This is the account of my first arrival in Thailand and covers the first 3 months of my introduction to this wonderful country; full of culture, history, welcomes and smiles.
I won’t bore you with the details of exactly why I came to Thailand. Just to say that at the age of 42, having long been searching for some peace of mind, i finally decided to follow the advice of my closest friend. He had been telling me for ten years that Thailand was the place for me.
The final decision to come was relatively sudden, when, in December 2005, I booked a flight for January 13th 2006. having failed to find a like-minded travel companion, and determined not to spend the rest of my life just talking about it, I made a snap decision to get on with it and go it alone.
Taking advantage of modern technology, I pre-booked a guest house room, in Bangkok, for 3 nights, along with taxi transport from the airport, via the internet. Doing that went against my usual sense of adventure, but, knowing that I would be arriving on the back of a 14 hour journey, I was acutely aware that the hassle of sorting things when I got there would not be enjoyable.
BANGKOK
It was a bad time to arrive, a Friday, late afternoon, and the commuter traffic meant that the journey to the guest house took about 2 hours. By the time we reached the guest house, the driver had proclaimed himself my best friend and insisted that he would be my personal Bangkok guide.
My room cost me 450 baht,(around #6.50), at a quiet, Indian owned establishment, that seemed pleasant enough. The room was basic, but clean and comfortable, and came with air-con and TV, and en-suite toilet/shower room.
The first thing that really caught my eye in Thailand, having not taken a lot in during the Taxi ride, was the toilet in my room.
It was a western style flushing toilet, normal enough. But attached to the plumbing was a length of rubber hose with a small ‘shower head’ on the end.
With the complete absence of toilet paper or any sign of a toilet roll holder, it was immediately obvious what this attachment was for. Far from being perturbed, my first thought was, ‘ what a good idea’.
Deciding that I was still a little tired to explore Bangkok at night just yet, I checked out the excursions on offer in the guest house reception. Generally not a coach trip sort of guy, I had how ever, decided to treat myself to one such trip, to assist me with acclimatisation, before going more ‘freelance’, and chose a trip to Ayuthaya,( Thailands ancient capital), via Bang Pa In, and returning to Bangkok by boat.
That booked and my emails done, I popped into the guesthouse restaurant. Most of my fellow diners were Thai, but then a tall, elegantly dressed, European lady walked in. She was a lovely lady, and after telling her that I had already booked the trip for Saturday, we loosely agreed that we might further explore Bangkok together, on the Sunday. Things were going well, my first day there and I had already found a possible travel companion.
The next morning found me awake with the rising sun at around 6am. An early morning stroll around Bangkok is something I highly recommend to anyone. Such a contrast to the noise of the busy streets the evening before.
I headed off down the narrow back streets, passing many sleeping street dogs, some just stirring and starting out on their daily scavenges for food.
It was my first chance to explore different world of the medieval feeling back lanes of Bangkok. Nearly giving up any hope of finding any coffee, but enjoying the walk anyway, I eventually spotted an open shop, in the ground floor of an otherwise derelict looking, concrete building.
Obviously somewhat surprised to see a ‘farang’, the shopkeeper, nevertheless, greeted me with the sort of smile that Thailand is rightly famed for.
Inside the cafe, the rough concrete walls bore no paint. Along one wall was a row of folding metal tables with flimsy plastic chairs, barely able to take my weight. On the other side I asked for ‘Kafair’, and politely waited to take it from the lady behind the counter, I was ushered to a table, to be served shortly, with a very sweet, strong coffee, to rival the best of coffee houses, along with a glass of green tea and 2 doughnuts, all for the princely sum of 15 baht, ( around 20p). A bit wary of the combination of coffee and tea together, I found that they actually complimented each other well.
None of the people there spoke any English and my Thai only amounted to a couple of single words, and yet we had a wonderful ‘conversation ‘ full of laughs, smiles and friendly hand gestures.
As I savored the aromatic brew, I was introduced to another aspect of Thai life that fascinates me as a couple of Buddhist Monks appeared at the shop front. The shopkeepers immediately went out, bowing reverently, placing food offerings into the bowls held out by the Monks, and then, on their knees, were a couple of larger tables, acting as a counter, displaying Thai style doughnuts and various cakes and biscuits. Behind these tables was the cooking area, which housed two stone charcoal burners, one being used to boil water, in a large metal pan, and the other ready for cooking on.received blessings from the Monks in return.
As I made my way back to the guest house a short time later, I witnessed many more Monks and Novices, walking the streets and stopping to receive offerings from shopkeepers, children and many others wishing to make merit for the day
THE EXCURSION
Prices for these sorts of trips vary, and its definitely worth checking around before choosing, but I was happy with my ‘first dip’, the equivalent of around 15 pounds for the full day, taking in Bang Pa In, (the Royal Palace compound), Ayudthaya,(the ancient capital ruins), and a 4 hour boat trip back to Bangkok, with buffet meal included.
BANG PA IN
Certainly worth seeing, with its various styles of architecture and beautiful gardens. Included is the Grand Palace of the famed Chulalongkhorn, from ‘The King and I’, a must see for anyone interested in Thai history.
The 45 minutes we had there was, by, no means enough, to fully appreciate the mix of splendor and tranquility. I certainly hope to return there under my own steam some time, to spend more of a day there.
Part of the joy of running The Stratton ABC Foundation is getting to see yet more of what goes on in Thai society. Last week was the culmination of many weeks practice at school for the children, when a major inter school running competition was held for the local schools in and around Banthi, over two days.
Held at the local Government Office grounds, it was quite an impressive event. Commitments here at Stratton House meant that we could only manage afternoons, but we got to see plenty of the excitement.
There were stands and awnings erected around the outside of the sportsfield for all the different schools and their supporters.
All the children taking part put their heart into it and I think winners and losers alike should all be very proud of themselves.
The first two days went reasonably well, accounting for my own initial nervousness and poor preparation on the first day. The main thing that came out of it was the need to use Boon much more as a second teacher, rather than just an assistant.
Having got my visa i popped in to The Brick Road Cafe, where Dimitri has now installed electronic mosquito zappers. Only stopping for coffee, I caught sight of a parade that came up Ratchadamnoen Rd to Wat Chedi Luang. Asking the staff what this was they pointed out that it is the annual 7 day festival at the Temple held to bring good luck for the city.
