FROM BANGKOK, THAILAND

Bangkok, Day 1 (June 22)

BANGKOK, June 22, 2006 - My six-hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was pleasant and uneventful.  I was met at the airport by a uniformed hotel employee who took me to an impeccable looking driver, dressed in an all-white uniform and wearing gloves. We did not talk much during the half hour drive through this bustling city of nine million, so I figured the driver probably did not have much English.  Later on, I was to find out I was wrong (see Day 2, Part 1, June 23).

My first impressions of the Lebua hotel at State Tower were great.  Everything was done with panache, in first class style.  But what impressed me the most were the Thai people.  Everybody seemed so nice and friendly.  And they keep smiling all the time.  And not ina phony way, as most Americans smile at strangers.  Which makes them so sweet and endearing.

I was to learn later that my hotel (above) is the second tallest building in Bangkok.  The highest is, of course, a bank tower, with 88 floors.

The State Tower at which my hotel is located has a rather unique architecture, with honeycombed half circles forming a balcony in front of each room.  I thought it looked rather attractive.

Once up in my room on the 55th floor of a 64-storrie skyscraper, however, I could barely see the ground - for all the smog. 

Now contrast that with the above shot, taken a day later from the same spot, after a rain shower washed away the smog like a windshield wiper mopping the windows clean.

And now I could actually see something in the other direction, too.  I thought that this view of the city toward the south and the ocean (Gulf of Thailand, see the above map) was rather pretty.

But back to my arrival, here are some additional views of the "Bangkok in smog" taken from the 51st floor, where the reception is located...

The white building on the riverfront at the bottom left of the picture is the Oriental hotel.  I have been told that this is where all the celebrities stay who come to Thailand (like Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, etc.).  Glad I missed it... who needs a media zoo.  Besides, I can literally look down on them.  J

Speaking of looking down, those who suffer from vertigo should skip the next couple of pictures...

I also noticed that straight below from my hotel is some sort of a temple.

Here it is again, a birds eye view of the temple, after zooming in a little with my camera lens.  I made a mental note to be sure to check it out (and did, on Day 3, June 24).

Walking around the immediate neighborhood around the hotel (above two shots), reminded me of my time in India, specifically in Mumbai.  The scents and sounds of Asia were unmistakable.  One can practically taste life raw and close up.

On my way in from the airport, I had noticed huge billboard with this man's picture on them, as well as some banners with his image that stretched over 20 or more stories of the tall skyscrapers.  "Who is this man?" I kept wondering.  "Probably a ubiquitous king," I answered my own question.  

I have not seen a greater display of a personality cult since my youth years spent in a communist country.  That's where photographs and busts of the "red kings," like Tito, Lenin or Stalin, were everywhere.

Indeed, my guess was confirmed later on, when I asked some Thai people about it.  This is their king.  But it was evidently unfair to compare this benevolent Thai ruler to the ruthless communist dictators.  For, he is revered by his people.  They spoke lovingly of his 60-year reign, that he celebrated just recently.

Just around the corner, I saw these kids heading home from school.  They looked so cute in their white and blue uniforms.  But I was surprised they were still in school in late June, considering the high heat and humidity.  The school turned out to be Assumption College, which I later found out is one of the more expensive private schools in Bangkok.

As I walked on, I was surprised to come across this side street, which could have been in Anywhere Europe.  Some sort of a film crew were evidently setting up equipment for a shoot.

I walked by again after dinner later this evening, and saw that the shoot was in progress.

I learned from a local shopkeeper that all this time and all this equipment is just for a short commercial for bottled water!

Little shrines, like this one, are all over Bangkok.  It seems that the Thai people like to display their affection for their God - the Buddha - very publicly and unabashedly .

Once back at the hotel, I saw... what else, another Starbucks.  They are really everywhere nowadays, a new symbol of the American "culture" replacing the Golden Arches.  Naturally, I had an ice mocha.

Two days later, I found out that I was wrong about McDonald's being squeezed out.  The Golden Arches are still around, except that I had to walk a block to see them (see Day 3, June 24).

Go to Day 2, Part 1...

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