Footloose in Siam: Day 2: Temple Run

Hi friends,
A lot to write about so I'll get right into it.

I woke up early on Sunday ready to take the train to Ayatthuya. My hotel is right next to a train station so I figure I'll just pop over, catch a train, and be in Ayutthaya* before lunch. Just to be sure I asked the friendly hotel clerks about taking the train from the station to Ayutthaya. The woman at the desk said that I couldn't get to Ayutthaya from the train station (despite the map with the clearly labeled railroad going from the train station to Ayuthuya. I decided to trust the map and my instincts and make a go for the train.

*there is no agreed upon Phoenician spelling of Siamese words

Just walking around Thailand is an interesting experience. Only about half the streets are labeled and only half of those are labeled in English. On just about every street corner, somebody has left out dish of food with an incense stick stuck inside. This is some kind of religious offering made for wayward spirits. I think that this is probably one of the major contributing factors to the enormous contingent of stray dogs that seem to inhabit every nook and cranny. I don't usually consider myself a dog person, but I have to have more respect for these animals than their vapid American counterparts. These dogs have balls (no pun intended). They aren't mean or unfriendly, for the most part they'll ignore you. However, I do my best to avoid them and I am seriously considering taking a page out of Max's book and start carrying around an iron rod. On the whole, the outskirts of Bangkok reminded me a little of Indiana in the summer. The weather is hot and humid, there is a marsh with marsh noises and 50 percent of the locals are missing either a tooth or a shirt.
I did eventually find the train station. It should have only been about a two mile walk, but I think I was able to tag up an extra mile through excessive backtracking and and walking in circles.

At the train station I found that I could not, in fact buy a ticket to Ayutthaya, this line only goes as far as Bangkok city center. Ok. Bangkok city center it is. The Lat Krabang train stations has two platforms: The skytrain is fast and has air conditioning. I saw a lot of other "farang" (westerners) going up to the skytrain platform. The MTS is standing room only and has a broken fan. This is train that the locals take. Hefting my luggage, I climbed onto the train with the thais and we chug-a-lugged our way into the city. Looking out the window, I was given the distinct impression that somebody had decided to build a bunch of sky scrapers in the middle of a village. Except for the high rises, all of the "buildings" were three sided shacks with correlated metal roofs. It struck me as interesting that: there is no real practical need for a lot of these houses to have doors, or even walls. It's never cold and they have nothing anybody would want to steal. For part of the ride a stood next to a father and his toddler son. The boy looked up at me and gabbled something is Siamese. It is a weird feeling to be exotic.

Our train stopped at the Bangkok train station. I had just enough time to figure out where I was, figure out how to buy a ticket to Ayutthaya, buy a quick lunch and run out to the platform to catch my train as it was pulling away from the station.

The train ride to Ayutthaya was much more comfortable. I had a whole bench to myself and there seemed to be an even spread of locals and farangs. Hawkers walked up and down the aisles of the train selling pork and rice or a selection of cold drinks. At some point a Thai girl of about my age sat down next to me. We exchanged glances and shy smiles for a few minutes. I decided that now was as good a time as any to practice my Siamese so I asked her her name. (At least that's what I think I asked) That was about as far as our conversation got. She replied and I didn't catch a word of it. So I awkwardly tried to repeat what she had said. I showed her my Siamese-Thai discretionary thinking that maybe she could pick out the word she was looking for. She looked at it for a few minutes, handed back to me with a pitying smile. Needless to say I was feeling pretty good about myself, but she offered me a stick of gum and gave her a pin from my hat. She must have been on terms with the hawkers because one of them said something to her, she said something back and slapped him playfully. I think they were talking about me, but since I have no idea what they said I'm going to assume it was positive. A few moments later my new friend got up and left and I resumed my survey of the passing landscape. I came away from our exchange feeling a little like an explorer in a nature documentary. The one where David Attenborough meets a tribe of natives in the jungles of Africa and manages a friendly exchange of gifts. The face of the Aftican natives is the exact same as the face of the Thai girl when I gave her the pin. Its the face that says, "What is this junk you're pawning on me?", "Why would I need such a thing?" and "I'm only taking this because I don't know how to politely refuse in your language." Oh well, I guess its a start.

The countryside outside Bangkok is much more like the Thailand I expected. Houses on stilts, slow murky rivers and lots rice fields. Finally make it Ayutthaya. I unload my suitcase and hire a taxi-truck to take me to the guest house I've decided to stay at. The P.U. Guesthouse (yes actual name and no it doesn't smell) is quaint (only word I can think to describe it). I have a single room on the third floor, I share a bath-shower with the other guests and the hostesses serve breakfast all day.

I set up my room and go back downstairs. The hostess is selling tickets for a boat trip around the city.
A little Ayutthaya geography for you. The city of Ayuthaya is on an island at the juncture of three major rivers and is the cite of more Buddhist temples than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and by the way, to day is Chinese New Year. So, yes, please, I would like to take a boat trip to a bunch of temples on the their festival day.

There comes a point when you have to let picture do the talking. This is that point. Suffice to say that the temples were decked out in their New Year's best. Locals were was out making offering of incense, flowers and money and I joined a group of devotees for a chanted prayer in front of a golden Buddha. (I figure in might not be a bad thing to have the Buddha on my side too)

Boating around the river I really felt like I had suddenly been sucked into a real life game of Pokemon Snap. I'm going around a track trying to capture all of the sights of camera. (My generation will get this reference)

We land back on the island and the New Years Festivities are just kicking off. I stop to peruse the night market /carnival on my way back to my room. After some unintentional detours and more circle walking a find my guesthouse. The whole of the street seems to cater to the needs of farang, so I put my stuff back in my room and go order some dinner.

End of the Day