2017-11 Four Island Sunset Boat Tour in Ao Nang (Thailand)

Longboats

Just this morning, we arrived in Ao Nang after a 12-hour overnight train ride from Bangkok and then another 2.5 hours traveling by minivan. Our hotel, Ben's House, is sparse but near the beach. We quickly decided that we needed to get out on the water after so many hours traveling. Our choice: a four island sunset boat tour.

Longboat motor. Yes, there's a Lipton Tea bottle keeping this working!

During our discussions, I heard "speed boat" and assumed that our boat would be like those back home in the U.S. that pull water skiers and tubers. Imagine my surprise when we're dropped off at the dock of wooden longboats. The speed boat is for a different option to visit the Phi-Phi Islands.

Our first island stop

Like all boats that we've encountered in Thailand, getting in and out is always interesting. On this long boat, our guide wedged an aluminum ladder against the side; and, we waded into the water barefoot and clambered aboard the slippery metal tube rungs. We had to rinse our sandals of sand before bringing them aboard.

Fish in the water

The long boat did have a motor...a very loud motor that our guide siphoned gasoline into to get going. It spit a cloud of exhaust as we backed up to get out of the harbor. Then, we were off to our first island stop, our guide attempting to shout above the motor.

Monkey on the rocks of the island across from Isla Tup

Our first stop was the island of Isola Tup. It is a small island with gorgeous, clear, shallow waters. We waded into the water and watched as schools of tiny fish, clear with an iridescent streak through the middle and eyes bugging out slowly passed. There were schools of white fish with black vertical stripes wandering by, too, seeming to be as curious about us as we were of them. The tide was low, allowing us to wade through the water across to another island, where monkeys hung out on the rocks.

View from Poda Island

Our next stop was to Poda Island. Here, our driver anchored the longboat while our guide encouraged us all to put on life jackets and snorkels and follow him into the water. It took the ten of us a bit to get our act together, as we one by one cautiously climbed down the aluminum ladder while the rest of us rocked with the boat and tried to balance out the weight. Did I mention that the guide had to have six of us sit on one side and four on the other almost the entire trip to balance out the boat? Once in the water, we could look down into clear water, watching curious fish swimming up to us. Our guide found some sea anemones with "Nemo" type fish living among them. There were also more of the white with vertical black striped fish and a beautiful black, white, blue and yellow fish with one long white fin.

Island four was simply a drive by of Chicken Island for a photo.

Ao Phra Nang Beach

The final island is actually a peninsula of Krabi, Thailand, that can only be reached by boat. This is Ao Phra Nang Beach. We disembarked and wandered the beach for a few photos of the gorgeous scenery before settling down on the sand to watch the sunset. It was a great way to end our first day of beaches in Thailand!

Sunset

2017-11 Grand Palace (Bangkok, Thailand)

My first attempt at the Grand Palace didn't end up materializing. It was the royal ceremony of the changing of the Emerald Buddha's costume from the rainy to winter season. In Thailand, there are three seasons: hot, rainy and winter. November 4th just happened to be the day of the robe change.

Grand Palace

My second attempt was more successful, participating in the Urban Adventures Temple and River Kings tour. The benefit of the tour is that our guide left us to take photos within the welcoming area of the Grand Palace while he went off to purchase our entrance tickets. He also got us through shorter lines for entrance as well as providing background on the different monuments.

Exterior of the Emerald Buddha temple

Fortunately, we were now able to see the Emerald Buddha, even if we couldn't take photos of it. It is a petite 26 inches tall; and, it's actually made of jade. We had to leave our shoes outside of this temple to enter.

In fact, the Grand Palace has the strictest dress code of all. No shorts allowed. For the one guy who had shown up to the tour in shorts, our guide, quickly pointed him to 100 baht "elephant pants". For women, long pants or a long skirt is required. It needs to cover one's ankles. Shoulders must be covered for both men and women.

A giant demon gaurdian

Yet, you don't want to miss a chance to visit this complex. It is extensive! Even walking to get to the entrance was over a kilometer plus what seemed like another 1/2 kilometer to get to the ticket booth. Once inside, we saw the gigantic "giants" that had been mentioned in Wat Pho. These are demon guardians.

Golden stuppa

We also saw a giant stuppa covered in gold leaf. This was built by King Rama V; and, he had the gold leaf imported from Italy. Another iconic piece is a model replica of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was part of the kingdom of Siam from the 15th-19th centuries.

Model of Angkor Wat

Quick notes:
- dress appropriately: shoulders covered, no shorts, women need to cover their ankles
- 500 baht entrance fee
- have a back-up day in case your first choice is closed for a ceremony

2017-11 Canals of Bangkok (Thailand)

My friend heard that Bangkok is like Venice. Canals and boats certainly play a large function in transportation, especially in the areas around the river that runs through Bangkok. There were so many boats that we rode in Thailand overall. In Bangkok, we rode in two types: a wooden longboat with a motor through a canal tour and the ferry boats to travel up and down or cross the river.

View along the canals of Bangkok

Every adventure was distinctly unique. Usually, it started with trying to get in the boat in the first place. On the wooden boat, we stepped, or sat down on the dock and slid into the boat. It was a tricky maneuvering. Plus, once the motor got going along the river, we were being splashed as the it bounced along the waves made by more powerful speedboats. Even our guide used his umbrella as a shield against the spraying water.

Ferry boat

On our first ferry ride as an Intrepid group, we had to skip our first entrance to the dock, which was flooded, and walk down to the second entrance. We weren't the only tourists there. First, though, we all had to wait for those who were getting off the ferry. Then, it was our rush to all get on the ferry. "Go, go, go!" Our guide made sure that all twelve of us made it. Since it was morning, most of us were evfen able to get a seat as we rode our multiple stops to Arun Wat.

Flooded dock is still in service. Ferry riders walk on the planks balanced on the sandbags

At Arun Wat, we switched to a different ferry. While we were waiting on the dock, it rolled up and down with the waves coming in. Finally, we were on the ferry, making the short trip across the river, where we were shooed to quickly get off the boat. This dock was so flooded that there was a couple wooden planks laid out for us to walk across. The shops at the end of the dock were flooded with a couple of feet of water.

Shops flooded in the morning

And dry in the afternoon

In the afternoon, when we braved the ferry to get home (it is still better/faster than bus 53!), the shops previously flooded were now dry and open and for business. The walkway to the dock had also dried out. Now, it was just a matter of somehow cramming in with the masses without accidentally touching a monk. Monks have reserved standing area at the back of the boat. Plus, women should not touch or even talk to monks.

Looking back at Arun Wat and the dock from the ferry

"Inside, inside!" directed the lady collecting tickets. Then, at our stop, we were squeezing through the people lining the hall and stairs up to the exit. "Out, out, out!" yelled the guy on the boat with the whistle. He'd sound the whistle as we approached a dock and would then tie us to the dock with one rope while we all disembarked and boarded the ferry. A must experience for Bangkok!

Quick notes:
- tickets are generally purchased from a ticket seller before getting on the boat. You'll need to have this ticket handy in case there is another ticket seller on the boat.
- fares range. We paid between 4.5 - 15 baht for each ride

2017-11 Wat Pho (Bangkok, Thailand)

A "wat" in Thailand is Buddhist monastery or temple. Wat Pho was the first "wat" that I visited in Thailand. It's located not far from the Grand Palace in Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok.

Giant reclining Buddha

The main feature of this temple is a reclining Buddha. It is gigantic! Housed within it's own temple, the Buddha stretches 46 meter (150 ft) long and 15 meter (50 ft) tall. The Buddha was built by Rama III in 1832. It was built out of bricks and then entirely gilded in gold. Even just entering the building and seeing the Buddha's head high above is impressive. The interior walls of the temple housing the reclining Buddha are covered in intricate mural paintings with gold leaf detailing.

Mural paintings inside the temple

 We removed our shoes and carried them in a red plastic bag provided by the temple. Entering on the right side, we first saw the Buddha's face high above us. We shuffled through on bare or stockinged feet, stopping to try to get good photos between the pillars holding up the temple ceiling. The entire time, we could hear dinging, like the sound of coins being thrown into something metal.

Metal bowls for donations along left outer wall

Then, we were shuffling past the Buddha's feet, ornately decorated on the soles in mother of pearl. Outside, we attempted to take full-length photos of the Buddha through the screen's over the windows. Then, we were shuffling past the back of the Buddha. Now, we could see where the pinging noise had came from: we could pay 20 baht for a container of coins to put into metal donation bowls along the outer wall of the temple. 

Traditional medical school

While the reclining Buddha is the main attraction at Wat Pho, it also houses the first public university within Thailand. According to Wikipedia, the traditional medical portion of the school wasn't started until 1955. We looked at the diagrams drawn on the walls for the students' learning. Even today, the traditional Thai massage continues within Wat Pho.

Stuppa for one of the King Rama's ashes

In addition, there are several temples with Buddhas, stuppas for kings' ashes and galleries full of Buddhas, both sitting and standing. A person can pay to be buried under one of the Buddhas in the galleries. Overall, the complex is immense. I visited it three times; and, each time, I saw something and learned something new.

Chinese Confucious scholar sculpture. We were told that it was brought over simply because the ships needed more ballast

Quick notes:

- admission for non-Thais is 100 Baht. Exact change ONLY

- open 8-6:30

- wear shoes that you can slip off to enter the many temples

- if you are not dressed appropriately, you will be provided with an appropriate covering

2017-11 National Museum, Bangkok (Thailand)

Buddha from 16th century AD, Ayutthaya style, Phra Nakhon Si

Google maps isn't always the best judge of how to get from point A to point B, especially in a country other than the U.S. After attempting to follow, Google, I ended up inside a walled complex, where I asked a young couple where the museum was. They were also tourists. However, a local heard us talking in English and came to our rescue, giving us directions to get to the National Museum. Following his directions, I got a bit closer before turning into another walled complex and asking a military policeman, who pointed me further down the road. Finally, though, I arrived to the National Museum, with a friendly employee pointing me to the ticket office.

Map of National Museum

Upon purchasing my ticket, the cashier handed me a map of the complex with over half of the rooms crossed off. "These are all closed?" I asked. She pointed me to the sign next to the window "No Refunds". Huh. Well, now that I was here, time to explore.

Vishnus from 6th-86h century A.D., from Si Maha Phot

If you only have time to see one hall in the National Museum, my recommendation would be 1: "Siwamokkhaphiman Audience Hall and Gallery of Thai History". It has a video in the beginning with subtitles in English walking through the different time periods in Thai history. This really helps to put into perspective the artifacts within this hall. 

Even the halls are historic buildings. This sign reminds us not to touch the railing next to the stairs

Within the hall, there are choice pieces from the museum's permanent collection. It covers all time periods from pre-history to the Bangkok period. My favorite pieces are usually the oldest; and, this gallery was no exception. There was a beautiful representation of a Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara from the 9th century AD (Srivijaya style).

Bodhisattva Avaokiteshvara from Wat Wiang, 9th century AD, Srivijaya style

While most of the items were representations of gods or religious stories, there were also a few choice urbane pieces, such as a bas relief depicting female musicians. This is also from the 8th-9th century (Dvaravati style).

Female musicians, 8th-9th century AD, Dvaravati style, found at Khu Bua

The other halls within the museum contain so many different historical items! Even though the 500s rooms were closed for renovations, visiting the rooms numbered in the 300s and 400s yielded a wealth of items from all time periods within Thai history. In addition, there were several items from around the world, mostly southeast Asia.

First Thai typewriter

Definitely give yourself several hours to visit this beautiful museum, whether all the galleries are open or not.

Quick notes:

- 200 Baht entrance fee

- open 9 am - 4 pm, Wed thru Sunday and national holidays (except New Year and Songkran)

2017-11 Water Festival and Phare Circus (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

Video of one of the dragon boat races

We were just lucky enough to be in Siem Reap during the water festival. Our hotel was walking distance to all the festivities along the river. Of course, we had to check out the main event: the dragon boat racing. We saw many teams, mostly all males. However, there were a few all female teams. We even saw our tour group's co-ed team, GAdventures!

Ingenious tea carrier

Most of the other festivities included eating. We even saw fried tarantulas, although I only tried a green milk tea. Plus, there were so many ways to get wet. There was boxing over an inflated pool of water. Further in the evening, that pool of water was released into the street; and, the entire street was getting doused in hoses of water. We detoured around.

Phare Circus performers

Yet, my favorite part of life in Siem Reap had to be the Phare Circus show. "Same, same, but different" is a saying that our guide has used throughout our tour. The Phare Circus attempted to provide an acrobatic dramatization of the the saying. Throughout the show, there were actors who played western tourists and Cambodians while also performing a series of amazing stunts. The participants were extremely engaging and fully involved in their characters while drawing the audience into the skits. A definite must see!

Phare Circus performer somehow balancing on cylinders

2017-11 Angkor Thom and Baphuon Temple (Cambodia)

First view of Angkor Thom from across the moat

Our final visit near Siem Reap was to Angkor Thom. This complex is part of the extensive networks of temples and palaces around Angkor Wat and included in the price of the Angkor Wat ticket. Angkor Thom is a very impressive site of 9 square kilometers (3.5 sq miles) encompassing both older temples and palaces.

gods tugging on naga

Our driver left us off outside of the moat surrounding Angkor Thom. We took photos of the surrounding wall, entrance gate and bridge with the reflections in the water. Angkor Thom is a truly impressive complex that rivals Angkor Wat. Even walking across the bridge must have awed the people who first crossed it starting in the 13th century.

Entrance gate to Angkor Thom

The first iconography that we saw were a row of demons on the right side of the bridge, tugging on a naga, or seven-headed snake. A matching row of gods tugged on an identical naga on the left side of the bridge. This is part of a Hindu story of churning the sea of milk, that we had seen in an intricate bas relief in Angkor Wat. While some of the original gods and demons remain, many portions have been restored with new stone.

Tourist riding an elephant outside Bayon Temple

The bridge supported moto-scooters, pedestrians, and tourist vans, as we ambled toward the towering gate, crowned by the four faces of Buddha. We watched a tourist bus just barely squeeze under those heads and through the gate. On the back of the gate, we could see a sculpture of a three-headed elephant. According to our guide, these three heads represent the three competing familial relationships once a person is married.

We walked on until we saw the large temple of Angkor Thom: the Bayon. This was built by the same king that built Ta Prohm: Jayarvanam VII, the Buddhist king. Along the walls of the temple, there are detailed bas reliefs detailing Jayarvanam VII's defeat of the Chamba people, who were living it what is now southern Vietnam. There were also bas reliefs about daily life. The walls on each of the Bayon temple were covered in these intricate stories.

Within the temple, there are 54 towers. Many of these temples have the four faces of Buddha. However, since Jayarvanam VII was the first Buddhist king and did not want to alienate his Hindu following subjects, he also included Hindu statues. Therefore, the Bayon Temple was a merged Hindu-Buddhist place of worship.

Buddha faces sculpted on the towers in Bayon Temple

We wandered among the towers, staring up at the smiling faces of the Buddha. Interestingly, a later king subscribed to Hinduism; and, he had the third eye carved into the foreheads of all the Buddhas.

View from the top of Baphuon Temple

Our next stop was to the Baphuon Temple. This temple is older than the walls, gates and Bayon. It was built during the 1000s AD. There is a square swimming pool in the front; and, it is still possible to clim at least to the top covered walkway, albeit not to the very top. The views on the top were spectacular! After we descended and exited the back of the temple, our guide pointed out that the architect of the Baphuon had skillfully designed a reclining Buddha into the back of the temple.

Reclining Buddha in back of Baphuon Temple

Our next stop was to the Phimeanakas Temple, perhaps the oldest building within Angkor Thom. It was built during the 900s but was used by Jayarvanam VII as well as a place to come to pray. Our guide told us a story about the king having to visit the tower of the temple before going into battle. The story he told was that the naga (snake) would appear as a beautiful woman that the king needed to sleep with in order to bring victory in battle.

Phimeanakas Temple

We did drive by and photo stops of several other places after Phimeanakas. However, we were all so overheated by this point, that our new joke every time we would get in the van was "Just one more temple...".

2017-11 Ta Prohm Temple aka the Tomb Raider Temple (Cambodia)

Gate of Ta Prohm with four faces of Buddha

In the morning, we had gotten up early to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and visit that site. Then, we went back to the hotel for breakfast and naps before heading out to our afternoon temple visit to Ta Prohm, made famous by the movie Tomb Raider. It was built by the Buddhist king Jayarvanam VII sometime during his reign from 1181-1218, approximately 37 years. Jayarvanam VII was the second king after the king (Suryarvanam II) that built Angkor Wat. Whereas Angkor Wat was built in honor of the Hindu religion, Jayarvanam VII was an adherent to Buddhism.

Spung tree in Ta Prohm

Jayarvanam VII's reign began after he collected soldiers to attack and remove the Champa from what is now Vietnam but was then part of the Khmer empire. He tried to control the Khmer empire by selecting an intellectual to run each of the four provinces. Within Ta Prohm complex, there is a former temple for teachers as well as a police university. Monks could come and study at Ta Prohm to get ready for their entrance exam to enter Angkor Wat school.

Stegasuarus carved into Ta Prohm!

Interestingly, becoming a Buddhist monk need not be a lifetime commitment. Every Buddhist male is expected to be a monk for at least some time in his life, which can be for as little as three months to indefinitely. At Ta Prohm, boys would come to study as monks but then could leave the monkhood when they needed to return home to work the rice fields.

Another tree in Ta Prohm

After Angkor Wat fell to Siam in 1342, the monks left Ta Prohm; and, nature took back the area. The impressive trees that we see that have grown through the foundations and walls are either spung trees or chambak trees. Angkor Wat did not see such degradation, as there was always someone living there and pulling out sapling trees from the stone walls. However, Ta Prohm did not have such caretakers over the centuries. It is a fitting reminder that no matter the mark that we think we have as humans, all of our great buildings and monuments can just as easily be returned to the earth in several centuries.

Looking up the central tower of Ta Prohm. The Christmas tree looking opening is to support the weight of the tower