With Dad having to attend to work duties, I once again set out to explore. All of my time has thus far been spent in the city center, so it was time to venture out a bit. I decided on a place called Nakhon Pathom, about an hour west of central Bangkok. I am not entirely sure of this place's political status. From what I read, it is actually still part of Bangkok proper, which gives you an idea of just how massive the city is.
The main reason, well, only reason really, to visit NK is because it is home to the Phra Pathom Chedi, a massive golden stupa that is the tallest Buddhist site in the world. It is also considered the most sacred, as it holds a relic of the Buddha himself (would this trip bring me closer to Nirvana?).You might remember from yesterday's post that a train out to NK wasn't the most convenient, so I settled on taking a bus. I could have gone all in for a taxi, but wanted to experience how locals get to destinations outside of the city.
I took a taxi to the proper bus terminal, which is way the hell away from the city center, on the other side of the Chao Praya. This particular cabbie spoke the best English I have heard all trip. I understand that English can be extremely difficult for Thais, and I don't begrudge them a single bit if they struggle or can't pronounce things properly....hell, I'm in their country, not the other way around. But my driver today, while still with a noticeable accent, could understand several points and could also explain himself quite well. I enjoyed not having to ride in a taxi in total or near silence for once. After a relatively lengthy drive, we swung into the bus terminal, and my man pointed me to the bus I needed. I quickly grabbed a ticket, with a little help from a girl who spoke some English (another cutie.....man, what do they put in the water here!?). Moments after climbing on the bus we pulled out for the drive towards my destination.
The bus looked like a product of the seventies, the interior was beat to all hell, and I'm pretty sure the shocks no longer existed-it got pretty bumpy at times. The ride was still quite comfortable, there were only a handful of other occupants, and the AC worked alright. It was a slow drive, and given the relative close proximity of NK to Bangkok central, I didn't get to see much countryside. There was still some interesting viewing to be had out my window, including a handful of traditional homes (built up on stilts) and the odd temple here and there. The drive out also afforded a look into some of the contrasts that exist in developing countries: A pristine looking, highway-style McDonald's next store to a decrepit machine shop selling scrap, or a random rice paddy nestled between car dealerships selling Mazdas and Nissans, amongst others. After an hour or so though, the bus rumbled up to its final stop, just across the street from the stupa.
First off, NK had the feel of a small city. There were no high rises (the stupa is probably the tallest thing there), but the sidewalks still buzzed with activity and the traffic was just as busy. I spent a good chunk of time walking about the stupa. I made sure to make a complete circuit around the base of the structure, which in itself isn't all that spectacular....its just gigantic. At the base of it though are little shrines that you can walk into and pay homage to statues of the Buddha, and one of the shrines had beautiful murals on the wall. No photos were allowed, but they did have a book on hand that had all the images from the shrine's walls, so I picked up a copy.
Outside the stupa hawkers had set up their stalls (selling all kinds of wares) around the perimeter of the stupa, so I took some time to wander those as well. As it began to approach 3 o'clock, I explored the town a bit. Despite the lack of other foreign faces, no one really seemed to pay me much mind. Soon I grabbed a ticket for the bus back to the City of Angels.
After chilling out in the room for a short while I decided I still had it left in me to do something before calling it a night. I set out for Patpong, the most notorious street in Bangkok's red light district. I had to see the spectacle...sometimes you just gots to know. I had heard though that it is much tamer than before, and that a large market is spread all around the area, made up of cooked-food stalls and hawkers selling goods. I took the Sky Train down and made the short walk from the station to my destination, but it was immediately obvious that this was a place made for foreigners. Most of the other faces in the crowd were white. I ran the gauntlet down Patpong: The center is congested by stalls selling fake goods, while along the edges of the street there are your strip clubs, massage parlors, etc. Being a young, single, white male amongst the bedlam wasn't really ideal. Pretty much every Thai guy I passed asked "what I was looking for" and insisted on showing me either photos of Thai girls in various acts of sexual congress or a list of "shows" that I could see in strip clubs. I won't even get into that...I have heard about what goes on down there, and it isn't fit for even my filthy mouth. Interestingly enough, I saw a number of families with small children walking along the street. I must say though, they all looked kind of shocked.
After emerging unscathed, I walked about the immediate area for a while longer, which was much tamer, and I am glad that I did. I came across some stalls that Thai people seemed to be eating at, and grabbed some fantastic grilled, braised chicken on a stick. I had my fair share of street food while in China, but this chicken really blew me away. I had to go back for seconds. With a full belly and a sullied mind from my walk along Patpong, I caught the Sky Train back to from whence I came.
Good night from Krung Thep, should have more action tomorrow.
The main reason, well, only reason really, to visit NK is because it is home to the Phra Pathom Chedi, a massive golden stupa that is the tallest Buddhist site in the world. It is also considered the most sacred, as it holds a relic of the Buddha himself (would this trip bring me closer to Nirvana?).You might remember from yesterday's post that a train out to NK wasn't the most convenient, so I settled on taking a bus. I could have gone all in for a taxi, but wanted to experience how locals get to destinations outside of the city.
I took a taxi to the proper bus terminal, which is way the hell away from the city center, on the other side of the Chao Praya. This particular cabbie spoke the best English I have heard all trip. I understand that English can be extremely difficult for Thais, and I don't begrudge them a single bit if they struggle or can't pronounce things properly....hell, I'm in their country, not the other way around. But my driver today, while still with a noticeable accent, could understand several points and could also explain himself quite well. I enjoyed not having to ride in a taxi in total or near silence for once. After a relatively lengthy drive, we swung into the bus terminal, and my man pointed me to the bus I needed. I quickly grabbed a ticket, with a little help from a girl who spoke some English (another cutie.....man, what do they put in the water here!?). Moments after climbing on the bus we pulled out for the drive towards my destination.
The bus looked like a product of the seventies, the interior was beat to all hell, and I'm pretty sure the shocks no longer existed-it got pretty bumpy at times. The ride was still quite comfortable, there were only a handful of other occupants, and the AC worked alright. It was a slow drive, and given the relative close proximity of NK to Bangkok central, I didn't get to see much countryside. There was still some interesting viewing to be had out my window, including a handful of traditional homes (built up on stilts) and the odd temple here and there. The drive out also afforded a look into some of the contrasts that exist in developing countries: A pristine looking, highway-style McDonald's next store to a decrepit machine shop selling scrap, or a random rice paddy nestled between car dealerships selling Mazdas and Nissans, amongst others. After an hour or so though, the bus rumbled up to its final stop, just across the street from the stupa.
First off, NK had the feel of a small city. There were no high rises (the stupa is probably the tallest thing there), but the sidewalks still buzzed with activity and the traffic was just as busy. I spent a good chunk of time walking about the stupa. I made sure to make a complete circuit around the base of the structure, which in itself isn't all that spectacular....its just gigantic. At the base of it though are little shrines that you can walk into and pay homage to statues of the Buddha, and one of the shrines had beautiful murals on the wall. No photos were allowed, but they did have a book on hand that had all the images from the shrine's walls, so I picked up a copy.
Outside the stupa hawkers had set up their stalls (selling all kinds of wares) around the perimeter of the stupa, so I took some time to wander those as well. As it began to approach 3 o'clock, I explored the town a bit. Despite the lack of other foreign faces, no one really seemed to pay me much mind. Soon I grabbed a ticket for the bus back to the City of Angels.
After chilling out in the room for a short while I decided I still had it left in me to do something before calling it a night. I set out for Patpong, the most notorious street in Bangkok's red light district. I had to see the spectacle...sometimes you just gots to know. I had heard though that it is much tamer than before, and that a large market is spread all around the area, made up of cooked-food stalls and hawkers selling goods. I took the Sky Train down and made the short walk from the station to my destination, but it was immediately obvious that this was a place made for foreigners. Most of the other faces in the crowd were white. I ran the gauntlet down Patpong: The center is congested by stalls selling fake goods, while along the edges of the street there are your strip clubs, massage parlors, etc. Being a young, single, white male amongst the bedlam wasn't really ideal. Pretty much every Thai guy I passed asked "what I was looking for" and insisted on showing me either photos of Thai girls in various acts of sexual congress or a list of "shows" that I could see in strip clubs. I won't even get into that...I have heard about what goes on down there, and it isn't fit for even my filthy mouth. Interestingly enough, I saw a number of families with small children walking along the street. I must say though, they all looked kind of shocked.
After emerging unscathed, I walked about the immediate area for a while longer, which was much tamer, and I am glad that I did. I came across some stalls that Thai people seemed to be eating at, and grabbed some fantastic grilled, braised chicken on a stick. I had my fair share of street food while in China, but this chicken really blew me away. I had to go back for seconds. With a full belly and a sullied mind from my walk along Patpong, I caught the Sky Train back to from whence I came.
Good night from Krung Thep, should have more action tomorrow.
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