myrainasia

Well that’s where I’ve been the past few days- 2 of the ancient capitals of Thailand and both magnificent.  Having seen about 7 zillion churches in Europe on my last world odyssey, the least I can do is see an equal amount of Buddhist temples.  Problem is I think each one is incredible, from multiple viewing points, but anybody making the effort to look at my pictures is probably going to think they all look alike.

Ayutthaya is renowned for the fact that most of the Buddhas were destroyed or, at the very least, defiled when the city was conquered by the Burmese several hundred years ago.  Most of the Buddhas had their heads and/or hands lopped off.  Sukhothai was never ransacked.  Just old. Have tried to insert a photo here- not sure how successful.

Anyhow, both cities are a lot calmer than Bangkok and it’s nice not to have to pray before crossing the street. Tomorrow I head off for Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city. Still trying to decide if I want to go to Myanmar. Every time I look at the guidebook I think, jeez, how could I skip this? Then I read the part about making photos of your passport and getting small bills because there are no ATMs in the country, etc. etc. Will have to make the decision soon. If not Myanmar then my next country will be Laos. I’ll keep you all posted.

Some other random comments on Thailand-

Developing serious addiction to foot massages. Wow! Talk about pampering yourself. This is one of the “expensive”treats- costs between 200 and 300 baht for an hour. That’s about 6.50 to 10 USD. More expensive than dinner which runs about 5 or 6 USD. I knew things would get better in Asia!

Thailand is impressive for the food. It’s everywhere! Street vendors set up at every corner and it’s all very fresh because they wok it or barbecue on demand. Bigger problem is not being able to order anything except pad thai and the point method doesn’t work if the food is cooked on demand. Also discovered that I can actually order food with spice. My bus ride to Sukhothai was 1st class which meant lunch was included at a bus station somewhere. The server tried to dissuade me from the dish I pointed out, from a choice of about 10, but I persisted figuring if it was too hot my lunch would be cookies from the vendors on the other side. It was hot but hardly blow your lips off hot. Finished it alll and was quite satisfied with myself.

Also must talk about toilets. What is it with these stand up toilets for women? And where are the instructions? Thailand is hardly my first exposure to these abominations, but my delight in them remains on a par with root canal. Peeing on one’s ankles really sucks! I must admit, however, that they are cleaner here than some I’ve seen in other countries. And then there’s the question of the hose next to the toilet. This is separate from the faucet that is over the bucket- I’m 100% sure that’s for filling up the bucket to dump water into the toilet which doesn’t flush. The hose is totally separate- I’m thinking that’s for use in lieu of toilet paper which inevitably is not in the stall (but we ex-girl scouts always come prepared)- which leads to the next burning question- if you shrpitz instead of wiping, are you then supposed to drip dry? Thoughts appreciated on this issue.

Final random thought- the tuk tuk or, alternatively, the songthieuw. These are the little motorbikes with attached seating. They scare you off of them in Bangkok, on the theory that all tuk tuk drivers will try and overcharge the tourists, but metered taxis are nowhere to be seen in the smaller cities so the alternative modes of transportation are very necessary. Been bopping around on them quite contentedly since leaving Bangkok. Again, very pleased with myself.

Have to admit, I’m really enjoying Thailand. Except for the heat. I managed to avoid the rainy season. Didn’t really realize I was substituting the hot season. When I decided on an “endless summer” for this trip, I was thinking 80s not high 90s. Think NYC on the worst days of summer- welcome to my world! The suntan lotion melting off my forehead and into my eyes today was a real treat. Then I said to myself- you could be worrying about a motion return date or how many hours you billed today- cooled myself off immediately!

Love to all.