To Bangkok On The Iron Horse

Hootoksi Tyabji

On Sunday April 20th at 8.45 PM, Amanda, Robert and I boarded the train to Bangkok. We started off the journey sitting cross-legged on our designated sleeper with the curtains drawn and had a double shot of Scotland’s finest to cheer us on our way. We began the journey from KL Sentral station, our first stop was Butterworth.

The journey there, was smooth and we got in around 6 AM and found the city was just waking up. After coffee among stray dogs and sleepy stall owners, we took the ferry across to Georgetown, Penang for the princely sum of RM 2.20 round trip.

We walked around Penang till 8 when it was morning enough to call our dear friend Nigs who came round and picked us up from under the clock tower and drove us to her home, where we breakfasted and lounged about till 1 PM. Then, back on the ferry to the train and onwards to Thailand.

The train was slow, clean, comfortable and just as pleasant as we hoped it would be. There was terrific service on board, dinner and breakfast was good, and with little fuss at the border we chugged into Hua Lam Phong station in Bangkok about an hour later than we should have. We took the metro and overhead train to Sukhumvit and walked to the end of Soi 2 where the Atlanta Hotel stands still in time in its own little oasis. The small garden and pool enhance this quaint hotel and the central location made it a very convenient place to stay.

Bangkok is a bustling city packed with shops, wats (temples), touts and interesting sights and sounds. We had dinner at the famous "Cabbages & Condoms" restaurant where Minty, an old friend from our Nepal days, joined us and kept us entertained. It was great to catch up with her and to get tips on what to do and see and how to go about it over the next two days in Bangkok. Her best advice to us was to take taxis rather than tuk-tuks whose drivers tend to overcharge and are into one scam or another, which we had already experienced!

We visited Wat Pho and saw the spectacular gold-plated reclining Buddha. It is 46 meters long and 15 mt. tall and represents the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The eyes and the feet are engraved with mother-of-pearl, and on the bottom are carved the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha. The large grounds of Wat Pho contains more than 1000 Buddha images.

Across from Wat Pho is the Grand Palace which has an area of 218,400 sq. meters and is surrounded by a wall built in 1783. It consists of several buildings with highly decorated architectural designs. Within these walls are situated government offices, the royal residences and the Royal Chapel or Wat Phra Kaew, which is the home of the sacred Emerald Buddha, most revered by the people. According to reliable chronicles, lightning struck a temple in Chiangrai province of Northern Thailand in 1434 A.D, and a Buddha statue made of stucco was found inside. The monk of the temple noticed that the stucco on the nose had flaked off and the image inside was a green color. He then removed the stucco covering and found it was carved from a green stone which he mistakenly thought was emerald, but which in fact is jade!

We were awed by Wat Indra Viharn a temple known for its huge standing Buddha built in the reign of King Rama IV, which is 32 meters tall. We later enjoyed a panoramic view of the city from The Golden Mount, which is an artificial hill topped by a gilded pagoda. We also visited Wat Ben Chamaborphit (Marble Temple,) which is beautifully decorated with cross beams of lacquer and gold. A large collection of bronze Buddha images lines the walls of the courtyard.

While the statues, images and carvings of Buddha were fascinating, the murals were spectacular and many of them have been carefully restored and are well preserved. Amanda and I had fun shopping for clothes while Rob spent time lounging around, and on day five we headed back and out to the new and soulless Bangkok International Airport to board our Air Asia flight home. We were two hours delayed and got back well past midnight, but in time for a nightcap and recap of a happy time in Siam!

More photos on Flickr...