Thai one on

OK, so Chinese food was good. Really, really good. But Thai food . . . oh, man. The lime, the ginger, the chilies, mango, papaya, fruits I can't even begin to identify, all so fresh and yumilicious. As with most travel, food seems to be the most satisfying way of sampling the culture, and therefore becomes the quest we plan our day around.





It's great to have the company of friends now after traveling alone for a couple weeks. We've been up and down the Chao Praya River a few times in the last couple of days. For 15 baht (approx. $.40), you can cruise the length of Bangkok and watch the world go by: beautiful, shiny, gold wats rise up skyward with ornate tile work and carvings; trash and debris float by; a man sits on a marble wall and washes himself in the filthy water; longtail boats with their 2-stroke motors go roaring by; dense green vegetation peeks out wherever possible; skyscrapers loom in the distance; and people from all over the world get on and off the water taxis, toting either maps or groceries, children or shopping bags full of treasures.





Yesterday was Chinese New Year, and the temples were full of worshippers kneeling in front of gold, Buddha statues. They hold three sticks of insense, bow their heads to the ground three times, and bring offerings of fruit or oil. Some buy little squares of gold leaf, and rub them onto the Buddha statues, giving the figures a funny, fuzzy appearance. Someone strikes a large gong three times, and the sound reverberates for several minutes, hanging in the air as heavy as the humidity.







Wat Pho houses an enormous reclining Buddha with intricate, mother-of-pearl inlay on the soles of the feet. Worshippers purchase a small cup of coins, and plink-plunk them into metal buckets along the far war, filling the space with a lovely, almost musical sound. Wat Phra Kaew houses an emerald Buddha that sits high up in the air on a gold-, mirror- and tile-encrusted altar. The royal palace has more ornate stupas, buildings, pillars, and altars everywhere you look. Creatures that are half-monkey, half-man stand squat along the ground with their arms raised, holding the pillar up. Half-man, half-bird figures stand regal in their golden glory, looking (if you'll excuse the pun) cocky and confident. The aesthetic here is just amazing. Colorful and ornate, a big contrast to the gray, utilitarian look of China.







A trip to the Suam Lum Night Bazaar last night provided us with ample shopping possibilities. It's the largest night market in the country and you can find just about anything there. Bargaining is the name of the game and we had fun partaking in the fun of it all. Clothes, home furnishings, linens, furniture, artwork, tchotchkes of all shapes and sizes.

Today we made a trip to a gem dealer, and learned about choosing precious stones. The clerk pulled out a small black box of sapphires with depth and clarity, facets within facets reflecting light, color and shine. This is where jewelers and gem dealers from all over the world come to buy stones wholesale. Evidently Thailand gem makers know how to fire the stones for the best clarity and brilliance. Most of the world's sapphires come from Vietnam and Burma, and are cut here in Thailand. They cook the stones in little ovens on the street, and if one comes out not looking good enough, they throw mixtures of chemicals into the fire to get the effect they want. Not exactly scientific, but I guess they know what they're looking for.





I wish I could write about some lovely Thai music I've heard, but the only live music we've come across has been a violinist at the hotel restaurant playing western music (theme from Love Story, anyone?) to a karaoke-like back-up machine of tinkle-y piano and drum rhythms. Maybe we'll have better luck on Ko Lanta, our island paradise that we're going to tomorrow.