Ayuthaya

There is a myth that things are cheap in Southeast Asia.  This is not completely true.  Food is cheap and so is clothing.  You can eat a full meal for somewhere in the neighbourhood of about $10.00 Canadian for two people.  When I say a full meal I mean full!   None of this “Oh, I shouldn’t eat any more because I might get fat!” business.  When you stop eating it is because “there is no room at the Inn!”  However, if you choose to eat Western style – i.e. pizza or burgers, you will pay the same as at home on as many levels.

Clothing is cheap.  We took a cab to the mall today and purchased four different articles of apparel, ate lunch, came home in a cab and spent about $30.00 all told.  However, electronics are about the same price as home or possibly slightly more.  So don’t come to Southeast Asia looking for a bargain on computers or cell-phones.  Not only will you not get a deal, but you won’t be able to read the instructions.

  

Thai food is great.   And cheap.  I am not sure how they manage to make it so flavourful yet not heavy like Indian food.  We decided to find out. We took a Thai cooking class.  It was a great learning experience.  The instructor took us to the outdoor market to purchase the ingredients then took us to his school to show us how to make about five different dishes.  Granted this was fairly basic stuff but nevertheless it was fascinating to learn.  I have yet to see a grocery store here.  It looks as if everyone buys their food from the street market.  These markets are kind of like an outdoor Granville Market tucked in an alley.

The instructor, whose name was Jay, took us through the outdoor market showing us the various fish, meats, starches, vegetables and seasonings used in Thai cooking and explaining how to use each one.  It was quite an education – I did not know, for example, that there were so many varieties of eggplant.  He even showed us a type of eggplant called a “hairy” eggplant and said it was like me.  Then he giggled and bitch-slapped me on the shoulder.  

Is everyone in Thailand gay?

Jay shopping at the market

When we got back to the cooking school we had to wash the vegetables and arrange them artistically in a basket before we cooked with them.  I would have just tossed them on the counter but that is unacceptable and had Jay flapping around, flipping his hair and getting all bitchy. Presentation both before and after cooking is, I guess, important.  In spite of my tongue-in-cheek comments, we really did enjoy the course and Jay was a great instructor.  I might even have learned something…. Stranger things have happened…

For once in my life I did something smarter than Telen. One of the dishes we cooked required a hot Thai chili pepper. Those peppers are HOT! I carefully flipped most of the pepper out of my wok during the cooking process.  Telen did not do that, and she paid for it.  Everyone was gasping and sweating both while cooking and eating their dish except me. They were so impressed with my ability to eat hot food.  Telen ate all hers and subsequently spent an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom periodically calling out for buckets of ice and fire extinguishers.

Today we took a trip to Ayuthaya, the ancient capitol of Thailand.  Ayuthaya is famous for it’s many Buddhist temples stretching back to as early as AD 1400.  This area has been in a tug-o-war with Burma (Myanmar) for many hundreds of years so the temples have been built, razed, rebuilt and re-razed again many times over the course of their conflict.  The temples have been built in a myriad of styles as a result of who, if anyone, was in charge.  So we saw temples that were ruined in the Thai style, Cambodian style, Burmese style and Sri-Lankan style.  We did see one Buddha that was easily two stories tall and covered in gold.  Offerings and people praying surrounded Buddha.  This Buddha is often “honoured” or prayed to for the fulfillment of wishes – money, love, fortune etc. 

A ruined Buddhist Temple

My meager understanding of Buddhism is that the path to enlightenment requires a detachment from materialism.  The Indian prince who eventually became Buddha gave up all his worldly possessions when the suffering of the common people moved him.  When I saw the huge temples with all the gold raised in Buddha’s name it made me think of the Christians and their intolerance or the Muslims and their violence.  When religious leaders teach us something is it automatic that we do the opposite?

Telen at the Summer Palace

We did not get as much out of the trip as we hoped - thanks to the guide.  He was proud of the fact that he spoke four different languages.  English, apparently, was not one of them.  In spite of that, and the fact that Telen and I were the only native English speakers, he insisted on giving the tour in English.  At least that is what I believe it was.  The group consisted of Koreans, Japanese, Germans, Austrians, Dutch and Thais.  I cannot imagine what they got out of the tour.

Telen Writes:

Rand was right.  I should not have eaten all those chili peppers.  My gut is still upset.  Rand put on his pharmacist’s hat and found some Imodium for me.

We have spent a week here in Bangkok on our own now and are looking forward to start our 29 day G adventure tour through northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.  Bangkok is a huge urban sprawl with 8 to 14 million people depending on where one draws the boundary.  Cars and scooters rule the road but we are becoming quite street wise now when crossing the road.  We have been to the nearby MBK mall 3 times now.  There must be over a thousand shops.  Going to the mall is a good way to escape the humid heat of Bangkok, to do people watching and to check out some bargains.  The workers and shopkeepers carry on their domestic chores in the mall as well.  For example, I saw a number of little ones ages around 6 months to 5 years old playing happily amongst the displays where their parents work.  I saw a mom chasing after a toddler as she tried to spoon feed him food.  Young people here like to wear a lot of makeup, female and male alike.  One time, we were at the mall just after it opened its doors at 10 am.  I saw some ladies applying their makeup, combing their hair.  One even changed her shirt behind the customer counter.

Bangkok is a city full of opposites.  One sees the saffron robed monks walking barefooted in the morning on the streets holding their begging bowl going from door to door to collect food.  The image of Buddha is revered, yet most people seem to practice the opposites of Buddha’s teaching.  Over indulgence is the norm here:  eating, shopping, material possessions.  Perhaps this is unique to Bangkok.  I am looking forward to see what other parts of Thailand will reveal.