Sweet baby elephant

Wandering about amongst the crowds, traffic, and dirt of Bangkok, one can often see random elephants (adults and babies) plodding along with their owners. Their shtick is getting foreigners to pay for the novelty of feeding them. I hate the idea of it, and I feel badly for these great creatures of the forest. I was able to resist the monkey-toting boys on the beaches who do the same thing, but when this baby elephant walked by our outdoor restaurant, I couldn't help myself. I hadn't been feeling well, was grumpy, and generally wasn't feeling up to doing anything that involved walking or people. A few minutes with this lovely (non-human) animal made me feel better about life. Ah, cognitive dissonance.

Wat Arun~Temple of the Dawn

Our first time on the river, Friday, I took this picture of Wat Arun as we cruised by:
Then, on our last day in Bangkok, Saturday, I left my friends to their shopping in a crowded weekend market and tuk-tukked my way back to the river. 10 cents and 2 minutes later, I was all ferried across the river and at the gates of Wat Arun:
Upon entering, I beheld such a strange sight. People kneeling and croching around this flowering tree...clapping at it!

I ~think~ the flowers opened upon being applauded. However, it was really a mystery to this foreigner, because I never saw any flower move at all. Maybe they had had enough of their vanity for one day.

It was a special day in Thailand (I forget why), so lots of people were at the temple this Saturday. One of the rituals appeared to be ladling oil into these lamps:
Resident Buddha:And then I made my way to the tower itself. "Steep" doesn't cut it when describing these stairs. As you may see, there are 2 sets of stairs one can climb: the first, not-so-steep set, and the second I-may-as-well-be-a-ladder set:View from first set:
~huff, puff~ Looking down the ladder-stairs from the second landing:View from second landing:
Moi. You can see the Grand Palace across the way there:
A solitary, satisfactory finale to my stay in Bangkok.

Suk11-best hostel ever

Whilst in Bangkok, we stayed at this lovely little hostel called Suk11, which is a strange name until you realize that all the streets in that area are Suk something or other. Here's the entrance, nestled in an alley off the main road:
Seriously, it's the coolest place ever. 4 stories high, and if you've ever been in one of those old used-book stores, the ones that wind in and around and up and down, with half-staircases and doorways that look like they lead to Narnia, then you can imagine the layout and feel of this hostel. The staircases up to each floor are themselves hidden in a slightly different place on each floor, so upon first arrival, it's a bit of a muddle trying to find your room. Add that to the fact that there are several different sets of staircases, long narrow passages filled with doorways and ladder-like stairways to places like staff kitchens and under-construction common rooms, and you have yourself a right regular adventure waiting for you. This is a picture of one of the lamplit, never-ending hallways:A balcony JUST big enough for this bench:
Looking over this charming pedestrian street:
And one of the coolest things about this place was the fact that the floors sometimes opened into balconies (no walls between), and housed outdoor showers (something you can do in a tropical clime):
There was a rooftop loft with vines hanging from the ceiling and old-fashioned wooden birdcages which also housed outdoor showers, but unfortunately I didn't get a photo.

And, we wouldn't be in Southeast Asia without Buddhas everywhere, now would we? This giant wood carving looks down on all climbing the steps to the first floor:
And there are lots of random shrines everywhere as well. Calling us all to pause and reflect in a moment of peace as we walk by, I believe:Two end notes:

1. I arrived in Bangkok the morning after the nightclub fire which killed 59 people on New Year's Eve. I felt saddened and shocked to hear the news, and also very lucky. We almost came to Bangkok for NYE, and we could've easily ended up there, who knows. God rest their souls and comfort their families; a terrible thing to happen. It all goes back to: no mixing drinking with fire.

2. This Saturday morning (Friday night Canada time), I board a plane for Shanghai. This weekend is Lunar New Year here in Asia; the biggest celebration of the year. I thought...China for Chinese New Year, how great would that be!? So I'm going to Shanghai with a big group of people, and hopefully it's a good time. So you won't hear from me for about a week or so. Happy Lunar everyone! Or...in Korean:

새해복많이받으세요!!
(Sae-hae bok man-i baduseyo!!) :P

Meditations on a Rockface

We interrupt the series on Thailand to bring you this totally cool mountain mini-temple. Me, A, & J hiked up Gwanak Mtn again a couple of weeks ago, despite biting, bitter winds. Near the top, there is a temple, which is where I'm standing as I take this photo. If you walk up and around for another 3-4 minutes, you can visit this little temple room right on the cliff. It is filled with candles, statues of Buddha, and has room for maybe 3 people to sit inside. Truly lovely.

Here we are climbing over and around the rock outcrop to reach the little room. You can see its roof on the right:
The view from the room. This is actually looking toward my side of Seoul (the eastern side), and I was able to see the bridge over the Han River near my home...but here it is obscured:Me and J at the 'real top.' J being a wimp about the cold, as the English are wont to do in Korea. hehehe Mind you, it was pretty bleeping chilly, I admit:Me & my chickie, A, the less-wimpy Canadians:
Hot candles in a cold wind:

You need not do anything.
Remain sitting at your table and listen.
You need not even listen, just wait.
You need not even wait, just learn to be quiet, still, and solitary.
And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked.
It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.
~Franz Kafka "Learn to be Quiet."

Bangkok ~ Wat Pho

By the way, "wat" means "temple." Here's a spire garden in Wat Pho:
Wat Pho houses the massive Reclining Buddha. Those are his toes there on the right. hehehe:

Tourists and pilgrims walk around the Buddha counterclockwise, entering by his head, walking down to aforepictured toes, and around to his back. The entire time I was walking down his front, I could hear a loud, mysterious clinking and tinkling which sounded like some kind of percussion instrument. Turns out what I heard was hundreds of coins plinking into jars lining the back wall. People walked the length, dropping a coin into each pot, creating a very interesting cacaphony.
To finish, we have a lovely lotus flower blooming on the temple grounds:Hope your weekend was lovely. Muah!

Grand Palace ~ Bangkok

The Grand Palace, built in the late 1700s, certainly lives up to its name. Thai royals used to live there, and the king still performs important ceremonies there. It also houses the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the king's personal place of worship. I went in to see the Emerald Buddha, but this was the only picture I could manage, through the doorway, since photos inside are prohibited.
Pretty amazing up close.

Let's go back to the beginning. The palace was closed for a special ceremony when we arrived, so we Tuk-Tuk'd around for a bit whilst waiting for it to open.

Squishy-squishy! They don't really feel dangerous (though I'm sure any nearby motorized transport would surely best them), but one downside to the open-air concept is lots of open-air pollution for your lungs. Upside: cheap and fun.

Once we were permitted entrance, the (literal) fashion police (guy on right) greeted us beside a sign showing all forbidden (even moderately immodest) clothing:

Our friend got caught with her short skirt. Bah hahaha! We had quite a laugh at the ridiculous wrap-around she had to wear. The men's modest attire was worse...billowy, baggy, 90s print Aladdin-type pants.

Here are some snaps of the palace grounds:



As you can see, I came prepared (covered up). Wasn't too bad...but it's their winter there! I can't imagine wearing long clothing in their summer, which someone told me gets up to around 40C or higher. I won't be visiting any temples in their summer if that's the case.We met some visiting monks from Burma and Sri Lanka. Very sweet.

This is one of my favourite shots. You can kind of see all the tiny, mirrored squares that cover the entire outside of all the buildings. It makes them sparkle and glitter in the sun, and is quite a sight.

Whoa

Quite possibly the coolest thing ever. Thanks to my brother for sharing the link. ;)

Sunset on the Chao Phraya

Chao Phraya River ~ Bangkok, Thailand

Happy New Year everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA since Thailand. To tell you the truth, I've been more than a little bummed to be back in the concrete freezer after sweet, summery Thailand. And it's not just the landscape and weather and amazing food I miss. The Thai people are incredibly generous and lovely. Very polite and kind (even when dealing with obnoxious foreigners), which is somewhat of a pleasant surprise after being in Korea so long. Koreans once you know them are like any other humans on the planet I suppose, but in public they take the cake for rudeness. After 2 years, I still just can't seem to get used to getting butted in line, elbowed and shoved out of the way on subways, buses, and elevators, and the general air of me-firstness that permeates relations amongst strangers. Don't get me wrong, there's much about Korea I love; my adorable students being at the top of the list. However, I'm just plain tired of it here in general. I'll do one more year, switch gears in a new job in March, chop up my year with 10 weeks of vacation, then it's annyongi-kaysseo (bye) for me. I want to live somewhere poorer, more gritty, more authentic, and more alive.

So, I guess you can tell....I really loved Thailand. Well, the Thai parts of it. Unfortunately we happened to spend most of our time in the most touristy towns, and I did not really like it there. I don't like how tourists can completely change a landscape, so that you see nothing but shops selling western clothes, western bars and restaurants, and swarms of westerners with hardly a Thai to be seen who isn't serving someone. I'll definitely be going back to Thailand next year, and in that time, I will stay away from the large tourist traps and try to see a little of the Thailand that is Thailand and not Touristland.

Ok, where shall we start with the photos? I think, Bangkok. It was the end of our trip, and is quite an interesting city. Yes, we'll start with the city, and move slowly back to the beach (beginning and middle of the trip), so that the beach can be the last thing in my memory as I make my way through Korean winter. :)

One of the most interesting things about Bangkok is the river. Not just for scenery this one. It's a veritable highway, with bus-boats that come at regular intervals just like any bus, river taxis, and tourist boats. While only there 2 days, I rode the river for hours, and enjoyed every minute of it. You can even take a 2-minute boat ride directly across the river (like a bridge I guess), for less than a cent.


This is an academy of some sort if I remember correctly:
And this is the Temple of the Dawn. More on that later:

For me, one of the most difficult things about traveling is actually seeing the poorest of the world's poor up close. This always creates some cognitive dissonance for me, as I tour around on vacation, spending what would support a family for a year in the country I'm visiting. I'm just not sure how to deal with it. I find myself refusing to feel anything, because if I feel compassion for these people, how can I just hand over a bill and walk onwards to the next restaurant, temple, or shop? How can I even be so frivolous as to be a tourist at all? I see young mothers with dirty babies, cripples, blind men, you name it, these cities have it. One thing Seoul does not really have is beggars. I found Tibet to be worse than Bangkok, but still, Thailand sure has its fair share of slums. And many of them right on the river:Is it ever eye-opening to actually see fellow humans in 2009 living like this. Shows my privilege at birth, doesn't it? And yet, amongst these poor, hard-up people, still I find happy, glowing, lovely humans who offer genuine smiles. I cannot really grasp it.