Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
After 14 hours of traveling I am back in Bangkok. The first thing that strikes you as you step from the bus is the chaos of the place. In stark contrast to the Islands, here you feel that you must be constantly on guard as people shove past you and you can't go more than a couple of paces without someone trying to sell you a suit or get you into the back of their Tuk-Tuk. It is a city which assults all of your senses all of the time.
I am staying in the Koah San Road area, also known as the backpackers Mecca. Here the lights are always on and the music is always loud. Electricity cables criss-cross each other above every street, like the tangled strings of a marionette. Below this lies an assortment of bars, shops selling cheap nic-nacs for tourists and street vendors providing an array of food for almost nothing. When taken as a whole, all of these facets add up to create an area which is thoroughly exciting to be a part of for a couple of days, but which after more than this becomes somewhat wearing.
This is the second time that I have been in Bangkok, the first I didnt have time to write about. Wat Arun and Wat Pho are some of the most famous sites the capital has to boast. These are temples which couldn't be more different to the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals of Christendom. Wat Arun stands on the banks of the river Chao Phraya, jutting into the sky like a finger pointing to heaven. The whole structure is covered in shards of porcelain and fired enamel which catch the sun, giving the temple the appearance of constant movement, almost turning it into a living organism.
Wat Pho lies on the other side of the water and is famed for its reclining Buddha. This golden figure is over fourty meters long and fifteen meters high and one cannot help but be awestricken by it. The inside of the Wat is decorated by vivacious scenes from the Buddha's history and the sheer amount of gold casts a light over the scene that makes it feel as though you have discovered El Dorado. Outside, innumerable pinnacles of various sizes are dotted about and row upon row of medditating buddha statues sit, their faces each individually crafted to give the appearence of absolute peace in contemplation. It is really very impressive.
Today I plan on visiting Central Bangkok, the modern part of the city. Whilst it will be very different, I hear the cosmopolitan atmosphere and huge skyscrapers make it just as impressive as the ancient sites of Siam. it will be interesting to see if this proves to be true!
- comments