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| The Grounds of Wat Pho |
I had initially planned to stay in Bangkok for a maximum of
one week and now it’s been a full 10 days.
As we waited for visa approval letters for Viet Nam during the holiday
period, one day easily became two, which naturally became three.
I think after a couple of trips here, I’ve finally managed
to fully grasp the concept of allowing myself to become a part of the traffic
when crossing the street. The traffic here
is a sort of friendly chaos that makes crossing the street part instinctive,
part intuition and all confidence that the approaching vehicles will
effortlessly swerve around you if need be.
Everything is to be taken one lane at a time.
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| Khaosan Road at Night |
The locations where we’ve stayed so far have been in close
proximity to Khaosan Road, a well developed backpacker haven somewhat known for
its debauchery. Every evening the street
explodes in bright collisions of colorful lights, with the bass lines of
several dance tracks grooving at different intervals from the bars on the
sidewalk and right now there’s no escaping ‘Gangnam Style’. It can be fun, but
too much of a good thing can be an assault to the senses. In contrast, a short ride on the Chao Phraya River
will bring you to Wat Pho, where you can immerse yourself in the peaceful
atmosphere while visiting the place where the largest reclining Thai Buddha
resides. It’s also possible partake in a
massage at the excellent massage school on the premises. I was fortunate to take a private long boat
through several undulating curves of the city’s canal network and along the way
had the chance to dangle bits of bread with my fingers into the water from the
side of the boat to feed a large population of thick plump grey catfish with
hungry oblong mouths.
Usually when the term ‘visa on arrival’ is used, it means
that the entry visa is stamped in your passport at immigration when you arrive
at a border with little preparation beforehand.
Although the visa for Viet Nam is consistently referenced as a visa on
arrival, what I didn’t realize is that this visa is really a pre-arranged one. This means that we had to obtain approval
letters beforehand to be presented when entering immigration in order to obtain
the actual tourist visa. The visa
approval letter did eventually arrive by email and I was very much looking
forward to traveling to Ho Chi Minh City today only to be told this morning
that my flight had been cancelled.
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| Inside the Long Boat |
With yet another added day in Bangkok, I took the
opportunity to revisit the Chao Phraya River. Gently rocked in the river’s bosom,
I slowly fell into a light slumber amidst the sound of the water. Although the boat was swaying, the
surroundings today seemed eerily still as even the wind seemed to hold its breath. I’m anticipating what tomorrow will bring and
I’m quite certain that I’ll finally be on the way to my next destination. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the stockpile of mangosteens
that I’ve gathered…those small dark purple coloured fruits with thick skin and
citrusy flavor. Like Bangkok, these
delightful balls of perfection are slightly sour and incredibly sweet at the
same time.
