The trip across the Cambodia/Thailand border was uneventful. There is a bit of political tension between the two countries regarding the Preah Vihear Temple area which straddles Thailand’s North East and Cambodia’s Northern borders. In addition, Thailand is experiencing internal political unrest due to clashes between supporters of Thailand’s deposed ex- Prime Minister and the current government. We were advised by our guide, Thou, to avoid wearing red which is the color code for the dissenters. Bangkok is calm and peaceful when we arrived and there was no evidence of any political unrest.
For our last group adventure, we take a local city bus to Bangkok’s backpacker’s market, Banglamphu, where you can purchase stereos, pirated CD's, books, clothes, traveling accessories and every other thing imaginable. It is fun to walk the streets, visit and bargain at the various merchandise stalls…I purchased a pair of convertible traveler pants, you can unzip the lower leg portion to create comfortable shorts, and a couple of souvenir T-shirts, all advertising my favorite Indochina beers (Angkor, BeerLao, Chaing, Shinga). We have a superb dinner at a local restaurant that specialized in Thai food, took our final group pictures and said our goodbyes.
My last two days in Bangkok were busy ones. I learned to use the City’s public transportation system…walk from my hotel, about one-half mile, to Chao Phraya River …. pick-up a water taxi ….. make connection with Bangkok’s above ground BTS sky train system ……change to the city’s new subway system ….the systems are easy to use, inexpensive and faster than traveling by taxi or tuk-tuk through Bangkok’s congested streets. I had my final fitting for a sport jacket, shirt and pants that I had ordered, said good-bye to Father Joe and the staff at the Human Development Foundation’s Mercy Centre, enjoyed multiple Thai massages that pummeled my body while rejuvenating the soul, and visited some of my favorite restaurants before my departure Friday morning, March 5. I enjoy Bangkok like I enjoy Venice, Italy and look forward to coming back one day.
As I passed the security check-point at Bangkok’s International Airport, I came upon a large display titled “Churning of the Milk Ocean”, see photos. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned the discussions we had with a number of our guides….how Buddhism evolved from Hinduism….that Hindu mythology tells the story of the churning of the milk ocean to create the earth … now as I leave Thailand the story is retold in the form of this beautiful display. I truly need to learn more about Hinduism and its relationship to Buddhism.
The return trip to Virginia took a total of twenty hours with a single stop at Narita International airport, Japan where we changed planes. The long return flight allowed me to revisit my memories of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam; complete my journal entries of events that occurred the last few days and start reading “First, they killed my Father” which is a best selling true story of a child who narrates how her family was decimated by the Khmer Rouge.
As I got off the plane at Dulles airport to temperatures that were in the low 40F, I began to think…..where can Ann Marie and I travel next….Australia, Egypt, European River cruise, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey……so many choices…so many decisions….…..until then…..final comments will follow...
For our last group adventure, we take a local city bus to Bangkok’s backpacker’s market, Banglamphu, where you can purchase stereos, pirated CD's, books, clothes, traveling accessories and every other thing imaginable. It is fun to walk the streets, visit and bargain at the various merchandise stalls…I purchased a pair of convertible traveler pants, you can unzip the lower leg portion to create comfortable shorts, and a couple of souvenir T-shirts, all advertising my favorite Indochina beers (Angkor, BeerLao, Chaing, Shinga). We have a superb dinner at a local restaurant that specialized in Thai food, took our final group pictures and said our goodbyes.
My last two days in Bangkok were busy ones. I learned to use the City’s public transportation system…walk from my hotel, about one-half mile, to Chao Phraya River …. pick-up a water taxi ….. make connection with Bangkok’s above ground BTS sky train system ……change to the city’s new subway system ….the systems are easy to use, inexpensive and faster than traveling by taxi or tuk-tuk through Bangkok’s congested streets. I had my final fitting for a sport jacket, shirt and pants that I had ordered, said good-bye to Father Joe and the staff at the Human Development Foundation’s Mercy Centre, enjoyed multiple Thai massages that pummeled my body while rejuvenating the soul, and visited some of my favorite restaurants before my departure Friday morning, March 5. I enjoy Bangkok like I enjoy Venice, Italy and look forward to coming back one day.
As I passed the security check-point at Bangkok’s International Airport, I came upon a large display titled “Churning of the Milk Ocean”, see photos. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned the discussions we had with a number of our guides….how Buddhism evolved from Hinduism….that Hindu mythology tells the story of the churning of the milk ocean to create the earth … now as I leave Thailand the story is retold in the form of this beautiful display. I truly need to learn more about Hinduism and its relationship to Buddhism.
The return trip to Virginia took a total of twenty hours with a single stop at Narita International airport, Japan where we changed planes. The long return flight allowed me to revisit my memories of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam; complete my journal entries of events that occurred the last few days and start reading “First, they killed my Father” which is a best selling true story of a child who narrates how her family was decimated by the Khmer Rouge.
As I got off the plane at Dulles airport to temperatures that were in the low 40F, I began to think…..where can Ann Marie and I travel next….Australia, Egypt, European River cruise, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey……so many choices…so many decisions….…..until then…..final comments will follow...
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