New Years Eve

Spent New Years Eve having a pleasant and authentic thai dinner with Sarin alongside the Chao Phraya River with great views of Wat Arun, one of the most magnificent Wats and structures in the city. I almost destroyed my mouth in eating some of the hot pepper that are typically put into the thai dishes. Usually I pick the peppers and push them off to the side as they are much too hot for me to eat. I like mashing up bits of them and putting them into the food i'm eating as a way of trying them on a lesser level. As long as I got some rice avail to subdue the heat. Water is not good is lessening the heat sensation and can actually make it worse.

Most of the restaurants and vendors in the Khao San Rd. area are aware that the tourists are not as able to handle the hot peppers and spices as the Thai folk. As a result they are mindful in how much peppers they put in the meals and often on each table there is a glass bowl filled with the peppers and seeds sitting in water. From this anyone can scoop out a spoonful to their liking and preference.

However, we ate our meal around 11 pm and then went on a walk down to one of the piers where some other people were hanging out. There was not a countdown where we were standing but we could see firewalks from all directions of the city. One of the thai men in the restaurant starting shooting off a gun into the air. Even though it is not the official new year for most Thais as they are Buddhist and the Buddhist New Year is celebrated in early April I believe, Thais love celebrating and having a good time. It is a national holiday for Thais and many go on vacation for several days to get away.

After observing the fireworks and hanging on the pier, Sarin and I took a walk into the city and she took me to one of the nights markets. Here I was able to observe all the trucks unloading fresh produce and fruits in bulk. Lots of fruits and vegetables that I had never seen before in my life. They are then broken down into smaller units for stores and restaurants to use and sell. We also walked through a flower market where the thais were hard at work making bouquets and other creations with the flowers.

On the way back there were masses of thai folk outside the Grand Palace where the Temple of the Emerald Buddha resides praying and asking the Buddha for a blessed 2008. Here I had visited my first wk and was amazed by how beautiful yet small the Emerald Buddha is. Along with the huge reclining buddha at the Wat Po adjacent to the Grand Palace, these were the 2 most amazing Buddha figures I have encountered so far. I will be back in the area in about 1-2 months after my stay in the islands to do thai massage training at the famous Wat Po. I had intended on doing this during my first few weeks in Bangkok but wound up getting sick for several days my 2nd wk in town and couldn't take part. Then I discovered that most of the teachers would be unavailable for instruction as it was the holiday and vacation season and most were away for the moment.

After about 17 days in Bangkok this was my last night before I would leave heading to the island of Ko Phangan in the south. The time went by quick and it was an amazing experience. In talking with many travelers they were surprised that I lasted that long in Bangkok. Most travelers use Bangkok as more or less a travel stop for a wk or less on the way to other destinations, such as the islands or Chiang Mai in the north. Bangkok is very noisy, polluted, and dirty but I enjoyed my time visiting all the temples, walking through the bowels and alleyways of Chinatown and the surrounding markets, hanging on Khao San Rd, and doing thai kickboxing.