Bangkok in the Year 2558

We arrive at our hidden gem of a hotel, Loy La  Long at midnight.  It really is hidden.  The taxi driver has a time finding it, as it is tucked behind a temple, or wat, and even knowing this, it is hard to find.  The hotel is constructed on piers and just hovers over the big river that bisects Bangkok.  You can see water glinting under the floor boards. When a big wake hits the piers the whole hotel sways just a tiny bit.  The owners have marked a line 18 inches up the wall to show where the 2010 flood waters rose.

Our room is the Black Room.  We have a wall of windows that look out to the river and the lighted pagoda across the river.  Our shower also has a full length window so we shower hoping those tourists on the taxi boats really can't see in too well.

John and Lisa pop out of their Blue Room to greet us and then we all head to bed.  The timing of our long haul of flights means we get a good nights sleep before a long day of seeing the highlights of Bangkok on Tuesday.  It is 15 hours later in Thailand than California.  With 21 hours of travel time from LAX to Bangkok, we have lost a day somewhere along the way.

The best part of the darling hotel is the lanai that opens right to the river.  Comfortable mats on the floor make it a great spot for meeting some of the other guests in the morning over a strong cup of coffee.

John has arranged for a day long tour of the Grand Palace with a Thai guide named Pauline.  Pauline is chipper.  We call her our Mary Poppins because she raises her umbrella to keep us in tow.  We learn from our date stamped entry ticket that the date is January, 14, 2558.  This puzzles us until Pauline explains that Thailand's calendar begins with Buddha's date of death, unlike our Western calendar that starts with Christ's birth.  We feel a bit naive not knowing the world varies in such a fundamental measurement.

A local water taxi takes us to the Grand Palace just a mile or so upriver from  Loy La Long (which means "let it flow" or "chill out" in Thai).  The Grand Palace is many things.  It is the royal complex for the current king, Rama the 9th (87 years old and in poor health and very beloved).  It is also a series of elaborate gilded temples housing many Buddha statutes made of precious green jade or gold leaf.

There are stupas (fanciful burial monuments that enclose the ashes of past kings).  Pauline teaches us that Thais typically divide the ashes of their loved ones into three parts: one part is kept in a family shrine at home, one part is placed in the temple, and one part is given to the river, sea or mountain.

We visit The Reclining Buddha that is 150 feet long and 45 feet tall.  He is completely covered in gold leaf and rests in an ornate temple.  We learn some basics about Buddha - he was not a god, but a man who achieved perfection through enlightement.  His tenets of goodness inspire worship by Buddhists around the world.  Pauline points out that Thais visualize Buddha as slim and serene, while Chinese see him as fat and laughing.

Our temple tour is followed by a "long tail boat" trip through smaller canals where homes range from shanties to villas resting in the water's edge.  Evidence of flood damage from 2010 is everywhere.  We are treated to a tourist stop to feed bread to a frenzy of leaping catfish, and a lady pulls alongside in her market boat to sell us cold beer.

In the evening we set out through the bustling Chinatown district and settle on a popular sidewalk seafood restaurant.  We don't anticipate the fiery hot chilis abundant in every dish we order.  John picks 30 chilis out of his soup.  We are all sweating and vowing to learn the Thai word for "mild."

Today we fly to Chiang Mai in mountainous northern Thailand where the air is cooler and the food reported to be less spicy.  We look forward to both.