 1782 with the royal court and government also based on the grounds until 1925. Many new buildings and structures were added during various reigns, and rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls and pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its asymmetry and eclectic styles are due to its organic development over a 200 year period and has now become the number one tourist attraction of the city.
Morning rain was just beginning to fall so we hailed a Tuk Tuk, negotiated a price and headed up to the palace to check things out for ourselves. Upon arrival though we were abruptly stopped short and asked to leave the Tuk Tuk and proceed further only on foot. As luck would have it, today was Thai National Flag Day and as a national observance naturally all government buildings were closed. We did however manage to walk round the outside walls and see some other buildings like the Ministry of Defence, but it wasn’t quite the same. However, to not let the good readers down, below is an image prepared earlier to help identify with the palace.
Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand - an earlier rendering
We continued just a little further west to the river bank to grab a photo or two and see what all the fuss was about. Here we were politely tempted to a long-tail boat ride by an elderly Thai gentlemen who wisely enticed us further with a few included beers on the ride. We couldn’t say no, and after parting with 1,000 baht a piece, were on board the next vessel and bouncing across the surprisingly choppy Chao Phraya River.
Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok was once known as The Venice of the East for its tentacle-like network of canals germinating from the Chao Phraya River. Those canals however gradually succumbed to being filled in and turned into roads generating the gridlock for which Bangkok has become notorious. A few still remain and thousands of people go about their daily lives as if nothing had changed and it was through these “klongs” that our tour would roam. Riding a long-tail boat is an adventure in itself. The distinctly narrow, flamboyantly decorated, and beautifully crafted wooden hulls are powered by car engines mounted on the stern with a long propeller shaft attached and made famous by the chase sequence in the James Bond classic, The Man With The Golden Gun. Our driver was masterful at his craft and despite the heavy traffic and very tight turns, he manoeuvred the vessel effortlessly ensuring we didn’t spill a drop of beer.
To enter the klongs one passes through a lock built to prevent houses along the canals from flooding when the main river rises during the wet season. Once through, the canals are immediately lined with all manner of houses from the most dilapidated to impressively grand all laid cheek by jowl. The canals are actually quite narrow - only about 6 metres across - but there’s a lot to take in. Temples, shrines, restaurants and schools together with locals going about their day. During the 90 minute journey we had numerous rain squalls, some light, some heavy which added immensely to the experience even if leaving us sodden to the core. The trip was a lot of fun accentuated only by the spontaneity of its being and shone another perspective on a city so diverse and colourful. (As a footnote, and before you jump down my sanctimonious throat, these tours are government regulated with funds given back to the communities facilitating them.)
Exiting the canals through another lock system, we entered the river and the passage of cargo barges plying their way up and down the waterway. The city skyline on the southern bank was in stark contrast to the village-like domain we’d just visited, punctuating the cloud filled skies with the most eclectic outline of modern day skyscrapers this side of Dubai. We’d cannily negotiated a drop off further down river toward Chinatown in lieu of our boarding point leaving us only a very short walk back to the hotel.
With some afternoon downtime to ourselves shopping and eating, we’d arranged a dinner for those remaining at a restaurant centrally located to the various hotels we had all scattered to. Requiring 2 Tuk Tuks, Fatpap negotiated with a very brave driver the passage of 5 of us to the riverside restaurant. It was cramped, some feet were hanging outside the moving vehicle, but it was fun and cheap and it ultimately worked. Where once there were 13, tonight we were 7, and when Maddy and Carla left early to catch a ringside experience at a local MMA fight, we were soon 5. The night was nothing special, the food nothing to write home about, and the service, shall we say, shithouse. But it will be remembered for none of those reasons. It will be remembered for the people around the table and the smiles they brought to each other over the preceding 19 days. It would be the last time that would happen and to this writer in particular, he can recall every moment of that dinner but not what he ate. It wasn’t about that, as the lack of any photos indicate, it was about being with new friends one last time and holding that memory alone. It was a lovely last night together capping off a remarkable holiday.
It would be an early night for everyone as there was packing to be done, itineraries to plan for those staying tomorrow, and final goodbyes for Jo Jo, Rachel and Tom Tom and the adorable Melanie.