Thailand… Bangkok (Day 2) Monks, Temples, Scams, Oh My! (Part 1)

Wat Saket

I wake up at 5 am Fri morning.  this is one of the last concepts of time and space I’ll have on this trip other than to catch planes, trains and buses.  I want to see the Buddhist monks collect their “alms” or “offerings” from the Thai people when they walk through the Bangkok streets with their stainless steel bowls that will contain the only meal that they will consume all day.  The morning street vendors are setting up and I find a building perch to sit and wait for the procession to start.

It’s 5:43 am.  I see my first monk, walking briskly towards me.  He was draped in layers of gold muslin-like fabric sloping at a diagonal across his body.  His steps were drunken-like and syncopated, as if he had too many rum and cokes at the expat bar, O’Reilly’s, down the street.  His face was cortorted and twisted as if possessed.  At first, he continued to walk pass me totally oblivious to my presence until he did a double take of sorts, looked back at me with a “WTF” expression as if to say, “What you doing here, Africa?  He held gaze for another half a second and kept it moving.  Wish I had that on video cause that was just real.

Tired of this Shit!

Further along in my trip, I realize that the Thai people are used to white people showing up in their country exploring and enjoying everything Thailand has to offer.  They don’t exactly know how to react to people of color, though.  You get this gist from the quizzical look on their faces when they encounter you.  You certainly get a feeling that the women are pressured to be white due to the vicious advertisement of skin lightening creams everywhere.  Damn, is there anyplace on this planet, where black folks are loved???   Most Thais are my complexion, caramel brown, so they are “colored people” themselves.  I found in some cases, Michael being a white American and I, being an African-American, we were treated slightly different.  I found while all Thais excused “The Ugly American’s” retarded behavior, I wasn’t given as much leeway, nor did I want it.  Oh and by the way, that whole smiling all the time shit that the guidebooks tell ya is overdoing it if you’re of color.  Be polite.  Be patient.  Smile when it’s warranted otherwise you look like a fool.  For me the constant smiling was an open invite to be scammed.  Thais are very friendly but they are also human.  There are good Thais and bad Thais just like everywhere else.  I tried that constant smiling shit for one day and the only time I really got consistent smiles back was when mofo’s were taking my money.  With Michael, they were constantly grinning him up, but they saw him as a giant dollar sign with two legs, I’d be grinning if he came my way too if I were Thai.   But as with most things, the rules are different.  I get that.  There you go.  The end.

Green Curry!

I get my monk sighting fill for the morning and start to saunter along the morning food stalls.  I pick up my green curries filled bamboo shoots, green peppers, chicken all suspended in a spicy coconut milk broth with a side of sticky rice, some crispy shrimp patties and last but not least the best street made cappuccino that would make Starbucks shudder in shame.  I double up the order for “The Ugly American” is still asleep at the hostel.  All this for a mere $2.50 American.  I eat and “The Ugly American” slowly wakes to a hot and steamy breakfast.  We agree to knock out some major temples today and I alert him that he must be properly dressed (Shoulders and legs covered).  He nods in acknowledgement and continues to slurp his breakfast.

While I’m not a big museum, church or cathedral phile, I found myself completely drawn to many of the temples sprawled throughout Bangkok.  I don’t know if it’s all the glitter and gold, or maybe it’s all the flowers and incense, but these “Wats” or “temples” were just calling me at every turn.

I set out to visit “Wat Phra Kaew” home of the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace (where kings lived until Rama V moved the royal residences to Dusit Palace Park.)  I know the rules before I go, shoulders and legs must be covered for women.  I stress a little because I’m wearing a sleeveless dress and realized while on the way to the temple my best travel chocolate merino wool Longchamp $300 sweater (bought at $30) is not in my bag.  I’m also too distracted to notice that Michael has put on shorts despite my early morning dress code warning.  It’s only 83 degrees and it’s not humid at all.  I sigh but I remember from the guidebook that inappropriately dressed guests can borrow proper clothing on site, while I know it’s a little gross, I’m secretly relived at the thought that there will be no hiccups with our palace visit.  Or so I think.

Once we get there, it’s a tourist explosion.  It’s 9 am and people are swarming everywhere.  I heard a myriad of languages being spoken around me, Dutch, French, Mandarin, English and of course Thai.  Since it is open grounds outside, I wanted to get there before high noon and two, when the sun is at its highest peak.  As soon as we walk up, we are approached by an “unofficial” employee of the Grand Palace who instructs us that we are not properly dressed and that the clothes center to borrow garment doesn’t open until 11am.  I shrug my shoulders and start to walk across the street to buy something to cover up with.  I already smell the scam and start to walk away but Michael, like a fly to shit, stays right there with the guy and gets talked into a 30Baht= $0.89 tuk-tuk ride around to two other tourist spots and of course to a gem and jewelry wholesaler who only having an additional 20% sale on precious pieces involving sapphires, rubies and anything else to your liking.  I actually go willingly for the two sites that the “unofficia”l guy wants to send us to is on my list and I know how to play the tourist game.  I’ll see my sights first then I’ll look at your gems, listen to your pitch and politely walk straight out spending only 5-10 minutes there.  Pay my 30 Baht with a great tip and keep it moving, but you know it didn’t go that way with the Ugly American, right.  That would be just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too simple.

30 Baht Tuk-Tuk

So we jump into the tuk-tuk and zip away.  Our driver was very pleasant and was sincere in his apologies for being in casual gear as he drove.  I didn’t think nothing of it.  He started to tell us of how he overslept this morning and just threw on the first thing he saw, a very fashionable t-shirt and jeans.  He was great!  So friendly, so sweet, so sincere, really!  It was fun, like being on a flat bed motorcycle.  We dodge any traffic being so compact and nimble.  After a very entertaining 15 minutes we arrive at Wat Saket and Golden Mount, by far one of my most favorite places in Bangkok.

On the way to Golden Mount

Golden Mount is a magicial place.  The views of Bangkok are magnificient and the winding staircase to what it seems like is heaven, delivers the consistant presence of Buddhist monks in their cayenne pepper colored robes quietly going about their business.  It’s so peaceful here.  I wanted to do an offering for Haiti.  So when I kneeled and started to pray, I wasn’t prepared for the overwheling feeling I got.  It was as if I was in a trance.  I have always had a problem mediatating for it is quite diffucult for me to quiet the mind but here my mind my clear and my prayer was felt.  I don’t know whether it was the incense, the flowers, or the other souls around me, but Golden Mount is such a sacred place in my heart for I was able to speak directly with Buddha that day.  There was a connection.  Whew, I know this is deep but this is what happened.  I was dizzy when I finally stood up but I was happy about being alive.  I was happy to be in this place.  I was happy it is not as popular a “tourist” destination as many of the other sites and temples.   Though only open during the day, I would have loved to be here at night when only candles were lit and the monks say their evening prayer.  Needless to say, I will go back to kneel before Buddha again soon.  By the time we left Golden Mount and continued onto Wat Saket, which was next door, I felt at ease.  Our friendly driver was patiently waiting for us.  I thought quietly that maybe participating in this scene was actually the best idea “The Ugly American” came up with.  I relaxed for a moment as the beauty continued.  If only the feeling lasted.  See you you in “Thailand… Bangkok (Day 2) Monks, Temples, Scams, Oh My! (Part 2).

Here’s a small pictorial of our visit:

Welcome to Golden Mount!

Monk in Motion!

Heavenly Path

Friendly Monk!

The Actual Mount

Warm Welcome

Golden Deities

Worship

Praying for Haiti

Behold Buddha!