Day 24 - Bangkok

This is the first place I’ve missed traveling with someone else. Usually I don’t have any problems meeting people, and maybe it’s just that I’m road weary and can’t be bothered to make the effort of being social, but there seems to be a different feeling here within the solo-traveler community. For one thing, there are a lot more of us, so I don’t feel that special connection like I did in smaller places when there were only a couple of lone rangers. Bangkok also seems like a dubious place to be traveling alone if you’re a guy. Anyone over the age of 30 is automatically suspect of being here for the sex trade. I’m sure my intentions are questioned as well. In fact, any taxi, tuk-tuk, or motorbike I’ve taken in Bangkok has offered to find me a girlfriend for the night.

So setting out this morning I didn’t really have my bearings, so after a few minutes of wandering I found myself standing on a street corner looking perplexed as I glanced back and forth between my map and some road signs. I hate finding myself in this position as it’s a great way to attract profiteers. And so, in due course, I was approached and scammed.

Now I didn’t get scammed out of any money, but I did end up losing out on a big chunk of time. Actually, since I’m always looking for a good way to kill a few hours, it wasn’t so bad. The scam involved telling me that the sights I wanted to see were keeping strange hours today (of course) because it was the last day of some holiday, and that I could see some other sights that aren’t usually open to foreigners. He told me I could get a tuk-tuk to take me around for 3 hours for 50 cents because the government was paying his petrol for the day. So he drove me around to a few Buddha temples (one of which was interesting), the Golden Tower which had an impressive view of the city, and to a tailor that had been recommended by my hotel. It was called the James Tailor, so I had to go in and check it out. I had seen on the news that Korea was freezing cold and I didn’t have any kind of jacket with me, so I was going to have one made. After the prices in Vietnam, though, James Tailor was way too expensive.

So the reason this ends up being a scam is that to get his “gas money”, the driver has to take a foreigner to a souvenir or jewelry store and get a stamp from the shopkeeper. He asked if I minded being taken to a few shops on the way back to Khaosan Road so he could get his stamps. Since he was nice and had been driving me around for a couple hours, I reluctantly agreed. After another tailor and two “jewelry” stores I must have looked so pissed that he just took me back to my hotel. I figure I wasted about two hours but saved two dollars. It could have been a lot worse.

After getting my bearings again I set off for the Grand Palace, which can be summed up with the word ‘sparkly’. It’s a huge complex with government, residential, and religious buildings and all of the religious ones are decorated top to bottom, inside and out with small tiles and shiny glass. It’s all just one big-ass mosaic, and it’s quite incredible to see. Inside the grounds was the sacred Emerald Buddha, which is actually carved from jade and looks a lot bigger in pictures.

At Wat Pho, just south of the palace complex, is the Relaxin’ Buddha, or the Reclining Buddha if you’re more of a purist. And it’s exactly what the name implies: A huge statue of Buddha lying on his side and propping his head up with his hand. It was very big and very reclined, and that’s all I really have to say about it.

The highlight of my day was a Thai massage at the national training center. Ten dollars for an hour or being kneaded, rubbed down with hot stones and herbs, and contorted into positions I didn’t know I could make. It was awesome.

Back on Khaosan Road feeling much better and probably two inches taller, I spent the rest of my evening doing what I do best: shopping, eating, drinking, and people watching.