Canals & Temples

Trip Start May 13, 2008
1
7
15
Trip End Jun 28, 2008


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Where I stayed

Flag of Thailand  ,
Monday, May 19, 2008

 This morning we headed out with the group to see the city and some of its temples. We followed Tui through market stalls and side streets to the canal where we were to board a boat for a canal tour (Bangkok is sometimes called Venice of the East). As we passed the stalls selling fruit and flowers, the smells went from sweet to very bad....depending on the direction of the wind. She showed us some of the fruits that are popular in the region such as lychee and pineapple, we even saw some grapes which are imported from the US. Dorian, known as the garbage fruit, is seen (and smelled) everywhere. This big fruit smells soo bad that it is banned from some public places and hotels. One stall we passed had buckets of live eels. The locals catch them and set them back in the river as it is supposed to bring luck (or something like that!)
We reached the canal and boarded the boat. The "cruise" was interesting and we saw quite a bit of the city and the local way of life. At one point we were approached by a banana peddler on a boat
bangkok Dorian Fruit
bangkok Dorian Fruit
. Tui purchased a bunch of bananas and gave us each one to try...by far the sweetest, best banana I've ever had!

After our canal tour we stopped to see the giant reclining Buddha. Housed inside one of the many Wats (or temples) this Buddha is a huge attraction for both tourists and buddhists. Our group covered our arms (which in the sweltering heat was not fun) before entering the temple. The air was heavy with insense and the the sound of peoples prayers - being that this was a Buddhist holiday our guide explained that there were more people there than typical.  The buddha itself was awe-inspiring, but the overall feel was very commercial and not what I expected to find at a buddhist temple.  Inside the temnple, along the wall, were several bowls lined up. We each donated a small amount in exchange for a handful of coins. The people believe that if you make a wish as you drop a coin into each of the bowls that your wish will come true....so I gave it a shot and I guess we'll just have to see what happens :)

We headed back to the hotel, gathered our belongings and departed to the train station to catch our overnight train to Chaing Mai....
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