Find Experiences in Bangkok: Temples, Markets, and More

The current(?) Palace

Visiting Bangkok is an amazing experience. The culture is rich, peaceful and the food is plentiful and diverse. If you arrive on a cruise ship, you dock at Laem Chabang which is a minimum hour-and-a-half drive from the Bangkok. If your ship is only there for the day, it is difficult to get into the city and back and still manage to see a lot. If you are lucky, your ship docks one morning and departs the next evening providing you time to experience Bangkok.

The trip into Bangkok is interesting because you see a lot and realize just how modern the country is. There are many factories and businesses along the way and the rest stops stretch great distances providing a large number of restaurants and coffee shops for the traveler.

Chao Phraya River

Once into the city, there are numerous temples and markets to visit along with museums and other historical properties. Thailand’s main religion is Buddhism so getting to a temple or two is a must. Keep in mind that there are specific dress codes (i.e. no bare shoulders or short pants) and you probably will be required to remove your shoes. Some temples do not allow photos. To help navigate the city the word for temple in Thai is Wat.

The Emerald Buddha (actually made of jade) is probably the most famous and it is on the grounds of the Grand Palace (established in 1782) so you can visit both at the same time. The grounds are huge and include a number of temples and palaces, magnificent statuary, works of art and jeweled walls. There are small admittance fees but you will be presented with a beautiful brochure once you have paid. The Grand Palace closes from time to time for events/ceremonies so this could affect your visit.

Within a short walk of the Grand Palace is Wat Pho which is home to the Reclining Buddha that’s covered in gold and 46 meters in length. The location features several other Buddhas and a variety of carved stone figures. Another famous temple in the area is Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) across the Chao Phraya River. It can be explored on its’ own or as part of a river/canal tour.

Maeklong Railway Market

While in Bangkok you should try a number of “street” foods, which are everywhere. Mostly featuring fresh fruits with one highlight being a cup of strawberries dusted with salt, sugar and chili powder. Freshly opened coconuts for coconut water are available everywhere. Other foods included grilled chicken, fried bananas and pineapple.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

50 miles from Bangkok is the Maeklong Railway Market, the most unique market in Asia. It features vendors (mostly food items) on both sides of the railroad track. They display their products along the tracks and, when the train is coming, they quickly pull everything back until the train passes right through the center of the market. Afterwards, all goods go back by the tracks. This process happens seven times a day but it is best to visit early in the morning when the temperatures and smells are both lower.

There are many floating markets in Thailand but one of the more interesting ones is Damnoen Saduak, about 60 miles from the city. Products are displayed in boats and around the canals and you can purchase food items that have been cooked on the boats. You can hire a long boat and the operator will row you around the canals to shop and view the offerings. Bartering is a must and payment in local currency (baht) is expected (accepting credit cards is becoming more common.

Some excursions can be arranged through your ship or your hotel in Bangkok offering access to several tour companies. A better alternative, if you are there overnight, is to hire a private travel company like Travel Hub as they have good itineraries and will pick you up at the ship, take you touring, drop you at a hotel and pick you up the following morning for more touring and the journey back to the ship. There are fixed itineraries with a little flexibility and each group includes a guide and driver; the smaller the group, the more personal the tour. Pricing depends on the number of people in the group.

Rest area on Thai highway.

A couple of important notes about visiting Thailand: The people love and respect their king and do not tolerate disrespect. Most Thai homes include photographs or art depicting the king and his family. One story recounts an incident where someone dropped Thai currency and stepped on it to keep it from blowing away. The act was considered an insult to the king because his picture is on all currency. Another note regards the Buddha. Thailand is a Buddhist country and disrespect towards the Buddha is not permitted under Thai law. There are billboards and posters all over the country pointing this out.

If you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia you need to put Thailand at the top of your list.

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Exploring Bangkok Thailand

The current(?) Palace

Visiting Bangkok is an amazing experience. The culture is rich, peaceful and the food is plentiful and diverse. If you arrive on a cruise ship, you dock at Laem Chabang which is a minimum hour-and-a-half drive from the Bangkok. If your ship is only there for the day, it is difficult to get into the city and back and still manage to see a lot. If you are lucky, your ship docks one morning and departs the next evening providing you time to experience Bangkok.

The trip into Bangkok is interesting because you see a lot and realize just how modern the country is. There are many factories and businesses along the way and the rest stops stretch great distances providing a large number of restaurants and coffee shops for the traveler.

Chao Phraya River

Once into the city, there are numerous temples and markets to visit along with museums and other historical properties. Thailand’s main religion is Buddhism so getting to a temple or two is a must. Keep in mind that there are specific dress codes (i.e. no bare shoulders or short pants) and you probably will be required to remove your shoes. Some temples do not allow photos. To help navigate the city the word for temple in Thai is Wat.

The Emerald Buddha (actually made of jade) is probably the most famous and it is on the grounds of the Grand Palace (established in 1782) so you can visit both at the same time. The grounds are huge and include a number of temples and palaces, magnificent statuary, works of art and jeweled walls. There are small admittance fees but you will be presented with a beautiful brochure once you have paid. The Grand Palace closes from time to time for events/ceremonies so this could affect your visit.

Within a short walk of the Grand Palace is Wat Pho which is home to the Reclining Buddha that’s covered in gold and 46 meters in length. The location features several other Buddhas and a variety of carved stone figures. Another famous temple in the area is Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) across the Chao Phraya River. It can be explored on its’ own or as part of a river/canal tour.

Maeklong Railway Market

While in Bangkok you should try a number of “street” foods, which are everywhere. Mostly featuring fresh fruits with one highlight being a cup of strawberries dusted with salt, sugar and chili powder. Freshly opened coconuts for coconut water are available everywhere. Other foods included grilled chicken, fried bananas and pineapple.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

50 miles from Bangkok is the Maeklong Railway Market, the most unique market in Asia. It features vendors (mostly food items) on both sides of the railroad track. They display their products along the tracks and, when the train is coming, they quickly pull everything back until the train passes right through the center of the market. Afterwards, all goods go back by the tracks. This process happens seven times a day but it is best to visit early in the morning when the temperatures and smells are both lower.

There are many floating markets in Thailand but one of the more interesting ones is Damnoen Saduak, about 60 miles from the city. Products are displayed in boats and around the canals and you can purchase food items that have been cooked on the boats. You can hire a long boat and the operator will row you around the canals to shop and view the offerings. Bartering is a must and payment in local currency (baht) is expected (accepting credit cards is becoming more common.

Some excursions can be arranged through your ship or your hotel in Bangkok offering access to several tour companies. A better alternative, if you are there overnight, is to hire a private travel company like Travel Hub as they have good itineraries and will pick you up at the ship, take you touring, drop you at a hotel and pick you up the following morning for more touring and the journey back to the ship. There are fixed itineraries with a little flexibility and each group includes a guide and driver; the smaller the group, the more personal the tour. Pricing depends on the number of people in the group.

Rest area on Thai highway.

A couple of important notes about visiting Thailand: The people love and respect their king and do not tolerate disrespect. Most Thai homes include photographs or art depicting the king and his family. One story recounts an incident where someone dropped Thai currency and stepped on it to keep it from blowing away. The act was considered an insult to the king because his picture is on all currency. Another note regards the Buddha. Thailand is a Buddhist country and disrespect towards the Buddha is not permitted under Thai law. There are billboards and posters all over the country pointing this out.

If you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia you need to put Thailand at the top of your list.

And On The 3rd Day

…God Created the Land

On the third day God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” … And God saw that it was good.

Lava meets the sea as it flows from Kilauea volcano eruptions.

Taken from a ship at night sitting off the coast of the Big Island as lava pours into the sea. Kilauea, a shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, has a history of erupting lava flows that reach the ocean. These flows create dramatic displays of molten rock meeting the sea, often accompanied by steam explosions that lead to the formation of new land.

If you’re planning a visit to Hawaii’s Big Island be sure and check out boat tours and if the lava is flowing into the sea. HERE.

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Smog And Rapid Economic Development

An Editorial

Definition of Smog – A form of air pollution producing a gray fog from burning fossil fuels. A form of air pollution produced by the photochemical reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that have been released into the atmosphere, especially by automotive emissions.

Back in the 70’s my first real job was as a field engineer for a manufacturer and it kept me traveling most of the time. One of the things I still think about today was the smog. Flying into a number of major U.S. cities impressed me with how bad the smog was. Starting a descent into metropolitan areas from Washington to Chicago to LA seemed like the plane was diving into a dirty gray lake. Today in America our skies are remarkable clear from smog mostly thanks to technology applied to our internal combustion engines.

While America and Europe may have overcome smog it is still an increasing problem in many regions of the world. We just got back from a 30 day trip through Asia and seeing the smog was like going back in time to those 70’s. Our first stop was Mumbai, India and as I looked at my days photographs it became obvious that the smog was going to be an issue with contrast and saturation in my images. Moving around the city the traffic was hard to deal with as it was literally a non-stop flow of mostly motor bikes.

Perhaps the one advantage that smog has is that it produces strangely beautiful sunsets and the sunsets across the bay from Marine Drive in Mumbai were always spectacular.

From India to Sri Lanka, Vietnam to Taiwan, smog was a constant presence. While I’m not sure what laws have been put into place to try and reduce emissions, one issue that complicates the problem is the vast numbers of motorbikes. Even though the emissions from motorbikes is small compared to cars and trucks, in many places in Asia the number of motorbikes on the road simply overwhelms that advantage.

I’m not sure just how localized a problem smog is but at the same time I can’t believe that air pollution in Asia won’t have some impact on the whole planet. It would seem that the ability and motivation to deal with pollution is first and foremost an economic one. Emerging economies just don’t seem to have the financial resources to handle smog, and I would bet that most people would accept smog if it meant improving their standard of living.

The questions are; do we, in the west, have an ability or responsibility to help emerging nations with their air pollution? Will growing economies help fund pollution remedies? If so, how soon?

Todays Image • The Lotus Tower

A Symbol Of Columbo, Sri Lanka Since 2018

Lotus Tower (Sinhala: නෙළුම් කුළුණ), or the Colombo Lotus Tower, is a 1,153 foot tall tower, located in central Colombo, Sri Lanka. It has become a symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka and its Capital city. In 2019 it is the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia. The Lotus top is illuminated at night and goes through a series of color changes. The tower is used for communication, an observation deck and additional the facilities around the tower. Construction is estimated to have cost US$113 million.

Todays Image • Egret with Water Buffalo

Just Hanging Out

Taken on a day in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Water buffalo graze along streams, lakes and open grassland, tails flicking, jaws moving. Around them struts a small, white egret, with some riding on the cow’s. It’s a familiar sight not just in America, but around the world. It’s a cattle egret and it probably originated on the grasslands of Africa taking advantage of the insects buzzing around the animal herds stirring up the ground.

The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a small, white heron with a short, yellow bill and long legs. Cattle egrets are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. They often follow animals to catch insects that are attracted to them and disturbed by the animals’ movements.

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