Boarding the Volendam on the South China Sea – first stop: Bangkok

After four months of eating Chinese food and breathing Xi’an air (air that you can see, feel, smell and taste), it was a pleasure to board a Holland America ship, the Volendam in Singapore. Our cabin was clean, and it had hot water 24/7. We could even drink it right out of the tap! The sky was blue. There was western food whenever we wanted it. We have been bad mouthing cruises for years, but having the hotel and restaurant take us to the sights was terrific. And we left the cold behind in exchange for 90 °F and humidity like Georgia—what a deal!

 

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand (think Yul Brenner in “The King and I”) and the most populous city in the country. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, but it is a lot easier to say in English. It has a population of over eight million. Over fourteen million people (a quarter of all Thais) live in the surrounding metro area. (Just an average city in China.)

   

The Grand Palace is the major site to see in Bangkok. It is a complex of buildings in the heart of the city. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions and temples set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its asymmetry and various styles are due to its development over time. Additions and remodelings were made by successive reigning kings over a period of 200 years.

If the buildings look like they are made of gold – they are! There are several tons (yes tons) of gold leaf in the buildings. It is covered with glass mosaic tiles.

    

 Each gable and roof line is decorated with flowers, garlands and colored tiles. No, they are not made of frosting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Grand Palace is currently partially open to the public as a museum; but it remains a working palace as several royal offices are still situated inside.

 

Monkeys and demons play a significant role in Thai mythology. A monkey is good and does not wear shoes. A demon is bad and wears shoes and rings of power on his fingers. It is very important to be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys in the stories. In America, we accomplished this by having the good guys wear white hats. The demons were driven from power by the monkey king who restored the human king to his throne.

This story is displayed in a mural with real gold figures.

 

 

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain. However the King has more power in ruling his country than Queen Elizabeth has. Thais love their king; there are big posters and decorations of him at various times in his life all over town. Like all countries in Southeast Asia, there is a great divide between the rich and the poor. Average income in Thailand is said to be about $10,000 per year.  

 

 

The river that runs through the city serves as a highway for the river taxis.

Like everywhere in the world, you can always find the Golden Arches.