Time For The New Thai PM To Go Already?

My blogs are really behind, so my Thailand entries are from Nov 2008. I thought it would be interesting to follow up on events that took place during my trip. During my stay in Thailand protesters took over the Bangkok Airport until the military decided to remove itself from power. A new Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, came in (not through elections) to replace the military power that had been in place in their peaceful coup of former PM Thaksin Sinawatra.

Well, it appears the new PM has worn out his welcome. Protesters, supporters of former PM Thaksin Sinawatra, want the new PM, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to step down so an elected PM can come into power.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7965319.stm

Bangkok Foods

Here are some of the foods I ate while in Bangkok.
Also check out my post on Somboon for more of the food I ate in Bangkok.

Chicken wrapped in Banana Leaves

Shrimp

Spicy Curry

Chicken Fried Rice.... it's a fried drumstick with fried rice

This spicy soup was really cheap. It was in a small eatery where there were no tourists. I think it was $1 USD.

More cheap food, this time fried chicken on rice. Again about $1 USD.

Same deal, cheap yummy food. Fried egg on top of fried chicken and rice. Between $1-$2 USD.

Pineapple Fried Rice, one of my favorite Thai dishes. This seems to only be sold at places with lots of foreigners. Hmmm.....

Spaghetti

Ice Cream!

A really yummy crushed ice and condensed milk dessert with raspberries on top.

Crushed ice, condensed milk and kit kats!

Shrimp

Random Bangkok Pictures and Thoughts

Bangkok was a wonderful change of pace from China. The people were so nice, the weather was gorgeous, it only rained a little bit, and I was able to take my time and relax with my gf who had joined me. At this point I was a little tired from the traveling and sight seeing so I decided I would not push myself in Bangkok. I wouldn't try and see as much as possible and I wouldn't go out of my way to eat local foods if I suddenly decided I'd like a burger.

The temples were really beautiful, though I think Thailand suffers from schizophrenia. On one hand the people revere Buddha and following Buddha's teachings is highly regarded, however there is also so much smut. The smut is easily avoided though and I did not encounter any of it in Bangkok. Just stay away from the districts.


Some random pictures from my time at Bangkok.

Performers in the lobby of Twin Towers Hotel - where I stayed

Pool at Twin Towers

Traditional Thai Dance

Traditional Thai Dance

Traditional Thai Weapon Fighting

And of course for giggles...

I couldn't help but crack up at the name of this massage parlor. I did not try it out myself.

The new metro in Bangkok... off to On Nut.

Yes... the title is Sexy Dogs. I don't know why it was being sold in the bus station in Bangkok but it was. After a little hunting though I think I found it on amazon:

Bangkok: The Golden Mount

After my brief visit to Wat Tramit I was off to the Golden Mount. Climb the 318 steps for a panoramic view of Bangkok. I heard the view was beautiful but I was there on a rainy day. You must take your shoes off to enter the building once you finish climbing the stairs. Inside you can reach the top. But since I was barefoot and it had been raining I got to walk around the top and step in puddles without shoes. Still, for a cloudy day the view was nice.

Part of the 318 steps that curl around the Golden Mount. They're not steep, it's an easy climb.

Small waterfall on the way up

Small waterfall on the way up the stairs.

Buddha

Inside the Golden Mount

A small reclining Buddha

Roof Top of the Golden Mount:

View from the roof.

View from the roof.

Wat Tramit, The Gem Scam

A stop by the Golden Buddha is something a tourist in Bangkok should not miss. However, while traveling you need to be aware of ripoff artists. If you're traveling to Bangkok Thailand you should be aware of a common scam. It's called the 'Gem Scam' in the Lonely Planet books.

Tip
Basically this is how the scam works:
You show up at a popular tourist attraction like a temple. Some local approaches you and tells you it's closed (when it's actually open) but he can take you to some place else where you can buy some extremely rare gems. You're then taken on a ride to a place you don't know so you're pretty much at their mercy. And of course the gems are not rare at all.

It doesn't always involve gems but the scam is similar. For example I once hailed a cab in Bangkok and the driver said I'll only charge you 50 Baht when other drivers were trying to get 300 Baht. He was only charging 50 Baht because he wanted to take me to another place where I would have to only window shop for 10 minutes. After that if I didn't want to buy anything he would take me to my destination. But what would happen if I did not want to buy anything? I assume there would have been immense pressure to buy and who knows, maybe I would have been stuck there if I did not purchase anything (probably at ripoff prices). I got out of the cab and got another.


Wat Tramit
Well, when I got to Wat Tramit, known for it's Golden Buddha, I was approached by a local who told me Wat Tramit was closed. I figured it was a scam so I ignored him and charged onwards. Well... it turns out it was indeed closed so I was not able to see the real Golden Buddha. I had to settle for taking pictures of the replica of the Golden Buddha. Hopefully if you're planning a trip it will be open by the time you get there.

The Wat Tramit Temple was built in 1882 and became a royal temple in 1952. The Buddha housed in this temple is named Sukhothai Tramit and is from the Sukhothai Period, presumably the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng The Great (1277-1317). The Golden Buddha is the world's largest solid gold Buddha statue. It is 15 feet tall and 5.5 tons. In the 1955 it was rediscovered. This Buddha had be completely covered in plaster (presumably in the 13th century) to protect it from thieves and this wasn't discovered until it was accidentally dropped, cracking the plaster and reveling the true statue, during a move.

Wat Tramit under construction

A replica of the Golden Buddha.

Ok, so not everyone's a scam artist in Bangkok... but a traveler should still keep their wits about. Remember the cab driver that tried a variation of the gem scam on me.

Bangkok: Somboon Restaurant

I normally would have put this in my food post for Bangkok, but this post is for Rich and Megan of World Ramblers. If you guys get the chance eat here!

I was recommended this restaurant by a taxi driver in Bangkok: Samboon Restaurant. I have to say that most taxi drivers in Bangkok are trying to rip you off, but there are a few very nice ones. In general I think Thai people are friendly, but be careful of the ones that are always working with tourists -- that's where you'll find the ripoff artists. Anyway, I always love food recommendations from the locals as they are always great.

I believe it's a Chinese-Thai food place. All this food cost about $20 USD which is a lot for a backpacker but this is one of those exceptions. It was really really good. Make sure you get the crab curry and the fish. It's sooooooooooooooooooooooo good.

Look for this sign: Somboon Seafood. I think there are multiple locations in Bangkok.

Map to Somboon from my hotel the Twin Towers.

If you're reading this blog I realize you're probably not staying at the Twin Towers so use the National Stadium as a guide to the location. The blue circle from my pen marks the location.

Famous Crab Curry.... so good!

Famous Fried Fish, it was soooooo good!

Famous Fried Fish, I moved some of the greens out of the way for your viewing pleasure. Order this, it's that good!

Shrimp Balls

Grilled Shrimp with spicy green sauce