The collected writings of a Renegade Tourist

Tag Bangkok

The Big Indochina Trip: back in Bangkok 

There were a few things in Bangkok I still wanted to see, so after my little excursion to Pattaya I headed back to the capital. After leaving Siem Reap, Renegade Wife and I have been traveling separately but it so happened that we were both in Bangkok for Christmas, so we could spend Christmas eve and part of Christmas day together (she had to go to the airport in the evening). It’s been a long time since I had a proper Christmas celebration with the family  and I’m fine with treating it as just a normal day but it’s still very … Read the rest

The Big Indochina Trip: one day in Bangkok

I’ve had an active day in Bangkok, doing the rounds of the main tourist attractions. I started with the Grand Palace and Wat Pra Kaeow, both of which are full of both splendor and tourists. It’s almost too much gold and decorations to take it all in and as you get jostled around by the other visitors it’s a bit stressful. I also noted that except for the billboards honoring the king, there were hundreds of black clad Thai people around the palace, waiting to pay their respects.

 Wat Pra Kaeow with lots of tourists milling around 

They have some Read the rest

Wat Pho 2:11 pm

The backside of the reclining Buddha, all you can see of the statue is his back, the folds of his robes hanging down to the pedestal and the pillars supporting the roof. On the opposite side of the corridor is a row of brass bowls on little stands. In each one of them is a number of coins and the room is filled with the plinking sound as people keep dropping more coins in the bowls. They go along the corridor, dropping a coin in each one then moving on to the next. It’s some kind of ritual and though … Read the rest

Emerald Buddha chapel, 11:01 am

The walls are covered in murals depicting scenes from some kind of Buddhist or Hindu mythology. The roof, high above my head, is decorated with square, geometric patterns in red and gold and adorned with crystal flowers. Towards the back of the room is a large altar with several standing Buddha statues on it, their palms facing outwards. On each side of the altar is a small stepped dais on top of which is a Buddha statue, larger than the others but also with the palms facing outwards, adorned with a crown, the face and palms are covered in gold … Read the rest

Wat Pra Kaeow, 10:45 am

Two buildings right next to each other, one predominantly blue, the other predominantly green. The walls are covered in glazed, lozenge shaped tiles, each of which is adorned with a bas relief flower; the gaps between the tiles is painted gold. The multi tiered roofs, tiled in red and green, are supported by pillars covered in mirror glass mosaic sparkling with silver in the sun, and gold painted decorations. It’s all a bit hard to take in, so much splendor, so much fine detail. Of course, it doesn’t help that the place is crowded with tourists, every time you want … Read the rest

The Big Indochina Trip: the bus to Bangkok 

I will admit there were times during my journey through Vietnam and Laos when I felt tired of riding a motorbike: the pain sitting in the same position for hours, the exposure to the elements, the constant concentration. When I left the motorbike in the care of the travel agent and booked my tickets, I thought it would be nice to take a bus for a change, just sit back, listen to some music and relax. By now I know that that’s generally not the case when taking a bus here, it’s bound to take at least one or two … Read the rest

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