Just returned from my quick getaway in this shopping and food paradise called Bangkok. T'was really a much-needed trip for adding improvements to my wardrobe, getting away from the (then) blustery weather and just having a carefree, fun-filled time. For once the blog will be on the "Cultural Learnings of Bangkok".
Having waited out the 2 hour flight delay, my family and I finally managed to get on the plane and get on with the flight to Bangkok.
We touched down at about 6.30pm local time. The sky, while sunny, was just somehow hazy or misty. A product of the immense traffic in the city area. The new Suvarnabhumi Airport was to quite a large extent a monstrosity. Sure, it had a brand new feel to it, but even when it was sunny, there was not much light coming into the place, and it was not because of a lack of windows. Quite the opposite in fact, considering the amount of glass around. Still, it had the feel of one of those production plants under a communist regime, or chicken coop as my mum put it.
We got past immigration, then got on the hotel cab. The traffic was a killer, and once traffic gets heavy, the road shoulder becomes an extra lane. Wait, it's more like the whole concept of lanes is just forgotten. No offense to the Thai people. That we managed to arrive safely at the hotel shows that they do drive well, even if it might seem dangerous.
Ahh, the wonderful hotel we stayed in. It wasn't one of those villa-type spa-resorts in Phuket or Bintan, but still it had that nice rustic, peaceful and calm feel to it, compared to the traffic on the street outside.
All of 64 storeys high.
The wonderful room
And of course, the bathroom / toilet. Brilliant.
Our first dinner was at Baan Khanitha, a small tourist-y restaurant 5 minutes from the hotel.
The food was delectable (as expected, since I've eaten there before). Tasty, yet still fairly authentic. Yum.
The following morning, this was the view we had on the 52nd storey of the hotel as we ate breakfast. If only breakfast could be like that everyday.
The subsequent days was when the "retail therapy" began. I could practically overhaul my wardrobe haha - 25 shirts, 4 pairs of jeans (2 Levis and 2 Lee's, all original), a pair of berms, a suit and some pants, a winter coat and some chocolates. Ok for a guy, that's pretty much eh?
On the second night, my parents and I had dinner at my Dad's colleague's place. His house was mansion-like, and very much like Banyan Tree. It was simlly HUGE! I think that would be like everyone's dream home man.
Then we had a few drinks at this place, Vertigo Restaurant Bar and Grill, on the 63rd floor of the hotel, overlooking the Bangkok skyline. Absolutely magnificent view of the city. Did give me butterflies in my stomach though..
In general, the food in Thailand was exceptional. This one is something like our "Cai Tau Kuey", which I ordered from the foodcourt at Siam Paragon. I would have preferred the bits of cake to be cut into smaller pieces. Still it was fairly well done, somewhere in between "Black" and "White". Enough sweet sauce to give the dish some flavour, yet in controlled amounts such that the dish does not make one feel full too quickly.
This ice-cream we shared at "The Cream and Fudge Factory". For those who have yet to try it, what they do is take the ice cream, put it on what looks like a frozen chopping board, and mix it with the requested toppings e.g choc chips, rainbow sprinkles, the various sauces, even oreos or brownies. Sweet stuff, in both senses of the word.
Banana Prata. Never thought I'd find this here.
This mini rainbow is an arrangement of pens on sale. And this is like only 10% of the pens available. One can only imagine the myriad of colours if the pens were all arranged according to colour...
On Saturday evening, I went for Mass. Now this was probably THE highlight of the trip (more of a highlight than all the shopping), going for a Catholic Mass in a country which is 96% Buddhist. Roman Catholics make up less than half a percent of the popuation, and Churches generally cater to foreign tourists (like myself). Being an avid fanatic of Catholic Church Architecture (regardless of whether it's Notre Dame, Westminster Cathedral or the Parish near my house in Singapore), I just had to visit the Church of The Holy Redeemer, arguably one of the most unique Catholic Churches in the world.
Yes, I know what you're thinking. Looks like a Buddhist Temple right?
A closer view of the entrance.
Even the interior looks pretty much like one of the many temples you'll find across the country. It is fascinating to note that it is not just the churches which try to adapt to the local architecture. I have seen mosques that look almost like temples as well, save the dome together with the crescent and star on top.
Close-up view of the altar
The carved murals
A mini altar with a picture of Mary.
The creche. On the right is a wooden cross, and also a statue of, if I'm not wrong, the founder of the Redemptorists, Saint Alphonsus Ligouri.
This is another one of the typical examples of a mini-shrine with architecture similar to that of a temple, and instead of a statuette of Buddha, it is instead a statuette of the Virgin carrying the Infant Jesus.
Well in principle, it kind of makes sense that at the end of the day, it's peace, love and kindness which religions will preach. It's also comforting to know how all religions are inter-linked, such as how the "Allah" Muslims pray to and "God our Father" which Christians and Jews worship are in principle the same God. Or how one can find many similarities between Buddhism and Hinduism, as can be seen from both temples. It is also common to read about people going to places of worship not for tourist purposes but merely for some solitude and calm, e.g Buddhists praying in Churches, or Christians praying in Mosques. It is only through mutual respect for each other, humility and desire to serve, that we as a community of faith (regardless of WHICH faith) can achieve our ultimate aims stated above. It's such a pity that not many people understand that these days.
I digress. Just a bit of history about the Church, this is a Redemptorist (CSSR) church, and when the head of the Redemtorists worldwide, Bishop Fulton Sheen, visited Bangkok at that time, he suggested that the Church Architecture be similar to that of most local places of worship, thus the temple-look. Dedication day was October 24, 1954. Fascinating stuff indeed. Of course, there are the other churches around the country which look like the typical church you'll find in Europe,
In general, the Catholics coexist very harmoniously with the majority Buddhist population. From what I have read, most of the land used to construct the churches in Bangkok were granted / donated to foreign missionaries by the Thai King at that time.
Alright enough of churches, here are some "Christmas Pictures" I took with the decorations near my hotel. Fascinating stuff. How often do you get to take photographs with a life-size teddy? Or a snowman? Or a present 10 times the size of my head? Go figure.
Alright with that, it's good bye Bangkok. T'was really a much-needed break for shopping, eating, bumming around and basically not having to worry about anything.
Another thing about the Thai people that I really admire is their sincerity and friendliness. The average Thai citizen is not exactly better off than an average Singaporean living in a HDB flat, yet they go about their daily business making customers (well tourists, like myself) happy. The kindness they have shown is for real. You can feel it. It is not as if most of them get an extra commission by being nice, yet it is something that they do ever so willingly. Fair enough, I did have some nasty encouters with crap service, but I shan't take anything away from those who served selflessly and with pride. That is something no amount of "4 million smiles" campaigns can ever achieve.
Of course, whether this level of service will sustain remains to be seen. The influx of tourists, together with a burgeoning middle-class will make the country much different from what it is now, say a few years down the road. Already we can see a huge focus in the development of infrastructure (all the highways) and even a new airport.
Well the departure hall of the airport was not too bad. Reminded me a lot of Charles de Gaulle in Paris. I guess it is a decent airport after all.
Alright. That's it from Bangkok. It was indeed an enjoyable trip, and I hope to see you soon!
Next stop, wintry London. Happy 2007!
Having waited out the 2 hour flight delay, my family and I finally managed to get on the plane and get on with the flight to Bangkok.
We touched down at about 6.30pm local time. The sky, while sunny, was just somehow hazy or misty. A product of the immense traffic in the city area. The new Suvarnabhumi Airport was to quite a large extent a monstrosity. Sure, it had a brand new feel to it, but even when it was sunny, there was not much light coming into the place, and it was not because of a lack of windows. Quite the opposite in fact, considering the amount of glass around. Still, it had the feel of one of those production plants under a communist regime, or chicken coop as my mum put it.
We got past immigration, then got on the hotel cab. The traffic was a killer, and once traffic gets heavy, the road shoulder becomes an extra lane. Wait, it's more like the whole concept of lanes is just forgotten. No offense to the Thai people. That we managed to arrive safely at the hotel shows that they do drive well, even if it might seem dangerous.
Ahh, the wonderful hotel we stayed in. It wasn't one of those villa-type spa-resorts in Phuket or Bintan, but still it had that nice rustic, peaceful and calm feel to it, compared to the traffic on the street outside.
All of 64 storeys high.
The wonderful room
And of course, the bathroom / toilet. Brilliant.
Our first dinner was at Baan Khanitha, a small tourist-y restaurant 5 minutes from the hotel.
The food was delectable (as expected, since I've eaten there before). Tasty, yet still fairly authentic. Yum.
The following morning, this was the view we had on the 52nd storey of the hotel as we ate breakfast. If only breakfast could be like that everyday.
The subsequent days was when the "retail therapy" began. I could practically overhaul my wardrobe haha - 25 shirts, 4 pairs of jeans (2 Levis and 2 Lee's, all original), a pair of berms, a suit and some pants, a winter coat and some chocolates. Ok for a guy, that's pretty much eh?
On the second night, my parents and I had dinner at my Dad's colleague's place. His house was mansion-like, and very much like Banyan Tree. It was simlly HUGE! I think that would be like everyone's dream home man.
Then we had a few drinks at this place, Vertigo Restaurant Bar and Grill, on the 63rd floor of the hotel, overlooking the Bangkok skyline. Absolutely magnificent view of the city. Did give me butterflies in my stomach though..
In general, the food in Thailand was exceptional. This one is something like our "Cai Tau Kuey", which I ordered from the foodcourt at Siam Paragon. I would have preferred the bits of cake to be cut into smaller pieces. Still it was fairly well done, somewhere in between "Black" and "White". Enough sweet sauce to give the dish some flavour, yet in controlled amounts such that the dish does not make one feel full too quickly.
This ice-cream we shared at "The Cream and Fudge Factory". For those who have yet to try it, what they do is take the ice cream, put it on what looks like a frozen chopping board, and mix it with the requested toppings e.g choc chips, rainbow sprinkles, the various sauces, even oreos or brownies. Sweet stuff, in both senses of the word.
Banana Prata. Never thought I'd find this here.
This mini rainbow is an arrangement of pens on sale. And this is like only 10% of the pens available. One can only imagine the myriad of colours if the pens were all arranged according to colour...
On Saturday evening, I went for Mass. Now this was probably THE highlight of the trip (more of a highlight than all the shopping), going for a Catholic Mass in a country which is 96% Buddhist. Roman Catholics make up less than half a percent of the popuation, and Churches generally cater to foreign tourists (like myself). Being an avid fanatic of Catholic Church Architecture (regardless of whether it's Notre Dame, Westminster Cathedral or the Parish near my house in Singapore), I just had to visit the Church of The Holy Redeemer, arguably one of the most unique Catholic Churches in the world.
Yes, I know what you're thinking. Looks like a Buddhist Temple right?
A closer view of the entrance.
Even the interior looks pretty much like one of the many temples you'll find across the country. It is fascinating to note that it is not just the churches which try to adapt to the local architecture. I have seen mosques that look almost like temples as well, save the dome together with the crescent and star on top.
Close-up view of the altar
The carved murals
A mini altar with a picture of Mary.
The creche. On the right is a wooden cross, and also a statue of, if I'm not wrong, the founder of the Redemptorists, Saint Alphonsus Ligouri.
This is another one of the typical examples of a mini-shrine with architecture similar to that of a temple, and instead of a statuette of Buddha, it is instead a statuette of the Virgin carrying the Infant Jesus.
Well in principle, it kind of makes sense that at the end of the day, it's peace, love and kindness which religions will preach. It's also comforting to know how all religions are inter-linked, such as how the "Allah" Muslims pray to and "God our Father" which Christians and Jews worship are in principle the same God. Or how one can find many similarities between Buddhism and Hinduism, as can be seen from both temples. It is also common to read about people going to places of worship not for tourist purposes but merely for some solitude and calm, e.g Buddhists praying in Churches, or Christians praying in Mosques. It is only through mutual respect for each other, humility and desire to serve, that we as a community of faith (regardless of WHICH faith) can achieve our ultimate aims stated above. It's such a pity that not many people understand that these days.
I digress. Just a bit of history about the Church, this is a Redemptorist (CSSR) church, and when the head of the Redemtorists worldwide, Bishop Fulton Sheen, visited Bangkok at that time, he suggested that the Church Architecture be similar to that of most local places of worship, thus the temple-look. Dedication day was October 24, 1954. Fascinating stuff indeed. Of course, there are the other churches around the country which look like the typical church you'll find in Europe,
In general, the Catholics coexist very harmoniously with the majority Buddhist population. From what I have read, most of the land used to construct the churches in Bangkok were granted / donated to foreign missionaries by the Thai King at that time.
Alright enough of churches, here are some "Christmas Pictures" I took with the decorations near my hotel. Fascinating stuff. How often do you get to take photographs with a life-size teddy? Or a snowman? Or a present 10 times the size of my head? Go figure.
Alright with that, it's good bye Bangkok. T'was really a much-needed break for shopping, eating, bumming around and basically not having to worry about anything.
Another thing about the Thai people that I really admire is their sincerity and friendliness. The average Thai citizen is not exactly better off than an average Singaporean living in a HDB flat, yet they go about their daily business making customers (well tourists, like myself) happy. The kindness they have shown is for real. You can feel it. It is not as if most of them get an extra commission by being nice, yet it is something that they do ever so willingly. Fair enough, I did have some nasty encouters with crap service, but I shan't take anything away from those who served selflessly and with pride. That is something no amount of "4 million smiles" campaigns can ever achieve.
Of course, whether this level of service will sustain remains to be seen. The influx of tourists, together with a burgeoning middle-class will make the country much different from what it is now, say a few years down the road. Already we can see a huge focus in the development of infrastructure (all the highways) and even a new airport.
Well the departure hall of the airport was not too bad. Reminded me a lot of Charles de Gaulle in Paris. I guess it is a decent airport after all.
Alright. That's it from Bangkok. It was indeed an enjoyable trip, and I hope to see you soon!
Next stop, wintry London. Happy 2007!
posted by david at 2:39 PM
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