We’re on our way to our first destination, Bangkok, Thailand. We’re flying Asiana Airlines (South Korean) via Seoul, South Korea. Yes, it’s the airline which had trouble finding the runway when landing at San Francisco airport, yet is highly rated. It is a 20-hour journey; not an easy haul, but the crew and service were outstanding.
Whenever I think of Thailand, positive feelings come forth. Slightly larger than California with a population of about 70 million, Thailand is a valued US ally and an economic anchor in this part of the world. Learning about the country in preparation for our visit, and reading the recent headline news about the death of their King, encourages us to pierce the glossy cover to reveal some underlying details. It is a country in constant governance churn. Historically, the diplomatic acuity of the monarchy, along with modernization reforms, made it the only country in Southeast Asia to avoid European colonization. The current line of monarchy began in the late 18th century, with Rama I. Rama IV, who spoke both English and Latin, was throned king in 1851, and is credited for opening up the country and promoting Western education. He retained a British governess for his children – the real life story behind the King and I theatrical play and movie. While this Western-style education was initially restricted to the upper class, it later expanded to include the military and the bureaucracy.
Thailand survived as a result of its diplomatic skills and forged alliances, thus preventing dominance by outside forces. This required the nation to frequently play on both sides of the fence, riding the winds of time to survive and to prevail. As an example, they gave up several southern states to the British to avoid war (this area is now part of Malaysia). The Thais were part of the winning side in WW I. However in WW II, after a very short, 8-hour battle with Japan, they declared an armistice, granting free passage to Japanese troops and supplies in its war with China. In exchange, Tokyo agreed to help Thailand regain territories lost to the British and French. Thailand even declared war on the US and the United Kingdom. We did not reciprocate because we saw them as a mere puppet of Japan. As Japan was losing the war, Thailand quickly changed sides and aligned with the US and its allies. In return, the US blocked the British from imposing a punitive peace settlement on the country. Survival was always paramount. During the American-Vietnam war, Thailand hosted several US air and intelligence bases in support of our war, including the covert bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
Following the overthrow of the absolute monarchy in 1932, political instability seems to become the norm as coups by the military or military-civilian partnerships replaced one another, again and again, redefining the role and power of the monarchy, the prime minister, and the rights of the people. After WW II, Thailand seemed to stabilize as a parliamentary monarchy, but continued to adjust the laws, refining who had power, who would elect the members of parliament, and who would appoint the prime minister. Currently, it can be characterized more as a constitutional monarchy, wherein the constitution defines the power structure. Unfortunately, the constitution is constantly being revised or replaced.
Memorial to King Rama IX
In reality, Thailand has been led by military leaders for a total of 55 of the years since the 1932 overthrow. As recently as 2014, political clashes and destruction of property in Bangkok created fear and unrest throughout the country. The military seized control by installing a general as prime minister, imposing martial law, and suspending the constitution. Martial law was lifted in April of 2015 and replaced with a security order that gave the military broad powers. So the death of Rama IX earlier this month has added yet another dimension of drama. The king was beloved by the people and provided a keel of stability to the people during his 70 years of reign. He will be succeeded by his son who will carry the title Rama X, but unfortunately has not earned the people’s love. He has a very ‘interesting’ history. He divorced this first wife, to marry another woman with whom he had five children. They separated, and his wife and four sons moving to the United States. His relationship with yet another woman provided another son. This is all very confusing and contributes to the air of uncertainty. His coronation would normally take place after a period of mourning for his father. However, at of right now, no date has been set for the coronation.
The one-year period of mourning has started. The nation has designated the next 30 days as the time for the people of Thailand to visit the castle and show their respect. Bangkok is ‘dark’ for these 30 days – wearing black or subdued attire – including tourists, and minimizing entertainment and night life. While grieving, the country is yet again anxious as it sorts out the new succession in the monarchy, as well as what will happen in regards to the prime minister, the reinstatement of the constitution, and the election of a new parliament.
Helen, Wenda, Andre, Roselie, Sue, and Cristina
After landing around midnight in Bangkok, we met our tour guide, Ann, who shepherded us to our hotel for what turned out to be a short, and mostly unsuccessful attempt to get some sleep – our body clocks are messed up at this point. We (Roselie, our friend Sue Lukrich, and I) met up with some others in our traveling party – Cristina, Wenda, and Helen. While some opted for a Thai massage and rest, Roselie and I decided to explore the city.
Bangkok skyline from the river
Princess-mother-memorial-park along the banks of the river
Longboat on the river
The traffic, at almost any hour, is horrific. The streets look more like parking lots filled with stopped cars, while scooters snake thru any available opening. So rather than take a taxi, we opted to walk to the nearest Sky Train station – an elevated transit car system.
As expected, there are countless reminders that the country and the city is mourning the death of the king. Black and white funeral banners are everywhere. There is a subdued atmosphere. It is genuine. Since the king had ruled for 70 years, most people have know only one king.
Clouds of sadness are pervasive, the lack of color, of gaiety, of joy. It has hit the soul of everyone in the city. Even street musicians were playing only mournful, rueful music. Many vendors were offering free pieces of fruit, or pastry, or water, while others handed out little black ribbon loops to pin on your clothing. Despite all the sadness, entrepreneurship continues to break through. One man had a small boom box playing funeral music. By making an offer of about 20 baht ($.50), he would cry and shed some tears. I don’t know how he was able to produce so many tears, and cry on demand.
Flood control gates at the entrance to the Mon Canal
Mon Canal in the rain
After the short ride on the Sky Train, we arrived at the Sathorn Pier on the Chaopraya River, where we hired a longboat for a tour up the river and to explore one of the canals that runs through the old part of the city. Locals refer to Bangkok as the Venice of Southeast Asia. Well, they’re right that both have canals, but the similarity stops there. The canals are lined with very old, dilapidated, wooden buildings. Many are ready to collapse and are not inhabitable. The canals are very polluted with trash, including plastic bottles and bags. A large budget has been allocated for cleanup, but it will be several years before the goal is met. It must be coordinated with the education of people to use trash containers, the expansion of the trash collection infrastructure, and the building of waste water processing plants. What is impressive, however, is the way they have started tackling the impact of the ocean level rising. They built sets of two gates between the river and entrance to the canals to protect the canals from abrupt sea level changes, tides and surges. As the average sea level begins to increase, the gates may be upgraded to function as locks.
Cruising down the Mon Canal
Mon Canal through the old section of Bangkok
Jumping into the canal, the universal playground for kids.
Artist studio along the banks of the canal
The next morning, Ann collected us for a full day of experiences. The original plan was to visit the castle and see the emerald green Buddha. Unfortunately the castle is closed. Days are filled with ceremonies and activities re the king’s death. Preparations are underway to manage the anticipated throngs of people lining up to mourn the monarch. People are arriving all day long from across the nation to show their final respect. Uniformed men are everywhere… gray, blue, green, beige, and white. Police from various cities, tourist police, military and naval personnel, and security guards are present everywhere… on hand to help manage the huge number of people expected to descend on the city.
Police presence is everywhere
During lunch, I asked Ann if there was a named heir to the throne after the coronation of the new king. I assumed that one of his children would be the next heir – but which one, and from which wife? Who would be the queen? She explained in a very low voice, that it is not allowed to criticize the royal family, and specifically during this time of transition…there is an Article in the constitution addressing this very issue. She even had a hard time acknowledging that the heir apparent had been married more than once and that he had fathered children with different women… she kept looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot to hear her answer.
Wat Pho
Reclining Buddha
Reclining Buddha
Since the castle and the emerald Buddha were closed to the public, we visited Wat Phra Chetuphon, located behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and home to the 46-meter long reclining Buddha. Covered in gold leaf, with beautiful, ornate art work, it is under renovation to preserve the beautiful designs on the soles of his feet. This Buddha is huge, and is larger than the reclining Buddha we visited last year in Cambodia. We rounded out the afternoon by visiting several temples…there are hundreds just in Bangkok. Important people liked to build temples to compensate for things they may have done during their lives and improve their chance of having a better next life. All the temples have several family-supported stupas with beautiful and detailed artwork. The temples grounds also include pagodas which containing some of Buddha’s bones. Since there are thousands of temples, and therefore pagodas, it became a humorous exercise speculating on how many Buddha bones are actually available for all these pagodas.
Sue, Cristina, and Roselie taking a break
Beautiful artwork throughout the temple grounds.
Numerous pagodas and stupas throughout the grounds
On to the next temple, Wat Stuhattepwararam, which had very few visitors. It served up a very calming, meditative atmosphere and gave us a chance to look at and appreciate the details of the artwork.
Wat Suthattepwararam
Leaving this temple, all of us had reached the saturation point with temples, and were ready for a change of pace and scenery. We hired a couple of Tuk Tuks (three-wheeled rickshaw integrated with the front and engine of a motorcycle) and headed over to the open market and the flower market – very similar to what we experienced in Saigon and Tokyo. Ann and Cristina bought some unusual fruits, that we plan to taste later.
Open Market
Our final stop for the day was Bangkok’s China town. Walking the streets was a real challenge as vendors set up their stations, creating an obstacle course for pedestrians. Everything imaginable was available. We escaped the bustle, humidity, and temperature by ducking into the sanctuary of an air-conditioned tea house. Recharged with tea, we made our final dash back to our hotel, and hopefully a full night’s sleep.
China Town in Bangkok
Yummy!
コメント