February 25- Arrived in Bangkok! The first day was the busiest and there was so much on my schedule. Since Bangkok is a large city, I decided to not book a tour and explore the place on my own. Bangkok is known as the river city and I finally understood why. There were many cars and motorbikes on the street which results in heavy traffic and inconvenience during rush hour. Therefore, ferry rides are very popular for the locals to get from one point of the city to another. Today, I visited so many places. I bought an all-day ferry ride on the Chao Phraya River and my first spot was Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple with many stupas, a place for mediation for monks, and chaitya, which is a prayer hall. Many Thais are Buddhists. To enter religious temples and see the Buddha, females will need to wear long pants or long skirts that cover below the knees. Tan-tops are not allowed and the shoulders must be covered. Finally, everyone is required to take off their shoes before entering the place to show respect for the monks and Buddha. Therefore, I bought several elephant pants before entering the tourist places. After visiting Wat Arun, I went to the famous reclining Buddha and then Grand Palace where the current King and his loyal family of Thailand reside. The Grand Palace was so “grand” and heavily guarded by the security and Thai army. The architecture of these buildings and temples reflect on ancient Thai culture and traditions. For my lunch, I tried crocodile meat for the first time! It was exotic yet delicious, food that you will never find in Western culture. Bangkok is so cultural, I am falling in love with this city!
February 26- On my next tour, I had a one-hour drive up to the northern part of Bangkok and reached Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. Ayutthaya was a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767. Many of the places that I visited were the remaining ruins of the old city and formed the Ayutthaya Historical Park, an archaeological site that contains palaces, Buddhist temples, monasteries, and statues. The ruins brought me back to ancient time and it was a reminiscence of the ancient Kingdom of Siam. I enjoyed every moment of the trip because of its history and ancient beauty. My favorite was at Wat Mahathat with the Buddha head on the tree. During the fight with the Burmese, many temples were destroyed and the Buddha's heads were chopped off. After one of the Buddha's heads fell off, it was left alone, and years afterward, surrounding trees grew around the head representing a symbol of hope for the Thai people. We also visited Ayutthaya floating market where vendors sold street food and desserts to the passers-by.
February 27- Today was another very busy day with a split schedule visiting the National Museum of Bangkok in the afternoon and then seeing the Calypso Show at night. Thai culture is so fascinating and interesting and I felt that I needed to learn more about its history and establishment. The National Museum of Bangkok was the best place for that. It had a range of exhibits and artifacts from Thailand’s history, porcelain pieces, jewelry, clothing, food, and the royal family’s carriages. After that, I met up with Pal, an exchange friend studying at SMU who was from Bangkok. We both went to Asiatique, a port with shopping shops, restaurants, and a Ferris wheel. It was very pleasant to see a friend and have someone to share the moment. I have been traveling in Thailand alone so it was a nice change to have someone else accompany me. Afterward, I watched the Calypso Show which included dinner, ancient Thai masked dance, and the main performance with the ladyboys. Ladyboys are transgender individuals and are very common in Thailand. You can see them on the streets and everywhere in Bangkok. Thai people are quite respectful of these ladyboys and seem to support the LGBTQ community.
February 28- Last day in Bangkok! Time flies when you are having fun. I went to IconSiam, one of the most famous luxury brand shopping malls in Bangkok. I loved the design of the food court because it reminded me of the floating market with an indoor river inside the mall. Afterward, I went to Jim Thompson House, a museum with an art collection from an American businessman and architect named Jim Thompson. Thompson was the museum designer and former owner. The red house design was captivating with a combination of American-style and traditional Thai culture.
It was very stressful at the end because I had to rush to the airport for my flight back to Singapore. I tried to time my schedule so that I utilize every second of the day, but I should have left more time to travel back to the airport. There was extremely heavy traffic on the road and it almost delayed my arrival time. Luckily, I made it through the check-in and security checkpoints smoothly with almost no queues. I even had a bit of spare time to quickly grab dinner and get on the plane. This wraps my portion for the trip to Thailand. I had an amazing experience of traveling alone and discovered a lot about myself. I can’t wait to share my travel highlights with my friends and family.
