After our plane was grounded in Kunming due to a problem with the hydraulic system, I became even more keen to get to Bangkok. We had a chaotic evening with the airline being very slow to arrange accommodation for the plane load of pushy and aggravated Chinese travelers. I was grateful for the company of several other English speaking people. We ended up getting about four hours of sleep in a pretty nice hotel (if you ignore the very loud nearby construction noise that continued all night) and then returned to the same aircraft early the next morning. I was definitely praying that the Chinese mechanic had done his/her job well and that the pilots had more sleep than me.
Landing in Bangkok was a blessing and the Thai greeting was warm and welcoming.
The first two days I holed up in my hotel to take care of necessary tasks - sleep, pay bills, pay taxes, process photos, write blogs! It was lovely to stop a while.
A lovely, traditional boat on the Chao Praya River, close to where I was staying.
I arrived just as Songkran was starting - more about that later - but the bottom line is that it is a water festival and involves throwing water.
The few times I did head out the door in Bangkok, I managed to stay dry, but I was rather charmed that a young boy reached up to smear my face with this white substance. I'm told it is often made with talcum powder. It smelled nice.
Thursday evening I met up with the Intrepid Travel tour group I will be going with through Laos, and Friday morning we met for a river boat trip.
One of the river boat platforms.
There were a number of speedy boats travelling the river - they are basically run by a car engine mounted in the rear with a long propeller shaft that sits at a low angle in the water. They kick up a great deal of wake and make a lot of noise!
The boats often have lovely flowers hanging from them.
Because of Songkran, the temples were very busy, with lots of vendors set up in tents. I found it very difficult to catch any uncluttered photos. This temple was built by one of the kings who liked all things Chinese, so these stupas had a very Chinese look to them.
It was still early, but the vendors were clearly anticipating a crowd.
However, the gold filigree and colored, mirrored glass left no doubt as to the fact that this is indeed Thailand!
We visited the only Catholic Church in Bangkok - Santa Cruz Church - which had been established by the Portuguese some centuries ago. As it was Easter, they were planning a Passion Play that evening.
The juxtaposition of the traditional stained glass windows against the very Thai backdrop was a bit odd!
The narthex was very simple and all was covered in cloth until Sunday when the uncovering signifies Christ's re-birth.
As we moved on to the market, we caught this couple of boys trying to throw water on the passing cars - a Songkran tradition. They appeared to get more success and fun out of splashing each other and I was grateful that they ignored us, so we stayed dry.
It is always intriguing, in this part of the world, to see how vehicles of all sorts are put to utilitarian use! I was glad I didn't have to figure out how to steer this bike - and as for the taxi behind it..........!
Some of the houses along the river were a bit shaky, too!
We speculated on the value of some of the waterfront property and wondered if the lucky owners might cash in on its value one day.
Friday night was another overnight train trip - this time to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. It was nice to be travelling with others, as one could take turns watching bags.
I am always pleased to encounter a decent toilet - the one at the train station cost 5 baht, but as this sign said, it was clean and a sit down toilet rather than a squatter!
I had completed the same trip in 2011 and believed I would not repeat it because it had been very clanky and swaying! I was very relieved to learn that they have replaced the carriages, which are now pretty swank!
At around 9 pm, the train staff came around and converted the seats into beds.
I slept amazingly well.
Arrival in Chiang Mai meant that I would be able to meet up with my daughter, Sarah, and her partner, Chuck Mason, who live here. What a treat to not only be able to have a full immersion into Songkran, but also to realize that we would be spending Easter together. It was a marvelous serendipity, as I had certainly not timed my trip for this reason.
Songkran is a Thai New Year celebration. Wikipedia describes Songkran in Northern Thailand as follows - 'people prepare food and useful things to offer to the monks at the temple. People have to go to temple to make merit and bathe Buddha's statue and after that they pour water on the hands of elders and ask for their blessings'.
Well, let me tell you, the event has become basically a street fight with water. There were a few Thai's who were gentle as they poured water on arms or shoulders, but there were also pickup truckloads of people driving around throwing and squirting water at anyone nearby. And although I think I'm earning 'elder' status, no-one asked for my blessing!
Of course the Caucasian tourists are also into it in a big way, so one cannot walk down the street without getting drenched. I appreciated Sarah and Chuck's tutelage in things Songkran, and we had a delightful, wet afternoon diving into this event. I was so tired at the end of the day, I couldn't stay awake past 8 pm and slept through nine hours without waking!
Sunday was a treat for me, but led to few pictures for you. I just took my computer over to Sarah & Chuck's place and had the luxury of hanging out for a day - except for the fancy hotel we went to for an expensive Easter buffet - very excellent food. It was called The Meridien.
The table napkins were shaped like rabbits.
And the desserts were pretty spectacular, too. Yes, the container was a chocolate eggshell, too.
Dinner was a great contrast in a small shack-like place on the river. We had to walk down a scary lane to get there. Sarah & Chuck's Thai friends introduced them to it because it had the best Thai style fried chicken in Chiang Mai. We were quite disappointed to find that all the chicken was gone because of the heavy business during Songkran. Sarah compensated by ordering fried chicken cartilage, which I tried, but decided she could enjoy without my help.
However, I was adventurous in eating this 100-year old egg salad. the eggs are black, but taste quite good. Also known as 'century' eggs, they are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to several months.
I was sad to hang my Songkran flowers on the door handle of my hotel, but also pleased in knowing that saying goodbye to Sarah and Chuck is just for a short while, as we will meet again in Bangkok before I return home.
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