On the road again – to see a bit of the exotic Far East with Overseas Adventure Travel and our travelling companions Jo Wilson and Carol Bennett.  We visited Burma, Laos, and Cambodia, with a just a little taste of Bangkok, Thailand.  We left home in mid-January and travelled via Chicago and Tokyo for 24 hours to reach Bangkok, Thailand.  After an overnight rest, we flew on to Vientiane, Laos and then to Luang Prabang, Laos.  After five days in Laos, we flew back to Bangkok and enjoyed a short city tour there.  After overnight in Bangkok, we flew to Yangon, Myanmar (aka Rangoon, Burma).  During two weeks in Myanmar, we had four more internal flights and then it was back to Bangkok.  Another overnight and we flew to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  We spent 6 days in Cambodia and then flew back to Bangkok for one last night.    Then it was time to reverse our route and head home – a long ride, but a great trip.   This blog is one of four that describe our adventures in three countries and one big city.    

BANGKOK 

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and the most largest city in the country.  There over 14 million people living here !  We had four overnight stays in Bangkok, Thailand - it is the major hub for air travel in and out of Southeast Asia, as well as for travel between countries in that part of the world.  We saw a lot of the Bangkok Airport and our nearby hotel, but … we did have time for a very short city tour.  We visited the city flower market, the Royal Palace, and the Jim Thompson House – barely scratched the surface of a great city, but not bad for a few hours’ effort. 

The Bangkok Flower Market (or Pak Klong Talad) is the biggest wholesale and retail fresh flower market in Bangkok – it seemed to us that it might as well be the biggest in the world. The market has all kinds of flowers and related items, including roses, forget-me-nots, orchids, lilies and more. Most of them sold wholesale - in packs of 50 or 100 flowers in each, and prices are amazingly cheap. Shops and vendors are housed inside two huge warehouse buildings on both sides of the main road.

 

During the day, the Flower Market is relatively quiet.  Open 24 hours, the market is most lively after midnight. In the pre-dawn hours, the market is in full action, as vendors receive floral goods from all areas of the country. Wholesalers bring in truckloads of freshly cut flowers, while traders and retailers come to buy their stock in bulk.

 

There’s plenty to eat around the market.  Lots of fresh produce; our guide bought us several kinds of fruit to try.  Also many of vendors selling prepared food – we took a pass on the assorted fish, but the grilled and deep-fried bananas were pretty tasty.

 

 

Another stop on our little tour was at the Jim Thompson House.  American Jim Thompson was head of the OSS (Forerunner of the CIA) in Thailand in 1945. He became enamored with Thai art, and in particular, silk.  He founded the first Thai silk export company and was a celebrated socialite in Bangkok until his mysterious disappearance in Malaysia in 1967.  His traditional teak house has been preserved as a museum, filled with antiques, artwork and elegant furniture.  The grounds are lovely, with lots of orchids and native plants.  Of course, the complex also includes a shop for those in need of very elegant and very expensive souvenirs.

 

The highlight of the day was the Grand Palace, built by King Rama I as the royal residence in the new capital in 1782.  The palace, with its dazzling Buddhist temple (Wat Phra Kaeo), is Thailand’s most revered and celebrated site.  Here Thai art, architecture, and history come together in a maze of glittering shrines and stupas, guarded by mythical creatures such as nagas (serpents), singhas (lions), and garudas (half-man, half-bird).  It’ll take another trip and a LOT more time to understand what we were seeing, but it was an incredibly beautiful place to visit.

 

 

 

 

The Emerald Buddha is the centerpiece of Wat Phra Kaeo.  It’s a small statue, only 26 inches tall, actually made of jade, not emeralds.  It is believed to have come from Sri Lanka, and we know it spent some time in Burma.  Today it sits high above a sparkling gold altar inside the main temple.

Leaving the palace, we met a group of Burmese students visiting Bangkok.  They were quite a colorful sight in their traditional dress, and they were happy to learn that we were on our way to visit their homeland.