South-East Asia Cruise - Thailand, April 2010

Long before Eric took the job in Singapore, we had booked a sixteen-day cruise in South-East Asia. With our belongings all packed and safely tucked away in a twenty-foot container (on its merry way to Singapore), we left New Zealand mid-April 2010. We were headed for Bangkok. We would be embarking Diamond Princess cruise ship in Laem Chabang, Thailand.

Before we commenced our voyage though, we had spent three nights at the Chatrium Suites Hotel in Bangkok and passed time relaxing at the hotel pool, enjoying the amazing local cuisine, and visiting the major attractions of the capitol city and the country.

On our first day, we went to see Wat Pho (temple of Reclining Buddha).

































Later, we hailed a TukTuk and went to see a couple of smaller Temples.







At one of them, E purchased a few caged birds and then released them inside the Temple, which was supposed to bring him lots of luck!

















Our TukTuk driver took us right through the hottest Red Shirts’ spot, Democracy Monument Square. Fortunately, due to the holidays (Thai New Year), the protesters were taking a break and, thus, we did not run into any dangerous situations. However, we did see police trucks with slashed tyres, barricades, and people holding red flags and anti-government signs.

At the end of the ride, the tuk-tuk driver “hijacked” us to visit Thai Jewellery Exchange where we were told to “have a look for two minutes” while the driver was getting his 200-Bhat fuel voucher for bringing potential customers (seriously, it reminded us of Ukraine where we were buying “black market” train tickets to Budapest).

The following day, we went on a day-long excursion outside of Bangkok. Our itinerary included a visit to one of the few remaining Floating Markets. It was a colourful place bustling with paddle boats and vendors selling cheap souvenirs, tropical fruits and other delights, spices and cooked meals. The sounds, fragrances, and sights were truly tantalizing! E was popular with many local people who were smiling and waving at him.

Then, we met with our guide, Kung. She was very friendly and easy to talk to with a great sense of humor. She not only shared with us the  information related to our tour program but also lots about her own life, current political situation in Thailand and her own views on the subject. She complimented me by saying I was “simple” and “easy”... We really enjoyed her company.

After a “genuine” Thai lunch, we went on to Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery – Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi province. In these beautiful surroundings, dedicated Buddhist monks (and numerous volunteers from all over the world) live with and care for numerous wild animals (including 30 tigers and 9 tiger cubs). We were able to touch the tigers, feed deer and stroll among water buffalos.

And finally, Kung accompanied us to the infamous Bridge on the River Khwae Yai.

We returned to our hotel in the evening impressed with the hospitality, kindness, and good nature of the Thai people. I hope we return to Thailand during our time in Asia.

As the day of our excursion fell on Thai New Year we saw people all over engaged in celebrations: water squirting and throwing powder on each other.









There was much joy, music, dancing, and laughter everywhere.

On our last morning in Thailand before embarking the cruise ship, we went to see the Grand Palace. During our three day stay in Bangkok we became familiar with their extremely efficient waterway transportation system.



































The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782, it covers an area of 218,000 square meters surrounded by four walls and consists of the royal residence, throne halls, government offices and the renowned Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of Emerald Buddha).

Photography was not allowed unfortunately. The Emerald Buddha is enshrined on a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded carved wood. The image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes. The Buddha is carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434. While preparing for our trip to Laos, I found out that the statue was actually STOLEN from Laos and brought back to Bangkok! At that time the image was covered with plaster and was thought to be an ordinary Buddha image. In time plaster flaked off revealing the green stione underneath. It was thought that the stone was emerald and that is how the legend of the Emerald Buddha began.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time (and stamina) and admired Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) only from a distance.

I was proud of E of being such a good sport – taking in stride all the experiences and adventures we had thrown at him in this unbearable heat and humidity.