Bird’s Nest Bevarage – 25% bird’s nest

Sightseeing with a group of people can be stressful. Thankfully we were all in agreement – we would take it easy, give the national museum a miss and concentrate our day on the Cambodian Grand Palace and Silver Pagoda; the spiritual heart of the city.

Cambodia’s Grand Palace, built in the mid-nineteenth century indirectly harked back to past ‘golden ages’ for its architectural influences. The design was supposedly inspired by Bangkok’s counterpart, however, ironically the Thai Grand Palace was partially influenced by the ornamentation of ancient Cambodian temples.

Enclosed within mustard-coloured walls we strolled past reliquary stupas, well tended gardens and tall buildings with sweeping varnished roofs of yellow, green and red tiles. Sat amongst the typically south east asian architecture is an incongruous small French mansion – the pavillion of Napoleon III; a gift from France and a reminder of the (formal) imperial links that once existed between the two countries.

I found it a tranquil space, only yards away from busy roads and squares, but miles away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh.

The largest and most impressive building of the palace is the Throne Hall, the only part of the interior we were allowed to view. This suitably plush room has been used for the coronation of Cambodian Kings, most recently the ballet dancing King Norodom Sihamoni – I half expected to see him pirouette out the door as i ascended the steps and entered the long, pillared, symmetrical room. The room was light, with auspicious chandeliers hanging from a muralled ceiling. But my eye was instantly drawn to the far end of the room and the ornate throne. The whole space around it radiates gold, even the air is tinged with the colour.

In the same compound as the palace is the Silver Pagoda; an extravagant temple which derives its name from the thousands of solid silver tiles that cover the floor of its interior. What’s wrong with Top’s Tiles? Though why bother with ceramics when you have five tons of precious metal spare?!

On display inside the main sanctuary are treasures of the Cambodian monarchy such as the tansluscent baccarat crystal buddha, the colour of jade, which topped a multi-tiered gilded pedestal in the middle of the room.

But for real bling, for the Puff Daddy’s out there, look no further than the 90kg solid gold buddha adorned with 2086-10,000 diamonds (sources do not agree), some a purse-busting 25 carat.

What would the historical Buddha have made of all this exceptionally wealthy and lavish earthly treasure in his name? I think….

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Ruth and Sam, two friends from home had been planning to meet me for some weeks. I found them, as expected, in a bar nearby the hotel we arranged to stay at.

It was great to see them and yet i felt a short pang of homesickness for the first time in months. No doubt because of the strange juxtaposition of home and abroad, sedentry and nomadic, remote and immediate of my friends displaced from one context to the other. They brought into focus how far from home i was. But this was no bad thing, it reinvigorated my appreciation of this year.

So that night we went out to celebrate along the many bars on the Khao San. All i remember is dancing in some strange club with lots of young, trendy thai’s. The next day was rather more sedate. Poor Sam and Ruth were hungover the next day and had to press things to their eyeballs to see what they were looking at. Both turned a shade of green when i ordered fried rice for breakfast – i had not realised just how alien my diet has become to a western palate or norms.

We spent the next few days frequenting the ESSO garage bar, shopping along the Khao San and catching up on the past six months in each others lives.

Now, a business studies question. Imagine yourself a highly-driven, networking, downsizing, brainstorming entrepeneur looking to set up a stall offering facials. Where would you position it? Remember people, it’s location, location, location! In a park perhaps, with green grass and trees, and some modicum of fresh air? Or in an airconditioned spa with luxury products lining the walls and silk separaters dividing the rooms? Or in a modern, clean shopping centre such as MBK (Bangkok’s answer to Bluewater)?

No, no and no! Position it in an open tent on the forecourt of a petrol station and the pavement of a main road choked with traffic, fumes and pollution.

And yet we still found ourselves lying on a bed while various products and fruit essences were applied to the face, cucumber placed over our eyes and a steamer breathed out rejuvenating vapours onto our skin. Immediately afterwards we stepped onto the busy road and were caked in dirt, smoke and motor exhaust. It felt great for that split second though.

Other than pampering, the odd tipple and recovering in bed, finally, after two previous trips to the city I had the opportunity to visit some of Bangkok’s cultural offerings.

No trip to the city is complete without a stop at Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, both architectural and historic treasures and one of the greatest spectacles on offer in Bangkok to an avid sightseers such as myself.

Ripped jeans are not suitable attire according to the authorities who tapped me on the shoulder and led me to a side room. In fairness this is the most sacred and important temple in Thailand – but my other jeans are even worse. Luckily they fitted me with a delightful pair of shiny blue MC-hammer pants.

For all those over 30 years old, a picture of the inestimably important MC Hammer….

The temptation to break out into a wild performance of the “running man” dance was acute but previous experience with this dangerous, complex move and memories of shattered bones and wearing a large Darth Vader support boot to Trinity College May Ball (the biggest event in the Cambridge calendar!) stilled my trembling legs. Once burnt, twice shy!

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