For the third and final week of my Asian tour I'm back in Thailand, this time in Bangkok for a developing country vaccine manufacturers' conference. The hotel towers a dizzying 55 floors above the Bangkok convention center, with its head often in the clouds as it's currently rainy season.
On Saturday I was invited on a city tour by Sangsarn, a long time family friend of friends in Seattle. Auspiciously, the rain that had started at 6:30am tailed off and stopped shortly before Sangsarn arrived to pick me up at the hotel, and held off for the rest of the day. We traveled like the locals do - first on the Sky Train to the Central Pier and then took a commuter boat up the Chao Phra river, which was churning after all the rain. We passed the Temple of Dawn - Wat Arun - on the left bank, although it was in scaffolding for repairs, and the Royal Navy base before landing just above the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. After a quick bite for lunch on the river we toured the palace. Free for Thais, expensive for foreigners! The palace and temples contained within its grounds were overwhelming - so much decoration packed into a relatively compact area. There were four different pagodas, each built in a different style to contain the ashes of a different king. Bangkok was founded much later than Ayutthaya so the buildings were 'only' a couple of hundred years old.
Wat Phra Kaew contains the Emerald Buddha, carved from a single piece of jade. Although relatively small it was awe-inspiring. The temple walls inside were painted with murals depicting scenes from Buddha's life. Sangsarn explained that an Italian professor at the School of Fine Arts which is located across the street had led an initiative to restore and maintain the artworks in the Palace, which the students now do on a regular basis.
Next we hopped on a tuk-tuk to go a short distance down the street to Wat Pho. It gets so hot and humid in Bangkok that locals pay for short hops The temple was built around the statue to be a snug fit; you can't get a full view of the Buddha by design, you can only peek between the columns that support the roof. The entire length of the temple along his back is lined with begging bowls into which people drop alms for the monks. Wat Pho is also famous for being the original school for Thai massage. Sangsarn and I went for foot massages there. The masseuses lean their whole weight on you and press every acupressure point hard with a strigil, pull each toe until the joints crack and finish off with a neck and back massage. It must have been good because I slept soundly for 10 hours that night!
After the massages we took another tuk tuk to the flower market, where orchids galore were piled high and stallholders threaded garlands of lotus and marigolds. Then we headed into the narrow red-brick paved alleys of Chinatown. You had to dive out of the way to avoid the motorcycles which took up the entire width of the alley. Most of the shops we walked past were selling shoes. We made our way over to the station to meet Aye, Sangsarn's wife, and then the three of us took a long tuk tuk ride to find a Chinese restaurant that Sangsarn particularly liked, only to find it closed and in the middle of a major renovation. So we ate next door instead!
The last stop of the evening was a bar mysteriously tucked away in an alley, Tep Bar, where traditional Thai theater music is played. The musicians were four young men, a vocalist who chimed Indian bells in time in his hand, a virtuoso xylophonist who played on a curved rosewood instrument, a drummer who sounded very much like an Indian drummer and a flute player who doubled and ornamented over the xylophone on a vertical bamboo flute. The music reminded me of Indian classical music although the meter (in 4) and tunes were much simpler to follow. Sangsarn and Aye explained that the piece was a play and the songs were about rural life (roosters, training an ox to plow etc). Also fascinating was the little wicker basket that was hauled by waiters on a knotted rope made of torn cotton fabric up and down from the bar to the upstairs room with orders, glasses and small plates of food.
The next morning, since it wasn't yet raining, I ventured out on foot to explore the local area. There are elevated walkways that run parallel to the skytrain which is a nice way to stay safe from traffic, sudden downpours and give a great aerial viewpoint. I passed the Erawan shrine to Brahma which I think was bombed about a month ago but there were no signs of lasting damage and the shrine was doing brisk business with worshippers lining up with marigold garlands and incense. Traditional dancers with tall pointed gold headpieces sang and danced in a small pavilion behind the shrine, accompanied by similar instruments to the ones I'd seen the previous evening at the bar.
I walked about 1km to Lumphini Park, a true urban jungle where giant monitor lizards roam and swim in the ornamental lakes. The first one I saw gave me quite a start! After that I headed to Chidlom where I'd read there was a store that sold Thai designs - very disappointingly it was yet another department store full of western designer brands, not at all what I wanted, although I did find some street vendors along the walk that had some local crafts and textiles. Walking back to National Stadium I stumbled on a design center that had contemporary Thai arts and crafts, which was much better. My last stop was Jim Thompson House, a beautiful conglomeration of six old teak Thai houses combined into an east-west hybrid of a home filled with art and antiquities by the owner, who was quite a character - former CIA, revived the craft silk industry in Thailand and then mysteriously disappeared in 1967 while on a walk in Malaysia. As I made my way back to the hotel the heavens opened but thanks to my umbrella and the vast malls and aerial walkways I made it back without getting wet.
The rain continued all afternoon so I couldn't even swim in the hotel's rooftop (and open to the elements) pool. I stayed in the hotel and watched 'The King and I', for which Jim Thompson made his name supplying Thai silk for the original stage show, on Youtube.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Korean Harvest Festival - Chuseok
The second week of my three week tour was spent in Seoul, Korea visiting a second vaccine manufacturer. My first full day in Seoul was the last day of Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, and as luck would have it, the newspaper on the plane had a full page article listing cultural activities at the Korean National Folk Museum, which it turned out was only a short metro ride from the hotel.
Korea is extremely high tech - I needed a tutorial to learn how to work the curtains, lights and temperature in the room, which are all remote controlled. The Metro was extremely easy to use, especially as every sign was in Korean and English, and I was quite proud of myself for finding my way around. When I arrived at Gyeongbokgung Palace I was just in time to see the changing of the Palace Guard, who wore brightly colored robes and carried fearsome weapons (swords or bows and arrows) and were followed by an even scarier band of drums, gongs, conches, trumpets and a xylophone making a cacophonous din. Enough to scare the enemies away! Many women were wearing the traditional hanbok costume, which consist of a full length brightly colored silk smock over which is worn an appliqued bolero jacket fastened with a one sided bow. I got to try on a hanbok at the Folk Museum and later discovered a whole underground market beneath the hotel where one can buy hanbok in rainbow colors.
After looking at the various craft activities on offer to children in the courtyard of the Folk Museum and visiting a fascinating exhibition on Joseon culture and everyday life (which lasted for over 500 years up till 1897), I walked over to Bukchon Hanok, which is a village full of traditional Korean houses and picturesque alleyways. It really was my lucky day because then I stumbled on a free lunchtime string quartet concert outside the Modern Art Museum. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary string quartet - they played beautifully together and kept going even when the music blew off their stands. I learned afterwards that they were part of Classical Revolution, a movement started in San Francisco, and that they had been in La Jolla the previous month! I wished I had put some ACMP brochures in my backpack rather than leaving them at the hotel!
Once the concert was over I realized it was time for the Folk Play to begin so I hastened back to the Folk Museum, where the musicians (three flutists, two gongers and a drummer) were in full swing. The flutists were fun to watch, dancing as they played. The play livened up when a male actor dressed as a hunchbacked old woman came on stage and started harassing audience members, and got really exciting when two lion dancers arrived and impressed the crowd with their antics. One of them came and dumped its head in my lap and offered me a little bottle of something which it snatched away every time I reached for it. The lions died and then various audience members came on stage to try and resuscitate them. The whole thing ended in a big procession with all the characters.
I made my way back to the hotel and went for a swim. I soon realized that I was underdressed in my western style swimsuit - Koreans are much more modest and bathe in long sleeves, and wearing a cap is mandatory. Some of the children wore sweet little bonnets tied under the chin, in patterns that matched their swimsuits.
Korea is extremely high tech - I needed a tutorial to learn how to work the curtains, lights and temperature in the room, which are all remote controlled. The Metro was extremely easy to use, especially as every sign was in Korean and English, and I was quite proud of myself for finding my way around. When I arrived at Gyeongbokgung Palace I was just in time to see the changing of the Palace Guard, who wore brightly colored robes and carried fearsome weapons (swords or bows and arrows) and were followed by an even scarier band of drums, gongs, conches, trumpets and a xylophone making a cacophonous din. Enough to scare the enemies away! Many women were wearing the traditional hanbok costume, which consist of a full length brightly colored silk smock over which is worn an appliqued bolero jacket fastened with a one sided bow. I got to try on a hanbok at the Folk Museum and later discovered a whole underground market beneath the hotel where one can buy hanbok in rainbow colors.
After looking at the various craft activities on offer to children in the courtyard of the Folk Museum and visiting a fascinating exhibition on Joseon culture and everyday life (which lasted for over 500 years up till 1897), I walked over to Bukchon Hanok, which is a village full of traditional Korean houses and picturesque alleyways. It really was my lucky day because then I stumbled on a free lunchtime string quartet concert outside the Modern Art Museum. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary string quartet - they played beautifully together and kept going even when the music blew off their stands. I learned afterwards that they were part of Classical Revolution, a movement started in San Francisco, and that they had been in La Jolla the previous month! I wished I had put some ACMP brochures in my backpack rather than leaving them at the hotel!
Once the concert was over I realized it was time for the Folk Play to begin so I hastened back to the Folk Museum, where the musicians (three flutists, two gongers and a drummer) were in full swing. The flutists were fun to watch, dancing as they played. The play livened up when a male actor dressed as a hunchbacked old woman came on stage and started harassing audience members, and got really exciting when two lion dancers arrived and impressed the crowd with their antics. One of them came and dumped its head in my lap and offered me a little bottle of something which it snatched away every time I reached for it. The lions died and then various audience members came on stage to try and resuscitate them. The whole thing ended in a big procession with all the characters.
I made my way back to the hotel and went for a swim. I soon realized that I was underdressed in my western style swimsuit - Koreans are much more modest and bathe in long sleeves, and wearing a cap is mandatory. Some of the children wore sweet little bonnets tied under the chin, in patterns that matched their swimsuits.
Touring Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam
My first foreign trip with the Foundation was a three week tour of Asia. Week one was in Ayutthaya, about one hour's drive from Bangkok, Thailand, where I joined a group from PATH visiting a vaccine manufacturer. Their head of regulatory affairs, another Janet, invited me to join her on a tour of the old city with an English speaking guide, Mr. Pok and driver, Mr. Vinai, since we were both staying over the weekend after our meetings finished.
We started at King Rama V's summer palace, Bang Pa-In Palace, an Eastern interpretation of Versailles complete with a Chinese pagoda and observatory tower. Grey carp, catfish and turtles vied over the bread that we threw in the lake, in the center of which was a golden pavilion containing a status of the king. There was a Brahmin ceremony going on outside to dedicate a new spirit house complete with drums, gongs and conches as well as lots of offerings of fruit, sweets and flowers and incense. Jane had heard that one has to visit nine temples for good luck so we marked off no. 1 which was a replica of a Khmer (corncob shaped) temple, Hem Monthiat Therawat.
Next, we took a cable car powered by Buddhist monk pedal power across the river to visit a Gothic style Buddhist temple, Wat Niwet Thammaprawat. There was a beautiful flowering sala tree in the grounds, the fragrance was delicious. The church was a bit bizarre, with its western style steeple and stained glass windows with images of Buddha.
On the way back to Ayutthaya we stopped at temple no. 3, Wat Phanan Choeng, which boasts the tallest Buddha in the world. The statue was overwhelming - it had a spiral staircase up the back and monks perched in its lap catching the bolts of saffron nylon fabric that worshippers bought and tossed up, draping them over the statue. There were piles of used saffron drapes on the floor behind the statue. All around the walls were 84,000 tiny alcoves, each containing a tiny Buddha statue, which represent Buddha;s 84,000 words of wisdom. Mr. Pok explained how Buddhists worship - with offerings of lotus buds, three sticks of incense and gold leaf, which they apply to the Buddha statue of their choice. Each person has a particular Buddha posture, depending on the day of the week you were born. I was born on a Monday in the year of the horse and my color is yellow. My Buddha pose is standing with the right hand raised in protection. Buddhists will come and pour oil into a lit lamp in front of the Buddha of their day of the week.
Temple no. 4 was Wat Yai Chai Mongkol with its reclining Buddha, also draped in saffron sheets of nylon with gold leaf pressed on its chin and toes. This temple had a tower which we climbed, in a central courtyard around which about a hundred life sized Buddha statues sat, each one also draped in saffron cloth.
We had a bit of a break from temples and took a boat ride around the Hua Ro Floating Market - it wasn't really floating but decks built out over the water on stilts. Jane wanted to buy a sarong and at Mr. Pok's urging I tried some local street food, kanom krok - coconut and rice pancakes with corn and green onions. They were very tasty!
Then it was back to temples. No. 5 was Wat Phra Mahathat, a huge complex that was burned in the Burmese invasion in 1767. The Buddha statues were originally made of three pieces of sculpted stone, covered in stucco and then lacquered and gilded, but the fire burned off everything but the stone and then almost all the Buddha heads were looted. The roots of a banyan tree grew naturally around one Buddha head which is still there today.
Temple no. 6 was Wihan Phra Mongkon Bophut which has one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand. By this point Jane and I were starting to get a little tired of temples but we had to get up to nine, so the next stop was Wat Na Phra Men which has a Buddha dressed like the Siamese kings of old, and next door in a smaller temple with amazing detailed (but sadly deteriorated) wall paintings dated from the 1860's and a 1500 year old granite Buddha.
Temple no. 8 Wat Lokayasutharam had been destroyed long ago but the large reclining Buddha, with a remarkable cheerful, almost clown like face, remained, and we did a quick drive by Temple no. 9, the Khmer style Wat Chai Wattanaram with smaller Mon style outlying towers before returning to the hotel and cooling off in the pool.
We started at King Rama V's summer palace, Bang Pa-In Palace, an Eastern interpretation of Versailles complete with a Chinese pagoda and observatory tower. Grey carp, catfish and turtles vied over the bread that we threw in the lake, in the center of which was a golden pavilion containing a status of the king. There was a Brahmin ceremony going on outside to dedicate a new spirit house complete with drums, gongs and conches as well as lots of offerings of fruit, sweets and flowers and incense. Jane had heard that one has to visit nine temples for good luck so we marked off no. 1 which was a replica of a Khmer (corncob shaped) temple, Hem Monthiat Therawat.
Next, we took a cable car powered by Buddhist monk pedal power across the river to visit a Gothic style Buddhist temple, Wat Niwet Thammaprawat. There was a beautiful flowering sala tree in the grounds, the fragrance was delicious. The church was a bit bizarre, with its western style steeple and stained glass windows with images of Buddha.
On the way back to Ayutthaya we stopped at temple no. 3, Wat Phanan Choeng, which boasts the tallest Buddha in the world. The statue was overwhelming - it had a spiral staircase up the back and monks perched in its lap catching the bolts of saffron nylon fabric that worshippers bought and tossed up, draping them over the statue. There were piles of used saffron drapes on the floor behind the statue. All around the walls were 84,000 tiny alcoves, each containing a tiny Buddha statue, which represent Buddha;s 84,000 words of wisdom. Mr. Pok explained how Buddhists worship - with offerings of lotus buds, three sticks of incense and gold leaf, which they apply to the Buddha statue of their choice. Each person has a particular Buddha posture, depending on the day of the week you were born. I was born on a Monday in the year of the horse and my color is yellow. My Buddha pose is standing with the right hand raised in protection. Buddhists will come and pour oil into a lit lamp in front of the Buddha of their day of the week.
Temple no. 4 was Wat Yai Chai Mongkol with its reclining Buddha, also draped in saffron sheets of nylon with gold leaf pressed on its chin and toes. This temple had a tower which we climbed, in a central courtyard around which about a hundred life sized Buddha statues sat, each one also draped in saffron cloth.
We had a bit of a break from temples and took a boat ride around the Hua Ro Floating Market - it wasn't really floating but decks built out over the water on stilts. Jane wanted to buy a sarong and at Mr. Pok's urging I tried some local street food, kanom krok - coconut and rice pancakes with corn and green onions. They were very tasty!
Then it was back to temples. No. 5 was Wat Phra Mahathat, a huge complex that was burned in the Burmese invasion in 1767. The Buddha statues were originally made of three pieces of sculpted stone, covered in stucco and then lacquered and gilded, but the fire burned off everything but the stone and then almost all the Buddha heads were looted. The roots of a banyan tree grew naturally around one Buddha head which is still there today.
Temple no. 6 was Wihan Phra Mongkon Bophut which has one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand. By this point Jane and I were starting to get a little tired of temples but we had to get up to nine, so the next stop was Wat Na Phra Men which has a Buddha dressed like the Siamese kings of old, and next door in a smaller temple with amazing detailed (but sadly deteriorated) wall paintings dated from the 1860's and a 1500 year old granite Buddha.
Temple no. 8 Wat Lokayasutharam had been destroyed long ago but the large reclining Buddha, with a remarkable cheerful, almost clown like face, remained, and we did a quick drive by Temple no. 9, the Khmer style Wat Chai Wattanaram with smaller Mon style outlying towers before returning to the hotel and cooling off in the pool.
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