Round the World Journal
by Matt Donath
August 22. We're sitting in Don Muang station, fresh off an uneventful plane ride from Singapore, waiting to catch a train into central Bangkok, when Sybil suggests we go up to Lopburi instead.
Well, OK. We really know nothing at all about Lopburi except that it looked interesting from the train when we went past it a few months ago. I like following a whim sometimes. We ride up there and check into the "Asia Hotel" (140b, and Thailand does seem to be full of "Asia Hotels") right across the street from the King Narai Museum.
Walking around, we come across an ancient Hindu shrine with many monkeys. Later, we discover that this town is full of monkeys and dogs. The monkeys are either hanging around Hindu shrines waiting to be fed by tourists or swinging from telephone lines. The dogs are everywhere else, but they are less mangy and better behaved than Balinese dogs.
We pass by the ruins of the former residences of European ambassadors from the 17th century. Up along the river, we check out Wat Manee. The dilapidated houseboats along the river all have elaborate fishing nets that drop down into the shallow water from tall ladders, each looking like silent spiders waiting patiently for a catch.
The narrow streets near the river bustle with fascinating activity: rice vendors, coconut shavers, barbers, basket weavers, bird shops, general stores. In fact, if you can tune out the incessant whine of the omnipresent motorbikes in Thai cities, one can find them enormously charming.
August 23. The King Narai Palace and Museum are wonderful. We meet a young European guy "doing" Lopburi and Aruthaya as a day trip from Bangkok! Truly madness as each one is worth a few days. The museum here is highly recommended. Don't miss the top floor as it includes belongings of the King from "The King and I" fame.
A group of schoolgirls corner us with their cuteness and hold us ransom until we answer some English questions that they can tape record for a homework assignment: "Do you like rock music?" "Do you like basketball?" After finishing the routine, they return to us asking to repeat the exercise because their tape recorder didn't work. Sybil is gracious enough to oblige them.
Next we check out the many ruins near the train station that had lured us in. We are not disappointed. There is something about ruins that intrigue us. Ghosts of the past calling from another time.
Strolling through a market we pick up spicy little Thai snacks. After a bit, we realize we have enough for a memorable meal, along with some durian, mangosteen, and rambutans.
In the evening we pass a group of people in the park doing exercises to Chinese instructions and 60's pop music. We hang around some more ruins and then stop for tea by the railroad tracks. A guy rides past on an elephant! (This is a pretty busy street too.) His partner tries to scrounge up money to feed the beast some fruit.
August 23. After a slow train ride back to Bangkok, we stay at a place near the Jim Thompson House for 300 baht. After running some errands, we enjoy a "last real beer" at the Hoftmannsdorfer Brauhaus in the Siam Discovery Center. The waiters actually wear absurd Munich outfits and somehow look good in them. You would think that only a tourist would go to a German restaurant in Bangkok but there are well-heeled locals there. The beer is good but not cheap.
August 24. Our entire raison d'etre for making a stopover in Thailand is to collect an Indian Rail Pass. For months Sybil and I have been debating the usefulness of this pass. I was initially against it, but Sybil read a book called "India By Rail" by Royston Ellis and this author is evidently uncommonly positive about the benefits of the pass.
So, we learn a thing or two about the complicated Bangkok bus system and head over to Convent Road (near Silom Road) to SS Travel Service to pick one up. Once there, the "SS" woman basically tells us the pass isn't a very good deal. We take some time to chew this over -- along with an excellent lunch at the Bua Restaurant across the street. (BTW, everyone seems to know about Singapore's reputation for food, but it has nothing over Bangkok. While I would give a slight edge to S'pore for hawker fare, if you want a good sit-down meal you would likely fare better in Bangkok.) Anyway, after the meal we decide to bail on the Indrail Pass. The trip out there isn't a complete waste as we take the time to purchase air tickets for a popular leg in India: Varanasi-Khajuraho-Agra.
Walking down noisy Silom Road we come across a neglected old cemetery. Many of the grave sites have been vandalized and most of the grounds are flooded. Eerie to see stone crosses and opened graves sitting underwater. Restless ruins with a different message to those who stumble upon them. Too bad because the area is relatively peaceful, with wonderful trees and some great statuary.
Continuing down Silom, we come to the river and take a river taxi (one of our favorite things to do in Bangkok) up to Kao San Road. We check into the New Siam (275b), an efficient, charmless place full of Europeans. The room has a good bed though, and we are won over by the sheets picturing a map of Asia on them.
Our spirits are good, but our bodies are sick. We both have slight fevers, so after drinking some hot lemon and tea and eating some soup, it's off to bed early.
August 25. I'm feeling a bit better but Sybil seems worse. I tend to her a bit and then let her try to sleep it off. After wandering around I decide to knock off this rather uninteresting episode from the Siam Computer Center at 76 Chakapong Road. Rate is 1.5b per minute and the access is quite fast. Plus the screen is a roomy 17 inches. Bangkok has tons of Internet access points now. One can hardly walk down a block without seeing one.
Assuming Sybil and I are both well, we will head for the National Museum tomorrow. On Friday, we plan to leave for Kathmandu.
Was it a waste to come to Thailand? Not at all. I like most things about the place. Even in Bangkok, a city that many people find crowded, polluted, noisy and loathsome, I find a lot to like, especially the friendly people here. It's hard to regret a trip to Thailand, even when you have no reason for it.