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March 08, 2008 Bangkok (THAILAND) Back on the Khao San Road in Bangkok, and Thailand's Amazing National Palace Having only gotten to sleep at 6:30 am this morning, I was happy to log a few hours before my internal alarm clock warned that, before long, the day might pass by. I took a quick shower, carrying out a weekly shave so I am somewhat presentable, and we went downstairs to grab breakfast at the attached restaurant - coffee and toast for 60 baht. There was a nearby internet cafe where I downloaded Skype and made several phone calls to family and friends, and by noon I set off for a bit of sight-seeing. At the top of my list was the National Palace where the much-heralded Emerald Buddha is housed, and after a 40 baht tuk-tuk ride through the mayhem of Bangkok's streets, we were outside its front gates.
The Grand Palace complex was established back in 1782, and along with government offices, it also houses the royal residence and throne halls (although the royal family now lives elsewhere.) Like so much of Thailand's official attractions, there was enough gold on the chedis (stuppas) to rival the sun's brightness or trump the wealth of small nations. I have never been a big fan of such ornate displays of prosperity, but the end result certainly is impressive to behold.
As further proof of my ever-developing level of maturity...
Shown to the left is a picture of the white rice that came with my order of Tom Yom Koong soup. If nothing else, the restaurant deserves credit for trying something original... |
There was a 250 baht entrance fee for the
palace, which is far pricier than I was expecting -
Wat Pho, which houses the 20+ meter golden Buddha is
only 50 baht, and is far more impressive to see. Before
I could enter the grounds, I had to rent pants out of
respect for the Buddhist shrines (shorts, tank-tops, and
the like are offensive and impolite.)
After
the Grand Palace, we rode back to the Khao San
road for a few late afternoon snacks from street vendors
- pad thai noodles, spring rolls, and the
like - before Neil decided to capitalize on the
knock-off DVDs selling every movie title under the sun.
Even I decided to get in on the action when I spotted
No Country For Old Men, a recently-released movie by
the Coen brothers. We ended up watching this back
in the room so we could escape the Bangkok heat, and
afterward all of us caught up on some much-needed sleep. 
As
for the movie, a word of caution to anyone who has not
seen it yet: the movie is extremely graphic and will
leave you feeling slightly put-off from all the
violence. Indeed, the movie lived up to its title in
that America can be, and historically has been, no
country for old men (ie the weak of heart.) We are a
country often inundated with violence, and oftentimes
there is no stopping the madness. As a small side note,
two female students were recently shot and murdered at
UNC Chapel Hill and Auburn University.
When will something be done about all these homicides?!
Later in the evening we found a busy Thai
restaurant showing Premiership football, and I
mistakenly had us waiting around until midnight hoping
to catch the Arsenal vs. Wigan match. Unfortunately, I
got my dates wrong, and Arsenal will not play until
tomorrow evening when we will be on an overnight bus to
the capital of Laos, Vientiane. So much
for changing our travel plans so we could catch the game
this evening!