Ferg & Jude\'s Thailand Adventure 2002

Tuesday 19th November
Loi Krothong Festival

Down to breakfast at 7.30am, Ferg tried the Thai porridge, it was a rice soup with chicken. We left on our day's adventures at 9am. Skytrain to Saphan Taksin and river ferry to Tha Chang. First stop the famous Wat Pho with the reclining Buddha. Entry cost 20bt and we wandered around for an hour taking in all the beautifully tiled chedis and statues.

The reclining Buddha was something else. Words can't truly describe the magnificence of this marvel. The sheer size hits you first then upon looking closer you can see the beautiful inlaid pearl shell on the enormous feet. The photos attached give some idea of the magnificence.

We walked from Wat Pho to the Grand Palace and although we thought we had dressed appropriately, my shoes didn't have a back strap. We could have lined up with all the other tourists to rent appropriate wear from what looked like a giant thrift store but we decided to move on. We decided we'd had enough of Wats and went in search of some shopping. Grabbed a taxi to Pantip Plaza, a giant multi-story shop selling electronic, music and computer wares. We found a fairly expensive Thai/Western café for lunch. Ferg really enjoyed the ice coffee and had two big glasses.

We walked to the World Trade Centre from Pantip. We bought a couple of pieces of jewelry and admired a large porcelain display in the central foyer. There were some fantastic pieces, enormous urns and pots, way out of our price range unfortunately. We crossed the road to Naraphand Handicrafts Centre. There lots of gorgeous handicrafts from all over Thailand, fairly expensive but worth a look. We walked back to Chit Lom station and back to the hotel for a rest.

This evening was the night the Thais celebrated the Loi Krothong Festival so we headed for the river to see the spectacle. A Krothong is a basket made of banana leaves and filled with flowers, candles and incense. The Thais light the candles then float them into the river making a wish. There were many vendors out at the base of Saphan Taksin station selling the Krothongs.

We climbed the stairs up onto the Sathorn Bridge and had a fantastic view of the river. We had a birds eye view of the Loi Krothong dinner being held at the Shangrila Hotel. The Chao Phraya River was churning with hundreds of boats. There were many river cruise boats, cross river ferries, the Chao Praya Express boats and hotel ferries all mixed together. Because we had such a good view we decided to wait for the fireworks. It was a 2 ½ hour wait but there was plenty going on. As the time drew near a lot of boats congregated outside the Shangrila and Oriental hotels. There were a lot of near misses with the ferry boats. The cross river ferries were loaded with Thais taking their Krothongs out to the middle of the river. The ferry stopped mid river while the people launched their Krothongs and made their wishes. It was a magic site, hundreds of little candles flickering down the river, some surviving and some get drenched by the boat wakes. The finale of fireworks was definitely worth the wait. The fireworks barge was near the bridge so we were right amongst the explosions as they burst over head, lighting up the fairytale scene on the river. We were starving by 10.30pm and headed to Patpong. We found a Mexican restaurant which was mediocre and expensive.

Wednesday 20th November
Bustling Chinatown

Off to Chinatown today. Skytrain to the river and ferry to Tha Rachawong. We used the Nancy Chandler map to find our way to Sampeng Lane. A couple of blocks from the ferry we turned into the lane. It was only wide enough for a motorbike and there were lots of those. Ferg kept getting annoyed with having a motorbike up his behind. There were lots of material and bead shops. We walked to the end of the lane then crossed over a Klong (canal) into the Pahurat Indian Market. There were lots of Indian fabric shops here. We turned around and headed back into Chinatown to the Thieves Market. Lots of tools, sunglases and watches galore. We stumbled into a food market with lots of Chinese herbs. One shop looked liked it had been there for 200 years. Little drawers lined the walls and sacks filled with all sorts of dry potions covered the floor. There was also many gold shops in the area.

We found our way back to Sampeng Lane and walked in the opposite direction to the end on Songsawat Road. We found a little air con Chinese restaurant for lunch. We had a plate of Chinese duck, veges and rice. The food was cold and not very impressive. We picked up a tuk-tuk to the Harbour Dept. pier and caught a ferry and the skytrain to Sala Daeng station. We walked into Lumphini park, what a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Bangkok streets. It was very peaceful walking along the two lakes. There was pedal boats and canoes for hire. There were lots of Thais taking siestas under the trees. Ferg and I bought an icecream and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Back to the hotel, we must have walked at least 10km's today.

Off to Panthip Plaza to buy some CD's (100bt), DVD's (150bt) and PC games (200bt). We walked from there to the Pratunam Market and had some chicken noodle stew from a street vendor. It was a bit cold and had chicken feet floating in it which put me off. We then headed for the World Trade Centre. The whole place was lit up with fairy lights and there were three separate stages with bands playing. We had stumbled into the 2002 Beer Festival and each section was promoting a brand of beer. We chose the Hieneken area and ordered a jug and some food. There were hundreds of young Thais enjoying the beer, food and music. We stayed for an hour enjoying the atmosphere and getting slightly tiddly. We swaggered to Chit Lom station and got back to the hotel about midnight.