Bangkok - to see & to taste

I didn't get to see as much of Bangkok as I would have liked or even the rest of Thailand, but there were some interesting sights that made this trip worthwhile. Here are some of the highlights from my trip. 

ART INSTALLATIONS 

In public places and huge malls that Bangkok is famous for, there were larger than life art installations which were eye-catching and beautiful in a very serene and peaceful way. Or maybe I was just influenced by the Thai way of life - ever pleasant and smiling :)

Inside a mall

In the open, on a street corner

FLORISTS AND FLOWER SHOPS

The city had some beautiful flowers, especially orchids, on display and for sale. 

Orchids (left) & other bright blooms at a flowers/plants market.

The heart of a cabbage(?) is the centre of 
attraction in this pretty floral arrangement.

STREET FOOD 

At the outset, I must declare I am not a foodie and I am not great at cooking, infact I am not even interested in it. But I do love to try different cuisines especially if I am travelling. I do make it a point, as far as possible, to try the local dishes wherever I go. I probably won't be able to tell you what went into a particular dish but I can certainly tell you how good or bad it tasted. Important, no? ;)

Most of these images must be familiar to you from various corners of South East Asia, but I felt that any post on Bangkok would be incomplete without its street food. Here are some photographs from China Town and from the ubiquitous food carts on the streets.

Raw oysters, China Town - my first time & it was good.
But, definitely an acquired taste.

An assortment of dishes at China Town.
Not an area for the squeamish. :)

A typical street cart setting up for business.

Octopus/ Squid variety - A closer look at the food cart

Mushrooms wrapped in bacon - my absolute favourite.
I just couldn't get enough of these.

The local brand of beer

China Town is an amazing food area. At night, the normal looking streets turn into one huge open air food court. Traffic is restricted on this particular street during the nights. But, proceed with caution as you will see many things that aren't very appealing and as I said before, not for the squeamish.

I leave you with a photo of a money tree, borrowed from Feng Shui (I think) that I saw at a 7-11 store in Bangkok. A city with an interesting mix of faiths and superstitions. :)

For wealth & prosperity, I assumed.

If you would like to read more about Bangkok: In previous posts, I had described my fascination with spirit houses, briefly touched upon my visit to the Grand Palace, an awe inspiring complex in every which way (and my not-so-happy experience among my fellow countrymen in the city).

Bangkok - where spirits reside among the living

Bangkok, the pulsating, vibrant city in South East Asia, conjures up images of shopping, food, night markets, foot massages, shopping, food, gigantic malls, Buddhism, shopping, food... it's an endless list! 

One of my first impressions of the city -
A Man U building wrap.

Over a year ago, I had travelled to Bangkok for a few days. I had hoped to share more details of my trip here. For some reason or the other I had not got around to it. 

One of the most highlights of my trip were the spirit houses.  

Sukhumvit Road, where I stayed, is one of the main streets of Bangkok. It has hotels and malls in abundance. Since I walked to many of the shopping areas on that street, it was an interesting way to really notice the buildings, street stalls, parks etc. 

One of the curiosities that puzzled me were miniature structures in the compound of every building. They seemed to follow traditional architecture but were made of the most fantastic material or had stunning imagery around it. I assumed these were akin to the 'prayer' corners we have inside every home and building in India, but I didn't know what exactly they were. I saw many Thais bowing before the structures or making offerings while passing by. 

Later, when I looked up on the internet, I found out these were 'spirit houses'. Thais are mainly Buddhists, but they believe strongly in the spirit world. According to their belief, every time a new building is constructed, the resident spirits in the old building/ plot of land tend to lose their home. To appease the spirits and provide a new home for them, the miniature structures are built. Failure to do so can cause all sorts of misfortune. 

Different types of structures indicate they are meant to appease different types of spirits. Almost all spirit houses had miniature dancers, elephants, horses etc. around them. All these represent the good-stuff that will keep the spirits happy. Some of the figurines inside the mini-homes resembled Gods and Goddesses from the Hindu pantheon, but I can't say for sure.Thailand is very heavily influenced by Hinduism - history and all - so it's very possible. 

A spirit house with numerous
figurines around its base.

A closer look at the spirit house.

Fully adorned with glass pieces - a stunning reflective effect. 

I have no idea why there were zebras here. Maybe
they are meant to be 'exotic' versions of horses.

Twin houses in a flower market, caught against an evening sky.

A more humble looking spirit house somewhere
in the outskirts of the city.

I am glad that I got more information about the spirit houses and these did not get overshadowed by the more visible and popular attractions of Bangkok. If you ever visit, do take the time to look around you to notice these little houses. 

P.S. I have written about various other sights of Bangkok in separate posts here & here.

Grand Palace, Bangkok - shock & awe

On a recent (and my first ever) trip to Thailand I visited the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok. Since the trip was a sudden one, I didn't prepare for it as I usually do i.e. research the place, mark out sights to check out, restaurants to eat at etc. I just decided to go with the flow, there wasn't enough time anyway to do more.

At the hotel where I stayed, the tour booklet touted the Grand Palace along with the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew in Thai) as the sight to beat all sights in Bangkok. While I took it mostly as hype, I decided to go visit it - many reasons (convenient distance, required amount of time etc).

All I can say is that the entire experience left me reeling, speechless, gobsmacked, with a jaw-dropping-eye-popping, surreal feeling.

I could barely make out where the Temple of the Emerald Buddha ended and the palace began. It was a hot, blistering afternoon and I required my sunglasses anyway. If not, I am sure it would have been blinding :D

If we, in India, feel that our forts, temples and palaces are expensive and ostentatious, this one took the cake, icing and the cherry on the top.

You can see it for yourself in some of the photographs posted below. Better still, pay a visit yourself.

The roof tops of the buildings within the palace complex

The facade of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

A closer look at the work on the walls of the buildings

One of the many windows on the palace buildings

Sorry for the numerous adjectives and cliches, the sights within the complex did have a profound impact on me. 

For more information on the Grand Palace complex (good old Wikipedia).

Photo courtesy: All by the author. Reproduce only with permission, please.