Bangkok Revisited

by Sandra Scott

Bangkok is the one of the major hubs of Southeast Asia.  My husband and I have visited Bangkok many times and, it never fails thrill us - there is so much to see and do.  In Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the Chao Phraya River, the country’s main river, flows through the city.  We usually stay at the beautiful riverside Peninsula Hotel. Everything at the Peninsula is incredible including the spa, the pool, the restaurant, and the view. We spend hours watching the river, which we find mesmerizing, from our room, the restaurants, and the pool. It is working river with small colorful tugboats pulling three to five heavily barges loaded with sand, water taxis crisscrossing the river, and many other boats.  We have often wondered where the barges come from and where they are going. This trip we found out.

We drove about one hour from Bangkok to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya and boarded a rice boat on the Chao Phraya River.  Boats are no longer used to transport rice so some of the teak boats have been converted into restaurants and a few into houseboats. Our boat could accommodate 12 passengers; however, we were lucky because there were two other guests along with our two guides, a cook, and the boat’s pilot. Interestingly, the other couple only lived 200 miles from us.

We traveled the river for two days and one night stopping along the way to visit small villages sometimes by bicycles, which are provided, sometimes by walking. We slept in lower portion of the boat where the sleeping area was divided by curtains.  There were two bathrooms and one shower. The main deck had ample sitting area and a small upper deck had a few chairs. 

Many people still grow rice but during the time when they are not busy in the fields some families have created small businesses to make extra money.  Everyone in the family works together.  We visited families that make bricks, drums, incense sticks, and charcoal. Especially interesting was the learning how they grow mushrooms. They are so successful that expansion is planned.  Regardless of the product, each process was so much more complicated than we thought. Mainly the families make things that can be used by people in their community.

Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand and our houseboat usually tied up by a Buddhist temple, which is the center of the community. Buddhist monks live a very simple life without any personal belongings so the people of the community give them what they need including food.  One morning we got up before the sun and with food our cook had prepared waited for the monks to walk by so we could give them the food. The monks in Thailand wear saffron colored robes, sandals, and shave their heads. We had a bowl with rice and the cook had put a soup-like mixture that contained chicken and vegetables in small plastic bags. In a show of respect for the monks we took off our shoes, bowed our head, then divided the food between the four monks. After the food was distributed the monks thanked us by chanting a blessing and went on their way. Buddhists believe that if you do good then good will come back to you.  If you do bad then bad will come back to you. 

One day we visited an orphanage with 1400 children.  It was dinner time so one group at a time chanted a prayer of thanks and then got in line for their dinner of rice and a mixture of vegetables.  We saw many boy scouts helping to distribute the food. We also visited a school.  The children we so excited to see us. They all wanted to have their picture taken with us.  Before we entered the classroom we took off our shoes.  Thai people do not usually wear their shoes inside their homes, temples, or schools. Surprisingly the students knew how to say many words in English including how to count.

When our houseboat was traveling down the river toward Bangkok we relaxed, waved to people on the shore, and watched the activity along the river. People were fishing, watering their crops, and just relaxing by the river. The barges were especially interesting because families live on little houses on the barges.  They were cooking meals, doing laundry, and other daily chores. We saw the barges being loaded with sand. Now we know where the barges come from. It was an amazing trip that was over way too soon.

Thai food is popular the world over so we decided a cooking lesson was in order. Just mention the name “Yingsak” and everyone breaks into smiles.  Flamboyant Chef Yingsak is the most popular chef in Thailand with his own TV show and cooking school.  My husband and I joined one of his classes for the morning.  We were given a booklet with the recipes for the items we were going to make then watched a video on how to prepare them: Miang Kwuay Tiao (rice noodle packets), Kaeng Keow Wan Sai Kok (green curry with sausage) and Kaeng Liang Pak Ruam (clear spicy soup with vegetables).  Chef Hoon went over the instructions verbally adding more tips. Luckily there were students with an excellent command of the English language to help us when we need translations. Then we all went to the kitchen where working as a team we helped to prepared various parts of the food – chopping, slicing, stir frying, and so on.  It was an incredibly smooth team effort that ended with tasting everything.

Bangkok is a hub for travel in Southeast Asia. We had an early flight to Myanmar so we opted to stay at the new Hotel Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. The beautiful hotel raises the bar for airport hotels with outstanding restaurants and a rooftop pool that made us think we were at one of Thailand’s beach resorts. Friends have said to us, “You are going to Thailand – again?”  We reply, “We have been there a dozen times and there is always something wonderful to do.” This trip was no exception.

For more information check: www.tourismthailand.org, www.yingsakfood.com, www.etc.co.th, and www.peninsula.com.