RIDE DAY: Bangkok to Ayuttaya

Thewet, Bangkok to Ayuttaya
Distance: 80.99 km
Cumulative: 81.3 kmAvg Spd: 16.2 km/hMx Spd: 34.5 km/h
Ride Time: 4h59m
Ride Notes: One street dog gave good chase at about 70km into ride. So HOT and then met up with a guy selling ice cream from his scooter, pulled in late, directed to great guest house by local, city festival going on as I arrive
I rode out of Bangkok on the weekend when traffic is supposedly lighter. I didn't see that, but what I did see and experience, after many hours worrying about how I'd actually do it before just doing it, was how much safer I felt pedaling in crazy Bangkok traffic than I ever do riding in Marin or have in Orange County. Traffic moves fast, there's a lot of it, but there always seems to be room for bikes: trucks, buses, taxis, tuk tuks, SUVs, cars, pickups, motor bikes ALL make room for bikes on the left shoulder and there is a dedicated space on the shoulder (with decent smooth pavement) for bikes, carts and slow moving motor bikes. A quick snapshot I wrote on a break:


Friday night Bangkok traffic

as bad as Los Angeles traffic

at it's worst

I basically spent 60km riding on the shoulder of a very busy highway. I put ear plugs in to make it less harsh on the ears but it was pretty harsh on the lungs. Riding into Ayuttaya, I experienced, yet again, Thai kindness as a woman who spoke no English had me follower her on her motor bike to the most lovely guest house on the river after I asked her where I could find one. The guest house accomodations were quaint and meger, but the location couldn't be beat, 100 meters from the train station, 10 meters from a ferry across the island and a lovely deck to sit out on and watch the river go by:

A coconut drifts
down the Chao Praya
from Ayuttaya

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orange full moon
floats over Ayuttaya

with ten lanterns

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ten lanterns

float above the festival
joining the stars
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sparks cascade
from ten ascending lanterns
our hopes rise

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With a little kiss of tr

avel luck (again), I happened to come into town during the big celebration 

of the history of Ayuttaya and the ruins were BUMPING at night with multiple parties and festivals. From techno stages and undulating bodies to a traditional historic "light and sound" presentation inside on of the temples (I went to this), there were SO MANY thai people partying down and celebra

ting this historic ancient capital of the province. This was a very inspiring setting which drew many poems out of me:

kitten perched

on temple ruins
orange cat, orange moon

another evening spent watching

bats pour from the ancient palace

(woops, the only film I have is filmed vertically)

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street dogs enter
the ancient palace for free -
I pay 50 baht!
it's fair consideringthe life of Thai street dogs

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may my dreams
drift down the Chao Pria
with the water cress

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haggling for pennies
on principle that I'm
not just a farang
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green pomegranates
weigh down thin branches
Christmas in Thailand

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orange moon
orange juice
illness abroad sucks

Regarding this last one, the cold I had been fighting off for a couple of weeks and which I brought with me to Thailand finally caught up to me and I spent a good amount of my time in Ayuttaya sleeping. I feel better now, but when I woke, I felt quite reflective and I believe it inspired a more observative state.

I would return to Ayuttaya in a heart beat, by train (with my bike!).

Orientation, Aclimitization and Overwhelm!

I've found myself stuck in Bangkok, with way too much to do and see, but I've found it very helpful to be here a bit and grow more at ease with the shift in culture. Bangkok is definitely nuts, but I've enjoyed walking over a good portion of the city near my guest house and have put quite a few kilometers on my shoes on the pavement here. I've wandered through all sorts of neighborhoods and definitely see varying flavors of Bangkok, literally and metaphorically. I'm really surpised with the neighborhood in which my guest house lies--it's very very laid back, down to earth and calm compared with so many of the other neighborhoods where backpackers hang out. I can't quite figure out what makes it this way, but it seems like a place where a lot of working class people live (I've seen a lot of vender carts parked in driveways early in the morning and late at night). It doesn't have the greatest selection of anything you could ever want like many other places, but it's quaint, has mostly everything right aroung the corner and lies right on a ferry stop (Thewet). I've wandered small alley ways, meat markets (with serpent, frog and every sort of fish for sale), tourist markets, regional parks, palaces, run down neighborhoods, upscale neighborhoods and even a few tree lined streets (don't know why there aren't more...feels good when it's hot).

So, highlights:

Bangkok: Street food (of course): there's so much of it and so many different styles and types, it's sorta overwhelming! Makes me wonder what happened to this sort of business in the US. I like it because the street venders serve neighborhoods and each neighborhood has its venders. Keeps things pretty local...at night in Thewet, it seems that neighbors are out and support the local street carts. With that, food in a bag: today, I had the BEST fresh coconut shake (<$0.50 US) in a bag and drank it down to the last drop! Everything comes in little plastic bags...it's sorta annoying, but the things inside the bag are nearly irresistable! The wats: I've visited a big handful! They're a great relief from the ultra fast pace (not to mention the touters) of Bangkok. I hope to have some shots up online at some point. The river: I take the ferry whenever I can...where else could you get an amazing 45 min boat ride with world class views for less than $.50 US? Random friendly strangers: even though some of them are friendly for a reason (to get you in a tuk tuk to go for a scam), I have met quite a few very very nice, authentically kind people in Bangkok! A monk stopped me today just to talk (I think also to practic his English) and to welcome me to the place I was visiting. Transportation: amazing. Simply amazing! How many different ways can you get anywhere for under a dollar or two? Bike, motor bike, tuk tuk, taxi, bus, ferry, sky way, sub way...ahhhh, no driving for me. Ko Kret: I couldn't resist visiting this island nestled in the middle of the river in the far North of Bangkok where the Mon people have been potting for many many years (note 2baht ferry ride---$.07USD). I visited on the wrong day to take a spin on the wheel. They were busy with production when I got there and got to witness their hallmark surface decorating techniques. Truly amazing! Also saw my first coconut, banana and papaya trees loaded with fruit in the mangrove swamps of the island. Met and talked with a locally recognized potter (she had a photo of her with the king winning an award for her art work) who told me (with many hand gestures) how some of her work was created. I could have brought her whole shop home with me (and pretty much did in my camera)!

A few lowlights: no trash cans, ANYWHERE! Lots of trash (see aforementioned plastic bags) in my pockets and backpack, on the ground, in the river and in the water ways. No trash cans. Anywhere. Touters: as if Bangkok wasn't hectic enough, take it up a notch with every tuk tuk, motor bike and taxi honking at your or shouting at you (this also includes other individuals attempting to sell every sort of good and service imaginable). Pollution: this city can't have this kind of readily available, cheap pub trans without a tremendous amount of NOISE and AIR pollution. Ride a non-AC bus and get a little bit light headed from the fumes. Traffic: World Class Traffic! At it's worst, it's on par with LA, but compressed into city streets (rather than ten lane freeways). I can't imagine, because I haven't looked or noticed, where they park all these vehicles!!!!!

That's Bangkok so far. Gonna try to get out of here for a few days starting tomorrow or Sunday.

Bangkok Snapshots

There's so much I can say about Bangkok, it would go on forever. I'm STILL here, still trying to get aclimitized and used to (what feels to me like) the drastic shift in culture. Instead of rambling for an hour about what I've been up to, I'll offer two very similar snapshots and promise to say more soon:

the wat's garden
a pool of calmness near
Bangkok hurling stones


(for the Wat at the end of the street I'm staying on)
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Suan Lumphini
an emerald vien within
cold bare concrete cliffs

(this is a lovely large park right inside the downtown business district of Bangkok which I hung out at for two hours watching birds, lizards, bicyclists, joggers and reading)

Arrival

Thanks to a brilliant suggestion of a lovely guest house in a "quiet" part of Bangkok, I'm now typing from a great little guest house along the river in Bangkok. All flights and connections went well as did the taxi ride. The bike box looks good from the outside, with the exception of stress marks on the handles. I watched it be loaded in Narita and the baggage handlers were very very good with it (thanks United). Gonna go open it up and peak inside before setting down for some more rest. It's 2:30 AM and I'm mostly awake.

Bangkok rests-
a silent moon reflected
in the rice paddies

Departure

Thanks to everyone for your support of my travels. I'm very excited to be departing this morning and very very excited I found my first cycling destination, a small island in Northern Bangkok, called Ko Kret known for it hand thrown ceramic pottery. I think I'll attempt to weasel my way onto a wheel to get a taste for the local clay (they dig their own!). In the least, I'm going to see if any local potters offer classes---I'd love to explore different throwing styles and I'm very interested in exploring other forms.

Bangkok will be very very busy for me with a long list of things to do. First up is to get my passport to the Vietnam consulate to start the VISA process.

Wish me luck!


BTW: Sharon and I both agreed that the extra five days was very very helpful for me, so, in essence, the change of plans was very welcomed (my condolences to the hundreds of thousands of stranded tourists, though--may they return home to their families as soon as possible). I feel very calm and prepared, much unlike Wednesday this week when I had originally intended to fly.

Confirmation

I don't believe anything until I see some proof. Now I have proof! United Airlines Flight 891 from Narita, Japan to Bangkok, Thailand is in the air right now as I type. I will take that same flight on Monday. Yeah!!!!

It's A GO!

Thai Transportation authorities officially reopened BKK airport for full operations Friday, which means my plane will be able to fly in late Monday night. I depart Sunday around noon and will be in transit for 15 or so hours, with a brief stop over at the Narita airport outside Tokyo.

I'm in the final stages of packing and will begin boxing my bike today. With the spare time, I was able to do a little bit more fussing and mechanical work on the bike (replaced four spokes on the rear wheel and trued it up real nice!), so that I'm fully comfortable with it's operations at the start of my trip. Now, it just has to survive United Airlines baggage handling and I have to survive the flight across the Pacific without a window seat (and oh so much curiosity :).

It's a GO! and I'm very excited!!!