Saturday, December 28: Day 250 – Research

Today we went out to explore the city of Bangkok. Some of our family will join us in less than a week, and we wanted to learn how to use public transportation.

We took the Skytrain which is an elevated train to the Mahanakhon Skywalk. This is the tallest place in Bangkok. Can you see the glass walkway? People are on it and we will soon be joining them.

We rode an ear popping elevator to the top which was 1,030 feet.

It cost $29.41 for adults and $8.35 for seniors and these were reduced prices for the holidays!!! It pays to be old!

There was a rooftop bar. A band was practicing and played a Phil Collins song. They even had brass instruments.

Here is my brave husband on the glass floor.

After some coaxing and unsure steps, I joined him. And it was scary to look down!!

Next, we took a boat to Chinatown. There was a lot of yelling, and it didn’t matter how loud it was, we STILL don’t understand Thai!!

I am not sure what was going on here, but she moved when someone sat down beside her. I think that any strange behavior is universal sign for Do Not Disturb!

Rob and I figured out that all the yelling was because women were too close to the novices and monks, and one jolt of the boat would create a huge problem with women coming into contact with them.

Since many foreigners aren’t aware of this, they sequestered the group at the front of the boat. Problem solved!

This rule must have been made when the world population was low, and group transportation was less crowded.

Every metropolis has a Chinatown and Bangkok is no different. Not only is it a place for pleasant aromas and delicious foods, it is a feast for the eyes.

I love this traffic cop and his determination to wear a mask but also to perform his job whistling at all of us.

The ice man cometh!!

I wonder if this is a new look for the next generation.

The Chinese obviously love their plastic bottles…all shapes and sizes.

Lobster on the grill!

Next stop was Wat Pho. When we arrive, it is late in the day and few people are in line to buy tickets. The ticket seller is talking on a microphone and announces, “Madam…too sexy.” I look around and realize that he is talking to me. I was wearing a skort so my knees were exposed. I was given a plaid skirt to cover my sexy knees.

Here was a cat who was guarding the entrance from above.

It was packed. There must have been over 100 decorative stupas.

Here a woman has paid for a blessing. The monk dips this broom in water and hits her on the head. And she paid for that!!!

The most interesting thing at Wat Pho is The Reclining Buddha which is half a football field long! Sing it with me…

Head…

and shoulders…

knees…

and toes!

People were putting money on trees and putting coins into each of these pots. Temple is big business!!

We move on to another temple where they seem to be preparing for some type of ceremony which vaguely resembles bobbing for apples except it is gauze.

We go inside the temple to take some pictures. Rob sits down to take a picture and is immediately chastised for his feet pointing toward Buddha. It is virtually impossible for Westerners to squat down or sit on their legs or do crisscross applesauce. We don’t stay long.

The monks and novices are always supposed to be higher than others so thankfully there is a platform since we are a foot taller than most of them.

And how appropriate to see a Siamese cat in Siam, now referred to as Thailand!

We walk to one of the many mega malls. This one has an open bookstore concept.

And the advertising department is so clever…

I am obsessed with the sport of takraw. Rob found a park where nightly games of takraw are played. Basically, it is volleyball played with your head and feet, and you can hit the ball three times in a row but you have better odds of winning the point if you pass it to other players on your side.

Watch an action point here:

Here is a close-up of a block. WOW!

Afterwards Rob found a taste of home – a Mexican food place in the heart of Bangkok called Charley Brown. It REALLY felt like a taste of home because I grew up in Kansas where Mexican food IS a taste of home…and I really felt welcome with these license tags.