Planes, Vans & Jeepneys – Part 2 of 4

This second leg of the trip covered the period between May 20th through May 26th, 2015.  Our flights were uneventful. Click here for image gallery of this second leg.

On the second leg of our journey, we visited Thailand, specifically Bangkok (3 nights) and Pattaya (3 nights). While we were in Bangkok, we visited several temples and a “floating market” which was nothing less than, an experience.  If the boss and I ever get to Thailand again, we will visit the floating market again.

Our accommodations in Bangkok were outstanding; thanks in part due overbooking by our hotel. There was a pool on the roof of our hotel; and I discovered Chang Beer.  What a great day.  Bangkok is a major city, and has all the BS that comes with being a major city, however, it was clean, seemed well maintained and orderly.  Which, having just come from Manila; was a pleasant surprise.  I very much enjoyed our time in Bangkok, it was a time to hang out with some family, eat good food and do some shopping in an incredibly huge “mall.”  This mall actually seemed to me to be 5 or six floors of bazaars, with some traditional Mall type stores on selected floors.  The city seemed to come to life at night, and there was a street market that just kind of sprung up out of nowhere.  It was fun to walk around and compare the materials and prices.  It was fun.  There are also places to go in Bangkok for adult type fun; but we didn’t visit those areas.  Oh yes, did I mention there was an Auntie Anna’s there?

While in Bangkok we visited four temples.

1. Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha): In the Wat Traimit temple is the world’s largest, solid gold statue.  Weighing in at 5 1/2 tons and measuring around 3 meters; it is absolutely beautiful statue of Buddha sitting, with one hand touching the earth. The first floor of the temple contains a museum of the Chinese heritage in Bangkok.  The second floor contains an exhibition on the history of the Golden Buddha.  The third floor of the temple houses the statue and alongside it are richly ordained minor statues and “typical” Thai architecture.  Stepping out of the statues main area, you see a couple of large bells.  I’m not sure what they are used for, I imagine they are part of Buddhist prayers, maybe similar to the Muslim Call to prayer or Christian Church bells prior to service?
2. Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha): This is one of the oldest and largest temple complexes in Bangkok, covering over 80,000 sq meters, there are more than 1,000 Buddha images housed here.  The temple is divided into two areas: The northern area houses the Reclining Buddha, measuring 15 meters high and 46 meters long.  There are 108 bronze bowls surrounding this Buddha representing the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha.  It is customary to drop coins in each of these bowls to bring good luck, although I didn’t know that at the time we visited.  The southern area is a working monastery and school.  The gates are guarded by 16 Chinese giants, each originally imported as ballast on trading ships.  I found this temple to be very casual, and relaxing to be in. I wish I could have spent more time here.
3. Wat Benchamabophit (Marble temple): This is a stunningly beautiful temple.  Not so much for the Buddha image; but for the architecture of the temple and it’s grounds.  When walking into the grounds, it has marble pillars, a marble courtyard, two large lions guarding the temple.  Around the hall are 52 images of Buddha, each showing a different sign.  I found these 52 images and the architecture of the temple grounds very interesting.  So interesting I completely lost track of time and the tour guide had to come find me to move on to our next stop.
4. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha – Grand Temple): You cannot come to Bangkok and NOT visit the Grand Temple – unfortunately I was wearing shorts and not allowed in (call me quirky but I will not wear another man’s pants).  While I did not go in, my friends stated it was beautiful inside, and worth the hassle to get there. This was by far the busiest of the temples we visited; to many people in one place for the good Dr.

Click this link for a list of temples one should visit while in Bangkok.

The floating market, just outside of Bangkok, was nothing short of interesting, and definitely worth a second trip next time we are there. Unlike a typical market, you don’t walk from store to store, you visit each store by boat, and you stay in the boat (although there were some areas you could get out and shop in a traditional bazaar) to shop.  Other, small vendors came alongside in small boats, paddled by hand, and offered various drinks, food and fruits to eat. I very unique experience, and one I’d like to repeat on our next visit.  On our way to the floating market, we stopped by an elephant ride, I had always wondered how people got on top of the elephants, I need not wonder any more.  While our friends rode the elephants, I fed the fish in the Koi pond, something I like to do.

Pattaya was also fun, very hot; but fun.  Once again, the nighttime is when the city is alive, not so much during the day.  Out hotel in Pattaya was right on the beach, so there was always a nice breeze to take the intense heat of the day away, at least momentarily.  Much like the Philippines, they have a transportation system similar to Jeepneys to get around in.  One day, my nephew and I just rode around in a jeepney and took in the various sights and sounds of the city.

While my nephew and I were walking around, we saw a McDonald’s.  It was here I learned of his obsession with chicken nuggets (I now know what to get him for Christmas!).  You can’t find Pineapple and Corn pies in America – but in Pattaya you can!   Our hotel in Pattaya had a…well, an industrial look to it.  No carpeting, only concrete.  It was very interesting, and once you got used to the industrial feel, very comfortable.

We visited Nongnooch Garden, which was interesting.  I’m not sure I’d visit there again – but it was interesting.  They had concrete models of animals mixed among the beautifully manicured landscape.  But not all of the concrete models were successfully pulled off.  The highlight for me was at the end, we visited the animal park.  The good Dr. got to feed an elephant.

We visited the Wooden Sanctuary of Truth (Wang Boran or Prasat Mai).  While it is not as old as the other temples we visited, construction started in 1981 and is scheduled to be complete by 2050, it was very interesting, and architecturally very interesting. The goal of building this temple was to resurrect forgotten building techniques.  Wood here is scarce, so it is imported from other nations.  Sculptures than transform these huge beams into articulate support structures.  The building has four wings, and each represents the art and philosophies of Thailand, Cambodia, China, and India. If you ever get to the Pattaya area, you must spend a few hours here.

That pretty much wraps up our second leg.  The third leg of our trip has us return to the Philippines, to the south this time where we visit Cebu and it’s surrounding areas.