Bangkok 2

A week went by, like a blur, like a tuk-tuk zooming through town, negotiating a price, the driver telling me that the Palace will open at 2pm as there is a ceremony for the king in the morning, and then taking us to a beautiful huge standing Buddha with a fantastic temple besides it, a place to release birds out of cages symbolizing the freedom of our souls (our minds in my interpretation). He waits patiently for us, and then takes us to another temple which is closed and as many big tourist shops as he can claiming they are some sort of special expo for the kings birthday, I know better, but let him earn some commission anyway, until I say firmly, enough!

Then we head over to the Grand Palace, which is grand indeed. Or maybe it’s the Royal Palace, and I just find it beautiful. I have been here before, and the major difference is the amount of tourists around. Last I was here, I could move about freely, take photos without any foreign head appearing at the bottom of my frame, but now it is packed, people everywhere. We found the wall paintings especially beautiful and intricate, fantastic stories of people and gods of masters and followers set amongst grand nature. Some of the figures are painted in gold, allowing for a beautiful contrast, reflecting daylight coming from under the awning. The temples are covered with layers of gold, carvings and statues; the roofs are impressive with frames of yellow, green and black ending stitched with corners that curve up towards the heavens holding some golden ornamentation. We hurried along to the reclining or sleeping Buddha as I had a teeth cleaning appointment later that evening. Impressive for it’s size mostly. Reminded me of art school when a friend made some huge prints that most of us never saw such a size before, it had a wow affect for it’s size.

Bangkok is a city of waves. Walking down the Khaosan road, with all the shops and stalls of T shirts, imitation Billabong pants, pirate music, jewelry, Havaianas flip flops which I surrendered and bought pink ones, imitation designer underwear with big names all over the waist band, corn on the cob grilled over charcoal, Pad thai with the option to chose from three different types of noodles as well as plain, with egg, or with chicken, foot massage for 30 min with beds rolling on to the street, fish massage where you put your feet in an aquarium full of fish, and surely signs for Thai massage, which I received on a parallel street. Some restaurants are hidden behind the stalls of dresses and Thai fisherman pants, guesthouses and a few banks and moneychangers, fruit stands, shake stands, dogs, a beggar, and big signs everywhere. This is beyond the tourists flooding the streets, the nicely dressed young men offering a tailored suit in 24 hours, women dressed in the northern Thailand traditional costume selling a variety of hand made crafts from bracelets to little wooden frog that as you roll a wooden stick on their dragooned back you get a cricket sound affect, which of course they do non stop, it’s really not very different than how I felt after walking around Vegas. In Vegas there were lights, and sounds of slot machines, but in both there was more stimulation than any human should receive in a lifetime, both offered lots of visual as well as sound and smell. In Vegas cigarettes and perfume, here, cigarettes, food and incense blended with ice.

Bangkok also has markets that are not flooded with tourists and can be charming. I spoke to a monk at one of them, while he was happy to pose in front of an array of Buddha sculptures. Monks in Orange were not uncommon, as well as people praying to Buddha, placing offerings in front of his sculptures, lighting incense and making donations. Buddha, from all I learned was just another human in search for happiness, or maybe a meaning for life, or just wanting to understand this cycle of suffering we live in. He had it all, money, food, pleasures, care takers, he was a prince living in a palace, but when he learned that that there are other states of living like, sickness and death, he decided to go and understand life, see what is beyond the walls of his sheltered life. He went backpacking if you will. He tried it all, from being ascetic to, a variety of spiritual paths, more food, less food, begging, or suffering more, but then he just stopped. Sat down and listened, dropped away, did not try so hard to achieve anything and there it was. He realized that he really had it all within him. Following the middle path, he could realize himself and thus liberate himself from suffering. He tried teaching this and even created some simple formulas, but in reality all he did was offer some tools and guidance of how one can find the realization, the liberation from suffering or enlightenment, on their own. Buddha taught freedom from the mind. Walking around Bangkok I am reminded of Christ and the Church. Just like Buddhism it seems that the interpretation of the simple beautiful teachings of beings that understood truth, has led to an established religion, a following and worshiping that no one asked for, turning teachings that require one to take responsibility for their actions and for finding their own healing, into a system where everything is put upon the dead teacher and a faith that by worshiping his image which most likely doesn’t even look like him will bring about freedom, success, love, fortune, rain, sun, children or any other human desire. Was it not to drop desires that both of these great masters taught. Why is it that humans attach so much to symbolism, to the cosmetics rather than the actual? Cosmetics have an important role, as well as rituals and liturgy, yet these are extra tools to help us find what we already have within, these are not a means to an end. Makeup may add a layer of beauty to a woman, but it could never beautify an ugly soul.

We had to stay longer in Bangkok as we discovered we needed to get Visas for Vietnam ahead of time. It turned out to be perfectly fine, as we have decided that we would rather stay in places longer and really feel them out rather than skip around, see a lot, but not fully experience every place. We did the tourist tour of the floating markets, and with no more expectations than a tourist trap, we actually enjoyed it. Seeing the bits of what it used to be like, the proficiency of the people on their boat, their balance and sense of efficiency, and of course trying new fruits, another spicy noodle soup and some fried sweets.

We went downtown to Siam center, walked through the gigantic MBK center, the craziest, largest mall I have been too, similar to Kauasan road but with AC and on nine levels, stopped buy a few other centers that had more of the real designer brands with real price tags as well and less crowds, I ate the spiciest soup of my life with a variety of wild mushrooms, and spent the fire with a chocolate doughnut. I bought amazing headphones that keep bringing a smile to my face as I listen to music; yes I had to admit to being a sound snob, with no attachment, I could stay with no music at all, but since I had the option to enjoy nice headphones (relatively of course), I decided to renounce my poverty state of mind and enjoy. Wondering down town, I sure got my fix for a big city.

We balanced it out with some quiet evenings in a healthy restaurant off a side street, sitting on cushions on the floor while drinking healthy juices and eating home made Tempeh, we got some foot massages that left us in a state of natural high, I got a Thai massage from a woman that found many sensitive pressure points, and proved that my body has not found enlightenment just yet. I enjoyed a balance of street stall food, along with some nicer restaurants, love having no phone, and yet happy to connect via the Internet often but not more than a few times a week. I guess I could not manage to keep it this way back home…